All articles tagged with #kidnapping
Brian Anthony Williams, 50, was arrested in San Diego on Tuesday after evading capture for nearly 14 years. He had been living under the alias Troy Williams and working as a head chef in Mission Beach. Federal agents traced him after receiving a tip in September. Williams faces charges related to a 2012 kidnapping and shooting in Iowa.
Three-year-old Joshua Ovalles was found safe in Beaverton, Oregon, on Thursday afternoon, leading to the cancellation of an Amber Alert issued after he went missing on Tuesday. Oregon State Police (OSP) and Beaverton Police Department (BPD) coordinated the search, noting that the child’s non-custodial mother, Mari Martinez, had allegedly threatened harm and may have been armed. Martinez was last seen in a white 2022 Mercedes SUV. The child has been recovered, and the mother is now facing charges for kidnapping.
A three-year-old boy from Beaverton, Oregon, has been located safely, prompting the cancellation of an Amber Alert issued by the Washington State Patrol. The child’s mother, identified in the source URL as Mari Martinez, is now facing charges for kidnapping. The Beaverton Police Department (BPD) led the search efforts, which concluded with the child’s recovery. No further details regarding the circumstances of the disappearance or the specific charges against the mother were provided in the available metadata.
Jordende Pierre, 29, faces federal and state charges for kidnapping and sexually trafficking a woman he met on a dating app. Prosecutors allege he held her captive for six weeks in an unfinished attic in Malden, Massachusetts, where she was found malnourished and locked in by a landlord investigating a water leak. Pierre, who was already out on bail for a prior assault charge, allegedly forced the victim to have sex with other men to pay for drugs. He was arrested Thursday by a joint federal and local task force and pleaded not guilty Friday.
Pao Yang, 41, an office cleaner, is charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman from his workplace in Roseville. He used insider knowledge to disable cameras, abducted her at gunpoint, and held her captive for hours before releasing her in St. Paul. Police identified him through surveillance footage and a co-worker's recognition. He faces multiple felony charges and is held on $2.5 million bail.
A California missionary kidnapped in Niger in 2016 by an Al Qaeda–linked group describes six years of brutal captivity—beatings, drugging, shackles and isolation—and his return home in 2023; in his memoir All the Way Home he details trauma, faith, and rebuilding, and warns Western workers of danger in the Sahel, while officials say no ransom was paid and no direct negotiation occurred.
Chrissy Payne, 47, of Flatlands, is charged with attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly trying to snatch a 4-year-old boy from his grandmother outside a Crown Heights McDonald’s. The boy’s off-duty‑cop mother grabbed him back; Payne fled but was arrested days later. No injuries were reported, the child returned to school, and Payne faces further prosecution.
An Amber Alert for 6-year-old Amadeo Esquibel was canceled after he was found safely; his grandmother, Marie Esquibel, was charged with kidnapping and child endangerment. Investigators say the child tested positive for narcotics after a visit with Marie, and she impersonated a CYFD employee to learn his school, prompting further charges.
Malawian police killed two suspects during a rescue operation that freed a kidnapped British woman, according to updates from AP News on September 18, 2026.
A British auditor, Nusrat Osman, was kidnapped in Blantyre, Malawi, but police rescued her after a shootout that killed four abductors; a deputy inspector general was wounded. Osman is safe, and authorities say kidnappings are uncommon in Malawi, with investigations ongoing.
A British woman, Nusrat Osman, 47, kidnapped in Malawi, was rescued during a police operation near Blantyre after a gun battle with four suspected kidnappers who were killed; Deputy Inspector General Noel Kayira was wounded but stable. Osman was treated and later reunited with her family, with authorities also assessing her physical and mental health.
The BBC’s podcast investigation shows that journalist Austin Tice was kidnapped in 2012 by the Assad regime in a plan more than a month in the making, approved at the highest level and carried out by the National Defence Forces after Tice’s driver betrayed him; years of searches yielded no remains, but the BBC obtained internal Syrian intelligence files corroborating regime involvement. The case remains unresolved, with Tice’s family continuing to seek answers.
The U.S. State Department has elevated Libya to a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory, urging Americans not to visit due to rampant kidnapping, terrorism, landmines and unrest. Travelers are advised to prepare wills and end-of-life documents, designate beneficiaries, share travel plans and login details, establish a 'proof of life' protocol, and arrange an emergency exit plan. The advisory notes there is no U.S. Embassy in Libya and limited government assistance in emergencies.
The U.S. State Department has upgraded Libya’s travel advisory to Level 4 Do Not Travel, citing pervasive crime, terrorism, health concerns, unrest, kidnapping, and landmines, with limited emergency assistance and no U.S. Embassy currently in Libya. Travelers are urged to prepare wills and end-of-life instructions, designate beneficiaries, consider leaving DNA samples with a medical provider, and establish a plan to depart independently if needed, as clashes and unmarked hazards persist.
A man abducted in Market Rasen was repeatedly assaulted and held by five people who filmed the abuse; he escaped by jumping from a first-floor window, prompting the arrest of all suspects and their subsequent jailings at Lincoln Crown Court, with sentences ranging from about three years seven months to nine years.