Kidnapping
Kidnapping is the unlawful transportation, asportation and confinement of a person against their will.
Motives[edit]
- Ransom
- Human trafficking
- Sexual assault or rape
- Murder
- Bride kidnapping (forcing marriage)
- Tiger kidnapping (force the victim to do the kidnappers bidding)
- Dognapping (kidnapping someone's dog or other pet)
Currently kidnapped[edit]
1970s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Age | Kidnapper | Missing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megumi Yokota | October 5, 1964 | November 15, 1977 | 13 | Workers' Party of Korea | Niigata Prefecture, Japan |
| Jo Lynn Smith | June 7, 1959 | November 20, 1979 | 20 | Faelyn Ann Rogers | Tatum, Texas, U.S. |
1980s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Age | Kidnapper | Missing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Gosch | November 12, 1969 | September 5, 1982 | 12 | Unidentified | West Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Anthonette Cayedito | December 25, 1976 | April 6, 1986 | 9 | Unidentified | Gallup, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Melissa Brannen | April 12, 1984 | December 3, 1989 | 5 | Caleb Hughes | Lorton, Virginia, U.S. |
1990s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Age | Kidnapper | Missing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Hughes | March 21, 1988 | September 12, 1994 | 6 | Franklin Delano Floyd | Choctaw, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Morgan Nick | September 12, 1988 | June 9, 1995 | 6 | Unidentified | Alma, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Adam, Trevor, and Mitchell O'Brien | October 28, 1982 (Adam) May 8, 1985 (Trevor) November 29, 1991 (Mitchell) |
November 9, 1996 | 14, 11, 4 | Gary O'Brien | Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Patrick Warren and David Spencer | 1985 (Warren) 1983 (Spencer) |
December 27, 1996 | 11 (Warren) 12 (Spencer) |
Unidentified | Solihull, West Midlands, U.K. |
| Mikelle Biggs | 1987/1988 | 1999 | 11 | Unidentified | Mesa, AZ |
2000s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Age | Kidnapper | Missing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andréia Ferreira da Mota | Aug 25, 1993 | Jun 21, 2006 | 12 | Unidentified | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Madeleine McCann | May 12, 2003 | May 3, 2007 | 3 | Unidentified | Praia da Luz, Portugal |
2010s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Age | Kidnapper | Missing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyron Horman | September, 2002 | June 4, 2010 | 7 | Unidentified | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner Skelton | Unknown | November 26, 2010 | 9, 7, 5 | John Skelton | Morenci, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alessia & Livia Schepp | October 7, 2004 | January 30, 2011 | 6 | Mathias Schepp | Saint-Sulpice, Vaud, Switzerland |
| Timmothy Pitzen | 2004 | May 11, 2011 | 6 | Unidentified | Aurora, Colorado, U.S. |
| Lisa Irwin | 2010 | October 4, 2011 | 10 (months) | Unidentified | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
2020s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Age | Kidnapper | Missing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Óscar Denis | October 2, 1946 | September 9, 2020 | 74 | Paraguayan People's Army | Concepción, Paraguay |
Survived kidnappings[edit]
1960s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Found | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie Storie | November 24, 1938 | August 22, 1961 | August 23, 1961 | James Hanratty | Dorney Reach, Buckinghamshire, U.K. |
| Paul Joseph Fronczak | April 26, 1964 | April 27, 1964 | December 18, 2019 | Unidentified | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Franca Viola | January 9, 1948 | December 26, 1965 | January 2, 1966 | Filippo Melodia | Alcamo, Sicily, Italy |
| Peggy Ann Bradnick | August 16, 1948 | May 11, 1966 | May 17, 1966 | William Hollenbaugh | Shade Gap, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Barbara Mackle | c. 1948 | December 17, 1968 | December 20, 1968 | Gary Krist | Decatur, Georgia, U.S. |
1970s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Found | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martha Mitchell | September 2, 1918 | June 22, 1972 | June 26, 1972 | Committee for the Re-Election of the President | Rye, New York, U.S. |
| Steven Stayner | April 18, 1965 | December 4, 1972 | March 1, 1980 | Kenneth Parnell | Merced, California, U.S. |
| John Paul Getty III | November 4, 1956 | July 10, 1973 | December 15, 1973 | 'Ndrangheta | Rome, Italy |
