Italian Man Indicted in Child Kidnapping
LOS ANGELES — Carlo Alberto Ventre, accused of spiriting his 2-year-old daughter from Southern California to his home in Italy, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on a charge of international parental kidnapping.
The indictment charges that Ventre obstructed the parental rights of the girl’s mother, Toni Dykstra, who died mysteriously when she went to Rome to retrieve their child, Santina.
Ventre, 51, says that Dykstra attacked him with an ax, forcing him to kill her in self-defense. He faces charges in Italy of involuntary manslaughter, according to his attorney.
He was arrested in Los Angeles on Dec. 19 when he arrived on a flight from Italy. He remains free on $100,000 bond pending an arraignment Jan. 10.
Dykstra’s parents have temporary custody of Santina, who is now 4.
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