Mother Saves Child By Tricking Ex Who Allegedly Held Them Hostage

A mother was able to save her 7-month-old baby during an hours-long hostage situation, allegedly orchestrated by her ex, by tricking him into letting her seek help nearby, police in Surprise, Arizona, said at a news conference Monday.

The suspect, Todd Marchetti, 51, was found dead on May 17 following a report of a domestic violence incident in which authorities said he broke into his ex’s home around 3 a.m. armed with a machete, police Sgt. Rick Hernandez said at the news conference.

According to Hernandez, the incident ended after the home caught fire and the estranged couple’s baby, Jaxson, who had been shot multiple times, was rescued.

Hernandez said Marchetti intended to cause the mother, whom police identified as Allie, “harm” while her family was away on vacation. Throughout the hostage situation, Allie concocted multiple schemes to try to break away for help.

Allie’s first opportunity to escape came when Marchetti shot the family dog, Hernandez said. She convinced Marchetti to let her to take the dog to a vet, where she planned to seek help.

However, Marchetti did not allow her to go to the vet alone, according to Hernandez. While at the vet, Marchetti gave the staff fake names and numbers and told them the dog was a stray that had been hit by a car.

The dog had to be euthanized, Hernandez said.

Allie’s next escape attempt took advantage of a window that Marchetti damaged when he broke into her home, Hernandez said. She told Marchetti she should go out and get workers to fix the window so no one would know he’d broken in.

The mother left through the damaged window and found a construction crew at about 11:30 a.m. The workers called police, Hernandez said.

According to a police news release, the baby was still