| Françoise Claustre, Christophe Staewen and Marc Combe | Unknown | April 20, 1974 | April 21, 1974 (Combe) June 11, 1974 (Staewan) February 1, 1977 (Claustre) |
Hissène Habré | Bardaï, Chad |
| Patricia Hearst | February 20, 1953 | February 4, 1974 | September 18, 1975 | Symbionese Liberation Army | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Colleen Stan | December 31, 1956 | 1977 | 1984 | Cameron Hooker | Red Bluff, California, U.S. |
| Mary Vincent | 1963 | September 29, 1978 | September 30, 1978 | Lawrence Singleton | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
1980s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Found | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy White | November 1, 1974 | February 14, 1980 | March 1, 1980 | Kenneth Parnell | Merced, California, U.S. |
| Jody Plauché | 1973 | February 19, 1984 | February 29, 1984 | Jeff Doucet | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Katsuhisa Ezaki | ??? | March 18, 1984 | March 21, 1984 | The Monster With 21 Faces | Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan |
1990s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Found | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fusako Sano | 1981 | November 13, 1990 | January 28, 2000 | Nobuyuki Satō | Sanjō, Niigata Prefecture, Japan |
| Jaycee Dugard | May 3, 1980 | June 10, 1991 | August 26, 2009 | Phillip Garrido | Pittsburg, California, U.S. |
| Katie Beers | December 30, 1982 | December 28, 1992 | January 13, 1993 | John Esposito | Bay Shore, New York, U.S. |
| Thomas Hargrove | March 3, 1944 | September 23, 1994 | August 22, 1995 | FARC | Cali, Colombia |
| Thad Phillips | 1982 | July 29, 1995 | July 31, 1995 | Joseph Clark | Baraboo, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Natascha Kampusch | February 17, 1988 | March 2, 1998 | August 23, 2006 | Wolfgang Přiklopil | Vienna, Austria |
| Jhon Frank Pinchao | Unknown | November 1, 1998 | April 28, 2007 | FARC | Mitú, Vaupés, Colombia |
2000s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Found | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singanalluru Muthuraj (Dr. Rajkumar) | April 24, 1929 | July 28, 2000 | November 15, 2000 | Koose Veerappan | Gajanur, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alicia Kozakiewicz | 1988 | January 1, 2002 | January 4, 2002 | Scott Tyree | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Elizabeth Smart | November 3, 1987 | June 5, 2002 | March 12, 2003 | Brian David Mitchell & Wanda Barzee | Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Kara Robinson | 1986/1987 | June 24, 2002 | June 25, 2002 | Richard Evonitz | Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Shawn Hornbeck | 1990/1991 | October 6, 2002 | January 12, 2007 | Michael J. Devlin | Richwoods, Missouri, U.S. |
| Michelle Knight Amanda Berry Gina DeJesus |
April 1, 1981 (Knight) April 22, 1986 (Berry) February 13, 1990 (Dejesus) |
August 22, 2002 (Knight) April 21, 2003 (Berry) April 2, 2004 (Dejesus) |
May 6, 2013 | Ariel Castro | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Shasta Groene | ? | May 16, 2005 | July 2, 2005 | Joseph E. Duncan III | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S. |
| Reigh Rockefeller | 2001 | July 27, 2008 | August 2, 2008 | Christian Gerhartsreiter | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| David Rohde | Unknown | November 10, 2008 | June 19, 2009 | Taliban | Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki | Unknown | July 3, 2009 | October 18, 2009 | Janjaweed | North Darfur, Sudan |
2010s[edit]
| Name | Born | Disappeared | Found | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah Anderson | July 22, 1997 | August 3, 2013 | August 10, 2013 | James DiMaggio | Lakeside, California, U.S. |
| Bethany Arceneaux | Unknown | November 6, 2013 | November 8, 2013 | Scott Thomas | Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Kala Brown | Unknown | August 31, 2016 | November 3, 2016 | Todd Kohlhepp | Moore, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Jayme Closs | July 13, 2005 | October 15, 2018 | March, 2019 | Jake Patterson | Barron, Wisconsin, U.S. |
Deaths from kidnappings[edit]
Pre-1900[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fanny Adams | April 30, 1859 | August 24, 1867 | 8 | Frederick Baker | Alton, Hampshire, United Kingdom |
1920s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Franks | September 19, 1909 | May 21, 1924 | 14 | Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Madge Oberholtzer | November 10, 1896 | April 14, 1925 | 28 | D. C. Stephenson | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Marion Parker | October 11, 1915 | December 17, 1927 | 12 | William Hickman | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Grace Budd | 1918 | June 3, 1928 | 10 | Albert Fish | New York City, U.S. |
