MetaFilter posts tagged with kidnapping

Lost and Found

Bonzai — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:25:45 -0800

On June 10th, 1991 Jaycee Lee Dugard, age 11, was kidnapped at a bus stop. Despite eyewitness who called authorities immediately and a massive manhunt she was never found. Today she walked into a police station.

Won't Someone Think of the Parents?!

grapefruitmoon — Sun, 10 May 2009 07:43:05 -0800

International Adoption may not necessarily be helping the disadvantaged in Third World countries as advertised. In some countries, like Guatemala and India, children are simply stolen from their families. The Hague Convention governs the rules for International Adoptions, but like all rules, they aren't always followed. Many adoptive parents believe that their children have been given up, but in some countries, "orphanage" doesn't mean what you think it means. Even in China, where girls have been legitimately abandoned due to the "one child" policy, the demand for adoptable children has simply outstripped the supply, leading to stealing babies. In other cases, parents are offered incentives to sell their children to orphanages.

I will make you fishers of men

benzenedream — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:56:32 -0800

"What began as a defensive movement by local fishermen has evolved into a complex amalgamation of banditry, organized crime, freebooting, and insurgency targeting all types of vessels from fishing trawlers to oil tankers." Somali pirates holding an American captain hostage were killed during a rescue yesterday. The lack of effective governance in Somalia allows massive vessels from Europe and Asia to decimate the local fish population, which may have forced Somali fisherman into piracy. Other ships use the Somali coast as a toxic waste dump. [previously]

"You don't know what to expect, but you know what to expect."

cgc373 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:48:16 -0800

"Ransom kidnapping is a rare crime in America. Most cops go their entire careers without handling one. These days, most kidnappings involve a husband taking a child from an estranged wife. That's how things were in Phoenix until a few years ago." via 2blowhards.com

Clones and Kidnapped Mormons

MythMaker — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:13:36 -0800

When the publicity hit that a South Korean cloning lab duplicated 5 copies of Californian Bernann McKinney's late pitbull Booger from a piece of the dog's ear tissue, people all over the UK said Bernann McKinney looks very similar [slightly NSFW] to the infamous fugitive Joyce McKinney who has been on the lam for 30 years for kidnapping and raping a Mormon.

Hatecrimes

punkbitch — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:03:54 -0800

In Utah, mob mentality rules. A gay man either kidnapped his next-door-neighbors' two children, or he took them in because they couldn't sleep during an all night party at their own house -- depending upon who you ask. The children were gone from their own home for only ten minutes. What is certain is that a retaliatory mob broke into drag queen David Bell's house and brutally attacked him and his lover. But no charges will be filed against the mob. A little-reported fact was that a nephew of the family witnessed the crying children knock on Bell's door in apparent search for their parents.

FARCfilter

mert — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:46:28 -0800

Colombia's FARC rebels hold over 3000 current hostages, including soldiers, lawmakers, presidential candidates, Americans, Canadians, Japanese, a Turk, 291 children (including one born in captivity who is the youngest hostage in the world), and a disillusioned Dutch convert whose diary was recently discovered. Family members of the kidnapped can send messages to their loved ones on a popular radio show. More about Colombian kidnappings in Silvana Paternostro's captivating memoir My Colombian War.

Zoe's Ark: Charity or Kidnapping?

Sticherbeast — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:15:33 -0800

So, apparently some of those Sudanese orphans were neither Sudanese nor orphans. The organization Zoe's Ark may have fucked the fuck up.

The Kidnapped Bride

justkevin — Thu, 25 May 2006 08:40:45 -0800

"The groom confesses he has had some difficulty finding a bride, but he is hopeful that 'this one will stay.'"
If you were a young man looking to settle down with a girl, what would you do? Let friends or family set you up? Try the bar scene? Match.com? If you lived in rural Kyrgyzstan, you might skip the courtship and just kidnap whatever girl catches your eye. This fascinating Frontline/World piece explores a strange but shockingly common practice. According to one study, more than a third of ethnic Kyrgyz women are married by kidnapping.

Best part? The font.

CunningLinguist — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 11:07:54 -0800

"You will be naked within 20 minutes of the kids being in bed…You are to do everything that is requested or expected of you, if you do not, you are considered noncompliant." – from Travis Frey's "Contract of Wifely Expectations" which also includes detailed instructions what panties she can wear, what sex acts she must perform, how often and where she must shave and how she can earn "good behavior days." Frey, 33, of Iowa, has been charged with kidnapping his wife.

