kidnapping

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Girl's Tragic Story Rocks Nation and Its Government

3 Romanian officials have lost their jobs over Alexandra Macesanu's disappearance

(Newser) - The plight of a missing girl has rocked Romania and forced three officials—including the nation's education minister—out of their jobs. The tragic story hinges on emergency phone calls made by Alexandra Macesanu, 15, saying she had been kidnapped and raped after disappearing Wednesday while hitchhiking with a...

After Woman Was Abducted, She Noticed the Orchids

Nathalie Birli says she gained her freedom by talking about them

(Newser) - An Austrian triathlete survived a kidnapping in which she was hit by a car, tied up with duct tape, and held for hours at a remote house before convincing her abductor to release her, police said. An unidentified 33-year-old man was arrested Wednesday by Austria's Cobra special forces, per...

'Main Hypothesis' Changes in Case of Tycoon's Missing Wife

Police now say Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen may have been killed

(Newser) - The wife of one of Norway's richest men who was apparently abducted eight months ago might have been killed, police said Wednesday, adding they "cannot exclude a staged kidnapping to hide it." Authorities have been tight-lipped about the case of 69-year-old Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen, who was last...

He Held His Stepdaughter Captive for 20 Years, Until Fateful Store Run

Rosalynn McGinnis' tormentor found guilty

(Newser) - Rosalynn McGinnis was just 12 in January 1997 when her stepfather, who had been sexually abusing her since she was 10, took her out of school and to a hotel room two hours from their Oklahoma home. Henri Michelle Piette told McGinnis her mother didn't want her anymore and...

Woman Posed as Social Worker in 'Scary' Kidnapping Try: Police

The suspect apparently tried to take woman's newborn baby

(Newser) - California police have detained a woman who allegedly posed as a social worker to kidnap a woman's newborn child, KABC-TV reports. The woman, who called herself Mayella Ortega, is accused of showing up at the Santa Ana home last Friday and saying she had to take the week-old into...

Judge Gives Kidnapper of Jayme Closs the Maximum

Victim wanted Jake Patterson 'locked up forever'

(Newser) - A Wisconsin man was sentenced Friday to life in prison for kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents in a case that mystified authorities for months until the girl made a daring escape from the remote cabin where she was held for 88 days. Jake Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty...

Girl Snatched Off Street Found in Texas Hotel

Salem Sabatka, 8, was snatched right off the street

(Newser) - "We Got Her!" Those must have been sweet words for a Texas mother who had seen her 8-year-old girl snatched off the streets of Fort Worth on Saturday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Thanks to surveillance video, social media, and two local church members, police were able to...

US Couple in Kenya: They Took Our 'Son' Without Explanation

Matt and Daisy Mazzoncini were 3-year-old Kiano's legal guardians, until authorities came for him

(Newser) - For two years, Matt and Daisy Mazzoncini, a Seattle couple living in Nairobi, Kenya, have called little Kiano, now 3, their son and cared for him as his legal guardians. That changed on April 5, when authorities swept into their home and took Kiano from them, which the Mazzoncinis now...

Penn State Professor Accused of Kidnapping 2 Women

He was moonlighting as an Uber driver

(Newser) - A Penn State professor is accused of putting two women through a terrifying experience while moonlighting as an Uber driver. Police in Pittsburgh say Richard Lomotey, 36, departed from the app's route after picking the two women up around 1:30am Saturday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He told them...

They Heard Faint Cries. In the 75-Foot Ravine: an Infant

Little Shaylie Madden's mother has been arrested for attempted murder

(Newser) - Little Shaylie Madden is lucky to be alive. Thanks to an alert couple in North Carolina, the 7-week-old is doing OK after she was found Thursday evening lying next to her car seat at the bottom of a 75-foot ravine outside of Chimney Rock—and her mother has now been...