1930s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vera Page | April 13, 1921 | December 14, 1931 | 10 | Unidentified | Kensington, London, UK |
| Charles Lindbergh, Jr. | June 22, 1930 | March 2, 1932 | 20 months | Bruno Hauptmann | Hopewell Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
1950s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Greenlease, Jr. | February 3, 1947 | September 28, 1953 | 6 | Carl Hall and Bonnie Heady | Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Emmett Till | July 25, 1941 | August 28, 1955 | 14 | Roy Bryant & J.W. Milam | Money, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Peter Weinberger | June 1956 | July 5, 1956 | One month | Angelo LaMarca | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Maria Ridulph | March 12, 1950 | December 3, 1957 | 7 | Unidentified | Sycamore, Illinois, U.S. |
1960s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graeme Thorne | December 18, 1951 | July 7, 1960 | 8 | Stephen Bradley | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Edward Bartels | March 6, 1926 | July 11, 1960 | 34 | Victor Feguer | Illinois, U.S. |
| Michael Gregsten | December 28, 1924 | August 23, 1961 | 36 | James Hanratty | Dorney Reach, Buckinghamshire, U.K. |
| Adolf Eichmann | March 19, 1906 | June 1, 1962 | 56 | Mossad | San Fernando, Argentina |
| James Chaney, Andrew Goodman & Michael Schwerner | May 30, 1943 (Chaney), November 23, 1943 (Goodman), November 6, 1939 (Schwerner) | June 21, 1964 | 21 (Chaney), 20 (Goodman), 24 (Schwerner) | Ku Klux Klan | Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Roy Tutill | 1954 | April 23, 1968 | 14 | Brian Lunn Field | Surrey, U.K. |
1970s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Blatchford and Gary Hanlon | July 7, 1958 (Blatchford) 1957 (Hanlon) |
March 31, 1970 | 11 (Blatchford) 12 (Hanlon) |
Ronald Jebson | Enfield, London, U.K. |
| Thomas Niedermayer | 1928 | December 27, 1973 | 45 | Irish Republican Army | West Belfast, Ireland |
| Rosemary Papper | August 2, 1965 | June 10, 1974 | 8 | Ronald Jebson | Hatfield, Hertfordshire, U.K. |
| Charles Dean and Neal Sharman | Unknown | December 14, 1974 | 24 (Dean) 23 (Sharman) |
Pathet Lao | Vientiane, Laos |
| Lesley Whittle | 1957 | January 14, 1975 | 17 | Donald Neilson | Highley, Shropshire, U.K. |
| Lesley Molseed | August 14, 1964 | October 5, 1975 | 11 | Ronald Castree | Rochdale, Manchester, U.K. |
| Francis Crossen | 1941 | November 24, 1975 | 34 | Shankill Butchers | Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. |
| John Dawson Dewhirst | 1952 | c. August 1978 | 26 | Khmer Rouge | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
1980s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tina Sharp | July 22, 1968 | April 11 - 12, 1981 (assumed) | 12 | Unidentified | Keddie, California, U.S. |
| Adam Walsh | November 14, 1974 | July 27, 1981 | 6 | Ottis Toole | Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
| Tina Harmon | June 9, 1969 | October 29, 1981 | 12 | Robert Anthony Buell | Lodi, Ohio, U.S. |
| Vicki Lynne Hoskinson | February 2, 1976 | September 17, 1984 | 8 | Frank Atwood | Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Enrique "Kiki" Camarena | July 26, 1947 | February 9, 1985 | 37 | Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo & Rafael Caro Quintero | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico |
| Nicola Fellows & Karen Hadaway | December 21, 1976 (Fellows) February 27, 1977 (Hadaway) |
October 9, 1986 | 9 (Fellows) 9 (Hadaway) |
Russell Bishop | Brighton, England |
| April Tinsley | March 18, 1980 | April 1, 1988 | 8 | John Miller | Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
| Brenda Sue Schaefer | September 23, 1988 | September 23, 1988 | 36 | Mel Ignatow & Mary Ann Shore | Lousiville, Kentucky, U.S, |
| Junko Furuta | January 18, 1971 | January 4, 1989 | 17 | Junko Furuta's Murderers | Adachi, Tokyo, Japan |
| Mark Kilroy | March 5, 1968 | March 14, 1989 | 21 | Adolfo Constanzo | Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Jacob Wetterling | February 17, 1978 | October 22, 1989 | 11 | Danny Heinrich | Paynesville, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Amy Mihaljevic | December 11, 1978 | October 27, 1989 | 10 | Unidentified | Bay Village, Ohio, U.S. |
| Donna Callahan | July 30, 1960 | August 6, 1989 | 29 | Mark Riebe | Gulf Breeze, Florida, U.S. |
| Lee Iseli | January 29, 1985 | October 30, 1989 | 4 | Westley Allan Dodd | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
