Suspect charged with kidnapping after 3-month-old recovered safely in multi-agency operation

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 8:15 PM

By Kathy Bottorff

A 45-year-old woman is facing felony kidnapping and criminal confinement charges after a 3-month-old infant was abducted from a rural area east of Plymouth on Tuesday morning and recovered hours later in Merrillville thanks to a sweeping multi-agency law enforcement effort.

At approximately 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, the Marshall County Sheriff's Department received information about the abduction of a 3-month-old child in the area of Del Lo Me Lane, east of Plymouth. Officers from the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, Plymouth Police Department, and Indiana State Police immediately responded, with agencies and departments from across the region quickly joining the investigation.

At approximately 2:08 p.m., officers from the Merrillville Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Office located the suspect vehicle. The suspect, identified as Bobbi Jo Noviak, 45, was taken into custody without incident. The infant was located and recovered safely.

Noviak was booked on charges of Kidnapping and Criminal Confinement, both Level 5 Felonies.

The investigation involved an extraordinary level of coordination among more than a dozen agencies, including the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, Marshall County Division of Child Services, Marshall County Dispatch, the Marshall County Prosecutor's Office, the Marshall County Drug Task Force, Indiana State Police, Plymouth Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Office, Merrillville Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff's Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

Detective McFarland of the Marshall County Sheriff's Department praised the collaborative effort. "This investigation is a great example of teamwork — officers and agencies sharing information and resources for a positive outcome for the child and family," McFarland said.

A press conference will be held Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. at the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, 1400 Pioneer Drive, Plymouth.

Readers are reminded that criminal charges are merely allegations. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.