Malmberg's father says his son is a habitual liar
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – In Grand Rapids, the search continues for Jozlynn Martinez.
The two-year-old girl went missing from her home on Nagold Street on February 22nd.
Jeffrey Malmberg has been charged with kidnapping and larceny related to Jozlynn's disappearance. Police recently announced that Malmberg told them that Jozlynn died and he disposed of her body.
Jozlynn's mother, Consuela, told Newschannel 3 that in a phone call from prison, Malmberg told her that Jozlynn died after falling down the steps of their home on Monday night.
On Monday, Malmberg's father spoke to Newschannel 3 from his home in Florida.
In an interesting conversation, Bob Malmberg was very frank about his son, saying that he can be downright mean and can't be trusted.
“It bewilders me to no end that something like this would happen,” said Bob.
Bob Malmberg told Newschannel 3 that his son, Jeffrey, has significant attitude problems, going all the way back to his school days at Big Rapids High School. Bob said his son always wanted revenge, but Bob never dreamed his son would be involved in something like this.
“I am not too happy, no,” said Bob. “I never thought he would go to, get mixed up in whatever he's mixed up in there.”
Bob says he hasn't spoken to his son in more than two decades. The two were estranged after Bob turned his son in for stealing money at age 18. Bob said his son was a habitual liar as a young man, and that police are going to have to be very tough to get the truth out of him.
Newschannel 3 first reported over the weekend that Malmberg had told police and Jozlynn's mother that the girl fell down the steps inside the house on the west side of Grand Rapids, and that he dumped the body in a commercial dumpster a couple of blocks away. Her body has not been found.
Newschannel 3 also spoke to Jozlynn's biological father about the situation.
“It's just torture for us because we're getting no closer,' said Jozlynn's father John Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse also told Newschannel 3 why he thinks Malmberg would have harmed the girl. The motive, he said, being that the family was giving little Jozlynn more attention than Malmberg's young son.
“To me that's a jealousy thing,” said Rittenhouse, “because he has to be the center of everything, and since things were going south, he figured maybe this is his way to get even.”
On Monday, Grand Rapids police told Newschannel 3 that Malmberg's story changes every time they interview him, making it very difficult to pin down what happened.
Malmberg's father told Newschannel 3 that he wants his son to simply be honest.
“If he actually harmed the little girl, yes, he's got to tell the truth and get it out,” said Bob Malmberg. “Take his punishment and let the world move on.”
It has certainly been a long week for Jozlynn's family, moving from uncertainty to heartbreak in a matter of five days.
The story began on February 22nd when Jozlynn's mother, Consuela, says she last saw her daughter. The next day, Consuela called police saying she couldn't find her boyfriend, Jeffrey Malmberg, or her daughter. She also reported that $2,800 had been stolen.
An Amber Alert for Jozlynn was issued Wednesday afternoon, and Malmberg was captured by police Wednesday night in a pool hall in Lansing.
On Thursday, police say Malmberg told them that Jozlynn had died in an accident at the home and that he had disposed of her body.
Malmberg was arraigned Friday afternoon in Grand Rapids, the same day Grand Rapids Police ended the Amber Alert and announced that Jozlynn had died.