Nine Years since Jonbenet's death

aristan — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 22:08:38 -0800

Jonbenet Ramsey has been gone for nine years, but her death has still not been solved. Though theories still exist that her brother Burke was involved*, her parents were ruled out as suspects earlier this year, thanks to DNA evidence. Of course, that goes against the astrological evidence. None of the Ramseys have ever been charged with Jonbenet's murder, and they have taken CourtTV to court in order to maintain their innocence.
Jonbenet's murder has been lampooned repeatedly, it can be viewed as the start of a new era of crime journalism.
*graphic description on a Geocities page, N remotely SFW

CIA Arrest warrants

cassbrown1 — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 00:14:22 -0800

At last, someone is going to take the legal route. Italian authorities have issued arrest warrants for 22 CIA Agents suspected of involvement in the US kidnap/torture policy. "The new warrants allow for the suspects' detention anywhere in the 25-nation EU, a prosecutor said." That's more lost clients for the European tourist industry.

How To Get Ahead In Kidnapping Without Really Trying

brundlefly — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 15:16:51 -0800

HOWTO: Kidnap someone. Originally published in the al Qaeda web magazine Mu'askar al-Battar, and written by Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, the author of The Targets Inside Cities [pdf].

Strollin' down the highway with my shoes in my hand...

dsword — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 17:02:44 -0800

Tom Fox, a Quaker peaceworker, abducted in Iraq with three others. He understood the risks, accepted them, and now must "stand firm against the kidnapper as... against the soldier". His friends and supporters are calling for the hostages to be released, making it clear that they "[do] not advocate the use of violent force" to save lives.

Cold Feet in Georgia

NickDouglas — Sun, 01 May 2005 07:05:08 -0800

Runaway bride pulls kidnapping hoax -- She was "scared and concerned about her impending marriage and decided she needed some time alone," Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said. "She's obviously very concerned about the stress that she's been through, the stress that's been placed on her family."

Juan Gelman

plep — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 11:00:18 -0800

Juan Gelman. An Argentinian poet's search for remains of his daughter-in-law, kidnapped in Buenos Aires in 1976.

Mohammed is home safe

johnnydark — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 04:41:19 -0800

Mohammed is home safe.

Calling Jackie Chan

riffola — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 18:39:59 -0800

Kidnapper shot twice by a Chinese cop, falls down five stories, and then comes back to life in the morgue. [Warning: Potentially graphic images]

We can finally joke about beheadings...

pemulis — Mon, 12 Jul 2004 22:40:06 -0800

The kidnap videos in Iraq are suspicious. Some say they are fake. Some make their own... what do you think of this one? A rare bit of humor from Al-Jazeera. [.wmv]

How Stupid can you Be?

aacheson — Fri, 02 Apr 2004 12:03:54 -0800

Note to Self: What NOT to do when trying to fake your own kidnapping.....

Did Florida's justice system fail miserably?

SentientAI — Fri, 06 Feb 2004 07:40:19 -0800

Joseph P. Smith had a criminal record dating back to 1993, now suspected of kidnapping and murdering eleven year old Carlie Brucia in Sarasota. According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Smith had a history of "second chances." How typical is this, or is this just a case of hindsight being everything?

Won't somebody think of the children?

TheophileEscargot — Fri, 10 Oct 2003 04:35:10 -0800

Won't somebody think of the children? Wired News reports that a Mexican company has launched a service to implant RFID verichips (Technology That Cares) into children as an anti-kidnapping device. "The company envisions placing walk-through scanners -- similar to metal-detector portals used in airports -- in malls, bus stations and other areas where a missing child may appear." Similar plans have been proposed before by the UK's Kevin "Captain Cyborg" Warwick, but while his plans to use the mobile phone network are implausible, this method seems more feasible. So, why not sign up to get chipped today!

If you ever want to see your family again...

dejah420 — Mon, 28 Jul 2003 21:53:14 -0800

Kidnapping women and children is a justifiable action, says Col. David Hogg, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division when his troops picked up the wife and daughter of an Iraqi lieutenant general. They left a note: "If you want your family released, turn yourself in." A quick glance at the Geneva Conventions and Protocols would suggest that this is illegal. "The ends justifies the means" seems to be the current Conservative meme, but how well will these tactics serve us in the long run?

Extreme Kidnapping

greengrl — Mon, 19 May 2003 10:40:25 -0800

Tired of extreme sports? Need a new thrill? Extreme Kidnapping, the brainchild of Mr. Scrillian, a rap artist from Detroit, is looking to provide thrill-seekers with the ultimate in adrenaline rushes. For as little as $500 you can experience a "No-Frills Adrenaline Amp Kidnapping", or go whole hog with a custom videotaped "Standard Kidnapping" complete with restraints and mock torture.

Is this the next wave of extreme sport?

Just how crazy is Kim Jong-Il?

inksyndicate — Fri, 14 Mar 2003 10:40:28 -0800

Just how crazy is Kim Jong-Il? The North Korean dictator is also an uncompromising movie producer whose casting tactics make Bowfinger look tame. In In 1978, the North Korean dictator kidnapped his favorite director from South Korea, and forced him to make a terrible, Communist-themed monster movie called "Pulgasari." Keep in mind, the Bush administration considers this guy saner and more level-headed than Saddam Hussein.(registration req'd)