kidnapping

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With Baby Missing, Cops Question Mom's Kidnap Story

Rebecca Haro claims she was knocked out, woke up to find 7-month-old Emmanuel missing

(Newser) - A California mother's claim that her baby was kidnapped outside a retail store has gripped a community, but police say her story doesn't add up, leaving investigators and the public with unanswered questions. The 7-month-boy was reported abducted outside a Big 5 store in Yucaipa just before...

Report: Melania Sent Note to Putin on Abducted Ukrainian Kids

Moscow claims it's trying to protect children in war zones; Ukraine says it's a war crime

(Newser) - At the Alaska summit on Friday between President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the former hand-delivered a letter to the latter—not from himself, but from his wife, Melania Trump. The subject of the Slovenia-born first lady's note: the abductions of Ukrainian children caught up in Russia's...

Manhunt on for Tenn. Murder Suspect: 'We All Trusted Him'

Authorities are searching for Austin Robert Drummond, 29

(Newser) - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the US Marshals Service are offering a reward of up to $15,000 as they search for a suspect they believe may have killed four family members in Tennessee and abandoned an infant also connected to the family on a stranger's lawn, reports...

The Ransom Was Paid, but Dozens Died Anyway

Brutal killings in northern Nigeria highlight ongoing issue with 'bandits'

(Newser) - Kidnappers killed 38 villagers abducted from northern Nigeria even after receiving ransom payments for their release, according to local officials. The victims were among 56 people taken from Banga village in the Kauran Namoda area of Zamfara state back in March, with abductors demanding roughly $655 per captive. Local...

Leads Dwindle in Search for Travis Decker

Manhunt in Washington's Chelan County will now be scaled back

(Newser) - The Chelan County Sheriff's Office in Washington state says it is scaling back its search for Travis Decker, the man accused of killing his three daughters nearly two months ago. Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5, went missing after leaving home for a scheduled visit with their...

DOJ Says LA Woman Invented ICE Abduction

Feds say Yuriana Calderon, 41, made up story of being kidnapped by federal agents to raise money

(Newser) - A Los Angeles woman is being accused by the federal government of staging her own kidnapping and blaming it on ICE to try to profit off her claims. Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officials, with a criminal complaint citing...

This Is What Baby Kidnapped in 1980 Might Look Like Now

Kevin Verville Jr. was abducted in San Diego County when he was just 17 days old

(Newser) - Somewhere in America, a man who doesn't know who he really is could be about to mark his 45th birthday. Kevin Verville Jr. was just 17 days old when he was kidnapped in San Diego County on July 1, 1980, by a woman pretending to be a social worker...

Missing Ukrainian Children a Sore Point in Talks

Moscow denies allegations of mass abductions, while Ukraine estimates 20K children were taken

(Newser) - The peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that resumed on Monday brought attention to a volatile topic: allegations that Russia abducted thousands of Ukrainian children.
  • Ukraine provided a list of about 400 children it wants returned immediately, but Russia countered that it would consider returning 10 children and insisted they
...

Crumpled Note in Bathroom Leads to Alleged Kidnap Victim

Pro wrestler arrested in Florida after girlfriend leaves handwritten plea at Jersey Mike's

(Newser) - A crumpled note pleading for help, found in a Florida sandwich shop bathroom, set off a chain of events that led to the rescue of an alleged kidnapping victim and the arrest of her pro-wrestler boyfriend. It almost didn't happen. When Jersey Mike's employee Eleanor Coffee noticed...

Court Testimony: Mom Sold Daughter for Her Eyes, Skin

Kelly Smith, 2 others convicted of kidnapping, trafficking missing 6-year-old in South Africa

(Newser) - A mother, her boyfriend, and their friend have been sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and trafficking of a 6-year-old girl, her own daughter, who disappeared outside her South African home in February 2024 and still hasn't been found. Racquel "Kelly" Smith, Jacquen Appollis, and...