Cops: 'Heroic' 8-Year-Old Saves Sister From Kidnapping

Chance Blue pulls sister Skylar from car, say police in Middletown, Ohio

(Newser) - Middletown, Ohio, has a new hero: 8-year-old Chance Blue. Police are using the term after they say Chance saved his 10-year-old sister, Skylar Weaver, from a kidnapper by pulling her out of a moving car. The drama unfolded last week outside a local hospital, with the children in the back...

Kidnapped American: 'How Do I Get Them to Shoot Me?'

California woman Gayle Endicott appears on CBS This Morning

(Newser) - An American kidnapped in Uganda says she felt a human connection with her captors but also contemplated how to get herself killed. Appearing on CBS This Morning, Gayle Endicott went into detail about her 5-day April ordeal and described a moment when she, her guide, and four captors were crossing...

Kidnappers Storm Castle Resort, Kill Aid Worker, Boyfriend

Nigeria attackers killed 2, kidnapped 3

(Newser) - A British aid worker and her boyfriend were shot dead when kidnappers stormed a resort in northern Nigeria on Friday night, authorities say. The victims were identified as Faye Mooney, a 29-year-old who worked for the Mercy Corps aid organization, and Mathew Obuche, who worked for the Safety Organization NGO,...

Red Cross Breaks 5-Year Silence on Kidnapped Nurse

Louisa Akavi may be alive, 5 years after being taken by ISIS

(Newser) - Her name is Louisa Akavi, and the world is far more familiar with her onetime cell mate: American aid worker Kayla Mueller . Both were kidnapped by ISIS, and while Mueller was killed while in custody, Akavi is believed to be still alive. Akavi is a 62-year-old New Zealand nurse, and...

Cops: Armed Witness Thwarted Kidnapping of 11-Year-Old Girl

Phoenix suspect is still at large

(Newser) - Police in Phoenix say an armed witness prevented the kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl who was on her way to school. Police say the suspect grabbed the girl from behind, pulling her arm behind his back and putting his arm over her face, Fox 10 reports. The witness then intervened...

Kidnapped American Tourist Is Freed

Kimberly Sue Endicott was held in Uganda for 5 days

(Newser) - A kidnapped American tourist is safe and sound after an unexpectedly dramatic vacation. In Uganda for a safari, Kimberly Sue Endicott and her local guide were abducted at gunpoint from Queen Elizabeth National Park on Tuesday night and held for $500,000. The Guardian says it's unclear whether money...

Teen Found by Police Gives Astounding News

Timmothy Pitzen has been missing since his mother died in 2011

(Newser) - A boy found by Kentucky police Wednesday says he's Timmothy Pitzen, 14—and if he is, that's long-awaited news. Newport residents called police about a suspicious boy walking the streets in a hoodie with a bruised face, who later said he had just escaped two kidnappers at a...

Mom Says Man Tried to Kidnap Girl. Then the Story Changed

Man jailed, then released in West Virginia

(Newser) - A mother initially said an Egyptian man tried to kidnap her daughter from a West Virginia mall, but he was released from jail after she changed her story the following day. The mother and 5-year-old were shopping at Old Navy in the Huntington Mall in Barboursville on Monday night when...

A US Tourist Was on Safari. Now, a $500K Ransom

Kimberley Sue Endecott, her driver were abducted in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park: police

(Newser) - An American woman was kidnapped at gunpoint from Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park Tuesday night, Reuters reports. Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, and her Ugandan driver were on a game drive in the safari park when four gunmen ambushed the vehicle and took them both. An elderly couple at the...

Kidnapped Student Turns Up on Rural Doorstep

Wanzhen Lu found 'in good health' north of Toronto

(Newser) - The knock on the door in Gravenhurst, Ont., came around 9pm Tuesday. Standing outside the rural cottage, some 100 miles north of the Toronto suburb from which he was kidnapped Saturday , was 22-year-old Wanzhen "Peter" Lu, looking for help. The homeowner immediately called police, who found the Chinese international...

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