Category: kidnapping

Gunmen Abduct 73 Children From School in Northwest Nigeria

Armed men kidnapped 73 children from a school in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara in the latest mass abduction in the region, police said in a statement on Wednesday. Police said a large number of armed bandits invaded the Government Day Secondary School in the village of Kaya in rural Zamfara state at 11:22…


Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping, Killing Young Amish Woman

LANCASTER, Pa.—A man who led authorities to the remains of a young Amish woman in Pennsylvania pleaded guilty Friday to kidnapping and killing her. Justo Smoker, 35, pleaded guilty in Lancaster County to third-degree murder, kidnapping and other offenses in the death of 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos, who was last seen walking home from church in…


Police in Nigeria Secure Release of 100 Kidnapping Victims

LAGOS—Police and government authorities have secured the release of 100 people, including women, children, and nursing mothers, who were kidnapped from their village in northwestern Nigeria over a month ago, a local police spokesperson said. Nigeria is battling an increase in armed robberies and kidnappings for ransom, mainly in northwestern states, where thinly deployed security…


Man Charged with Kidnapping Child in Placentia

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A man was charged July 9 with scooping up a 6-year-old in Placentia and attempting to run away with the child before bystanders confronted him. Michael Christopher Foley, who has no known address, was charged with a felony count of kidnapping a child younger than 14 and a misdemeanor count of child annoyance….


Christians Charge Nigerian Government With Complicity in Kidnappings

KADUNA—On July 7 Evangelical leaders in Nigeria and the United States accused Nigerian authorities of complicity in terrorism. The news event drawing their fire was the July 5 kidnapping of 121 Students of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State, which brings the number of students kidnapped for ransom this year to over 1000. The principal of the…


Kidnappers Demand Food for Children Seized in Nigeria School Raid

KADUNA, Nigeria—Kidnappers who abducted more than 100 students from a boarding school in Nigeria’s Kaduna state warned that the children could starve unless parents supply them with food, parents and the head of the Kaduna Baptist conference said on Wednesday. The Baptist official said about 125 students are missing, while at least 28 were reunited…


Armed School Employee Prevents Man From Allegedly Kidnapping Juvenile Utah Girl

An armed school employee at an elementary school in Utah prevented an alleged kidnapping on the school’s playground earlier this week.


11-Year-Old Florida Girl Who Escaped Kidnapping Says Watching ‘Law & Order’ Helped Catch Suspect

A Florida girl who escaped the clutches of a would-be kidnapper in an incident caught on camera said watching “Law & Order” helped her catch the suspect. The girl, identified as 11-year-old Alyssa Bonal, was seen on a video released by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office fighting off a man later identified as 30-year-old Jared…


Arrest Made After Boy, 4, Found Slain on Dallas Street

DALLAS—An 18-year-old man has been arrested after the body of a 4-year-old boy was found lying on a neighborhood street in Dallas, police said Sunday. Police said that Darriynn Brown has been charged with kidnapping and theft. Police say they also anticipate additional charges pending the results of a forensic analysis. Brown was being held…


Judge Dismisses Migrant Case Against Italy’s Matteo Salvini

MILAN—A judge in Sicily has dismissed a case against right-wing leader Matteo Salvini for keeping rescued migrants on board a coast guard ship in 2019, saying no crime had been committed. Salvini had faced a possible indictment in the Sicilian port of Catania on charges of kidnapping for not allowing the migrants to disembark for…