Divorce Lawyer Accused of Killing His Client to Stall Trial

Indictment alleges Gregory Moore stabbed Aliza Sherman to death in 2013 to delay her divorce case

(Newser) - A former Ohio divorce attorney accused of fatally stabbing one of his clients more than a decade ago has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy charges. Gregory J. Moore entered his plea virtually on Wednesday in a Cuyahoga County court involving the March 2013 killing of 53-year-old...

Mobsters Stole $83M in Amazon Cargo: DOJ

Armenian Organized Crime group allegedly had associates sign up as Amazon truck drivers

(Newser) - Amazon might want to be a bit more careful about screening its drivers. US authorities have arrested 13 individuals believed to be members or affiliates of Armenian organized-crime syndicates, accused of attempted murder, kidnapping, fraud, and stealing more than $83 million in goods from the retail giant. The individuals were...

Teen Alleges She Was Held Captive in Home Since 2018

Brenda Spencer, 38, and Branndon Mosley, 41, were arrested on Sunday

(Newser) - A New Jersey couple is facing multiple charges after police say an 18-year-old escaped their Gloucester Township home and reported years of severe abuse. Authorities allege Brenda Spencer, 38, and Branndon Mosley, 41, pulled the girl—described by officials as Spencer's daughter and Mosley's stepdaughter—out of...

Witnesses Stop Kidnapping of Crypto Boss' Family

Masked men flee after struggle with couple on busy Paris street

(Newser) - A kidnapping attempt targeting the daughter and young grandson of a cryptocurrency executive was foiled Tuesday morning in Paris' 11th district. According to police sources and local media, three masked men jumped from a white van around 8:20am and tried to seize the pair, who are reportedly related...

Kidnapped Pastor: Cops' Wrong Turn Saved My Life

Josh Sullivan says it was a 'miracle from God' after abduction in South Africa

(Newser) - A pastor from Tennessee says a "miracle from God" saved his life six days after he was kidnapped in South Africa last month. Josh Sullivan tells Fox News that he was kidnapped from his church in Eastern Cape Province by armed men who drove him away in his own...

Crypto Entrepreneur's Father Freed After Kidnapping: France

Hostage unit carried out successful raid, officials say

(Newser) - French officials said police rescued the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur in a nighttime raid after he was taken hostage for ransom, the latest alleged criminal effort in France to extort people involved in the management of digital assets. The man was kidnapped Thursday morning in Paris, the prosecutor'...

After $243M Crypto Heist, a Crucial Mistake
After $243M Crypto Heist,
a Crucial Mistake
longform
May 3, 2025 5:00 PM CDT

After $243M Crypto Heist, a Crucial Mistake

New York Times Magazine details the incredible chain of events

(Newser) - It's a story about two incredible crimes—the $243 million theft of cryptocurrency from a single person, and the brazen kidnapping of a wealthy couple in Connecticut. And as Mitch Moxley explains in a New York Times Magazine story, the crimes last year were connected, though it took awhile...

State's Longest Death-Row Inmate Gets an Execution Date

Richard Jordan, 78, will be put to death on June 25, after nearly 50 years on Mississippi's death row

(Newser) - Mississippi's Supreme Court has set June 25 as the execution date for Richard Gerald Jordan, the state's longest-serving death row inmate, condemned for the 1976 kidnapping and murder of Edwina Marter in Harrison County. Jordan, 78, has contested his sentence for decades, but his most recent appeal...

Teen Lacrosse Players Accused of Hazing Turn Themselves In

High schoolers are accused of hazing younger players in upstate NY

(Newser) - The 11 high school lacrosse players accused of hazing younger teammates turned themselves in to authorities Wednesday, a day ahead of the deadline given to them by the county district attorney. The DA said the upstate New York teens would be treated with more lenience if they came forward, CBS...

Florida Man Accused of Killing Wife Found Dead in Prison

He died by apparent suicide while awaiting trial in Miami

(Newser) - A Florida businessman at the center of an international disappearance case was found dead in a Miami jail, less than a year after being charged with kidnapping and killing his estranged wife in Spain . David Knezevich, 37, was found dead from an apparent suicide Monday morning in the federal...

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