Northridge Kidnap Suspect May Be in County; Has Flaming Skeleton Tattoo

A man was behind bars Monday in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl who was taken from her family's Northridge home, but a second suspect may have gone to the San Diego area, authorities said.

Daniel Martinez, 29, of West Hills, was arrested Sunday morning in the 18200 block of Rayen Street in Northridge, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

A second suspect—30-year-old Tobias Dustin Summers—identified by police over the weekend—remains at large.

Police said they believe he may have traveled to the San Diego area, and may have changed his appearance by shaving his head.

For latest updates, see Northridge-Chatsworth Patch.

The girl was snatched early Wednesday morning from her bedroom in the 8000 block of Oakdale Avenue, a subdivision with large lawns and trees about a half-mile south of Cal State Northridge.

She was apparently dropped off near Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Woodland Hills at 2:50 p.m. that day, and she walked to a nearby Starbucks, where she was found by a good Samaritan who pointed her toward police.

The girl was barefoot and appeared to be wearing different clothing than those she was reported to be wearing when she disappeared.

Police said the girl had abrasions, including some on her face, when she was found.

Investigators said they were searching for two suspects, and they named Summers as a target of their search on Saturday. They also said the girl had been taken to multiple locations, in different vehicles.

Summers has large tattoos of a flaming skeleton face, and a woman, on his right arm. He was described as a white man weighing about 160 pounds with blond, closely cropped hair and blue eyes.

Police said the suspect is a transient known to frequent the Devonshire, North Hollywood and greater San Fernando Valley areas.

Officers said Summers has a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 2002, and was released from custody last July—apparently as a result of the state's effort to relieve prison overcrowding. He has served prison terms for robbery, kidnapping, explosives possession and petty theft, police said.

Although he is not known to be a registered sex offender, Summers did have an arrest for battery in 2009 that involved child annoyance, according to police.

It was not known whether Summers knew the girl or anyone in her family, Smith said, and it was also unknown whether the girl was targeted or was a random victim.

—City News Service

Update, 1:30 p.m.: Daniel Martinez, 29, of West Hills, was arrested early Sunday morning on the 18200 block of Rayen Street in Northridge, according to the LAPD. He is being held on $1 million bail at the L.A. Metropolitain Jail.

Previous story: A suspect has been arrested in the case of a kidnapped 10-year-old Northridge girl, KNBC4 is reporting and the LAPD confirmed Monday.

The man is not Tobias Dustin Summers, who police identified as the primary suspect.

Summers is still being sought for his involvement with the kidnapping.  Investigators believe that Summers may be in the San Diego area and may have changed his appearance by shaving his head. 

Anyone who with information about Summers is urged to contact the police tip line at (213) 486-6890. 

Anyone observing Summers is urged to call 911 immediately.

The case involves a 10-year-old girl who was reported missing when her mother noticed her bed empty about 3:30 a.m. last Wednesday in the family's home, in the 8000 block of Oakdale Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

About 3 p.m. Wednesday, somebody dropped the girl off at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in Woodland Hills, and she walked to a nearby Starbucks at Canoga Avenue and Oxnard Street, where a good Samaritan directed her to some police officers in the area.

The girl was sexually assaulted, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times Thursday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they told the Times that the abduction has been expanded to include a sex-crime investigation.