1990s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William R. Higgins | January 15, 1945 | July 6, 1990 | 45 | Hezbollah | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Junny Rios-Martinez, Jr. | May 6, 1979 | April 18, 1991 | 11 | Mark Dean Schwab | Cocoa, Florida, U.S. |
| Shanda Sharer | June 6, 1979 | January 11, 1992 | 12 | Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, & Toni Lawrence | Madison, Indiana, U.S. |
| Karmein Chan | 5 November 1977 | April 13, 1992 | 13 | "Mr Cruel" | Templestowe, Victoria, Australia |
| Ebony Simpson | August 6, 1983 | August 19, 1992 | 9 | Andrew Garforth | Bargo, New South Wales, Australia |
| James Bulger | March 16, 1990 | February 12, 1993 | 2 | Robert Thompson and Jon Venables | Liverpool, England, U.K |
| Charlie Keever & Jonathan Sellers | November 1, 1979 (Keever) April 18, 1983 (Sellers) |
March 27, 1993 | 13 (Keever) 9 (Sellers) |
Scott Erskine | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Mary Eileen Sarmenta & Allan Gomez | ? | June 28, 1993 | ? | Antonio Sanchez | Calauan, Laguna, Philippines |
| Derrick Robie | October 2, 1988 | August 2, 1993 | 4 | Eric M. Smith | Steuben County, New York State, U.S. |
| Polly Klaas | January 3, 1981 | October 1, 1993 | 12 | Richard Allen Davis | Petaluma, California, U.S. |
| Giuseppe Di Matteo | January 19, 1981 | January 11, 1996 | 14 | Giovanni Brusca and Leoluca Bagarella | Palermo, Italy |
| Amber Hagerman | November 25, 1986 | January 17, 1996 | 9 | Unidentified | Arlington, Texas, U.S. |
| Miguel Ángel Blanco | May 13, 1969 | July 13, 1997 | 29 | ETA | Basque Country, Spain |
| Marijoy & Jacqueline Chiong | ? | July 16, 1997 | ? | Francisco Juan Larrañaga | Cebu, Philippines |
| Matthew Shepard | December 1, 1976 | October 12, 1998 | 21 | Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson | Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S |
2000s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Payne | October 13, 1991 | July 1, 2000 | 8 | Roy Whiting | Kingston Gorse, Sussex, U.K. |
| Iriana DeJesus | January 30, 1995 | August 3, 2000 | 5 | Alexis Flores | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Milly Dowler | June 25, 1988 | March 21, 2002 | 13 | Levi Bellfield | Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, U.K. |
| Holly Jones | September 14, 1992 | May 12, 2003 | 10 | Michael Briere | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Daniel Morcombe | December 19, 1989 | December 7, 2003 | 13 | Brett Peter Cowan | Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Nick Berg | April 2, 1978 | May 7, 2004 | 26 | Al-Qaeda | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Jessica Lunsford | October 6, 1995 | February 27, 2005 | 9 | John Couey | Homosassa, Florida, U.S. |
| Dylan Groene | July 16, 1995 | July 4, 2005 | 9 | Joseph E. Duncan III | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S. |
| Ilan Halimi | October 11, 1982 | February 13, 2006 | 23 | Youssouf Fofana | Paris, France |
| Channon Christian and Chris Newsom | April 29, 1985 (Channon) September 21, 1983 (Chris) |
January 6, 2007 (Chris) January 8, 2007 (Channon) |
21 (Channon) 23 (Chris) |
Lemaricus Davidson and his gang | Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
2010s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Pilley | 1972 | May 2010 | 38 | David Gilroy | Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. |
| Sian O'Callaghan | June 3, 1988 | March 19, 2011 | 22 | Christopher Halliwell | Swindon, Wiltshire, U.K. |
| Samantha Koenig | August 30, 1993 | February 2, 2012 | 18 | Israel Keyes | Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| Peter Kassig | February 19, 1988 | November 16, 2014 | 26 | The Islamic State | Deir Ezzour, Syria |
| Kayla Mueller | August 14, 1988 | February 16, 2015 | 26 | The Islamic State | Raqqa, Syria |
| Alesha MacPhail | October 22, 2011 | July 2, 2018 | 6 | Aaron Campbell | Rothesay, Scotland, U.K. |
| Mollie Tibbetts | May 8, 1998 | July 18, 2018 | 20 | Cristhian Bahena Rivera | Brooklyn, Iowa, U.S. |
| Hania Aguilar | March 21, 2005 | November 27, 2018 | 13 | Michael Ray McLellan | Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S. |
2020s[edit]
| Name | Born | Died | Age | Kidnapper | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faye Marie Swetlik | June 13, 2013 | February 10, 2020 | 6 | Coty Scott Taylor | Cayce, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Sarah Everard | 1987 | March 2021 | 33 | Wayne Couzens | Brixton Hill, London, U.K. |
| Charles Opindo & Junior Mutuku Musyoka | Unknown | June 30, 2021 (Opindo), July 7, 2021 (Musyoka) | 13 (Opindo), 12 (Musyoka) | Masten Wanjala | Nairobi, Kenya |