Dad Tries to Hide from Mass. Police in Leaf Pile after Kidnapping Daughter

A man kidnapped his 5-year-old daughter during a domestic dispute and fled to a cemetery, where he tried to hide underneath a pile of leaves, authorities in Massachusetts said.

The father was a suspect in a domestic incident that police officers responded to in Manchester-by-the-Sea the afternoon of Dec. 15, the town’s police department said in a news release. The town is located along Massachusetts’ coast, about a 30-mile drive northeast from Boston.

During the incident at a Summer Street home, the man took his child and ran off, according to authorities.

Then, teams of police K-9s set out in search of the man and his daughter, police said.

A Massachusetts State Police K-9 tracked the man to a cemetery located behind Manchester Essex Regional High School, according to police

He was found “behind a tombstone, covered in leaves” with his daughter, who was ultimately returned to her mother, police said.

The man, who wasn’t identified by police, was arrested on charges of parental kidnapping; domestic assault and battery; assault and battery of a child under 14; reckless endangerment of a child; carrying a dangerous weapon; and possession of class B and E drugs, according to authorities.

Information regarding his legal representation wasn’t immediately available.

As officers arrested the man, he “sustained minor injuries,” police said.

He was taken to a hospital for an evaluation, according to police.

His daughter wasn’t hurt during the kidnapping, police said.

“There is no threat to the public at this time, and we are relieved that the child was safely located and reunited with her mother,” Manchester-by-the-Sea Police Chief Todd Fitzgerald said in a statement.

The man is due in Salem District Court for an arraignment on Dec. 16, according to police.

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