Mexico finds 49 migrants who had been kidnapped from bus
May 18, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s army said Thursday that troops have found 49 migrants, including 11 children, who were kidnapped from a bus earlier this week.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A busload of about 50 migrants were kidnapped by a gang in northern Mexico in the latest of a series of mass abductions, though nine were later found, Mexico's president and police said Wednesday.
Indiana man gets 38 years in beating of woman found in ditch
May 9, 2023 GMTNEW CASTLE, Ind. (AP) — An Indianapolis man convicted of abducting and severely beating a woman in 2018 and dumping her in a ditch where she was found the next day has been sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Kidnapped Nigerian girls freed, return to Chibok with babies
May 5, 2023 GMTMAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Two Nigerian women abducted as schoolgirls by a jihadi militant group nine years ago have been rescued, the West African nation’s military has said. One had a year-old baby while the second gave birth to her second child days after her freedom.
Kidnapped NZ pilot: Indonesian army attacks put him at risk
April 26, 2023 GMTJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region released a video Wednesday appearing to show the New Zealand pilot they took hostage in February saying that recent Indonesian military attacks threatened his safety.
2nd teen charged in kidnapping migrants in Houston
April 17, 2023 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — A second teenager has been charged with kidnapping several migrants and allegedly holding them captive for several days at a Houston hotel before they were rescued by FBI agents during a confrontation that ended with the fatal shooting of another suspect, authorities said Monday.
Man on trial denies charges of kidnapping woman, her son
April 17, 2023 GMTBURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont man on trial for kidnapping a New Hampshire woman and her 4-year-old child more than four years ago testified Monday in his federal court trial that he took the two vehicles he is accused of stealing and taking across state lines, but he denied kidnapping the woman or her son.
At least 10 students abducted by gunmen in northwest Nigeria
April 4, 2023 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 10 students were abducted by gunmen in northwest Nigeria, authorities said on Tuesday.
Students from the Government Secondary School in Kaduna state were abducted during an attack Monday, however it was unclear exactly where they were kidnapped from, said Samuel Aruwan, the state commissioner of security.
Pirates hold hostage some crew of oil tanker off West Africa
March 31, 2023 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Six members of the 16-man crew on a Liberia-flagged tanker are being held hostage by pirates who boarded the ship in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea last week, the Danish shipper that owns the vessel and the French Navy said Friday.
Family of US couple kidnapped in Haiti pleads for release
March 28, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Nikese Toussaint was at church, so she didn’t see the text message from her sister.
All she knew at that point was that their brother and his wife, who live in the U.S., had landed safely in Haiti to visit ailing relatives and prepare for Rara, a colorful and boisterous festival born out of the dark days of slavery.
California jailbreak mastermind sentenced for daring escape
March 24, 2023 GMTSANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A man serving a life sentence for kidnapping and mutilating a marijuana dispensary owner was given an additional sentence Friday for masterminding a daring, elaborate escape from a Southern California jail.
Kidnappers who snatched San Jose baby are sentenced
March 20, 2023 GMTSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Two people who kidnapped a 3-month-old baby from his San Francisco Bay Area home last year were sentenced Monday to prison.
Yesenia Ramirez was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison.
International Red Cross says 2 kidnapped staff freed in Mali
March 20, 2023 GMTOUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Two aid workers with the International Committee of the Red Cross were freed in Mali on Monday, the organization announced.
The staff members were released unharmed but the organization would not disclose the employees' identities or the circumstances of the abduction.
Friend warned police Americans feared missing in Mexico
March 9, 2023 GMTLAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — The frantic effort to rescue four Americans taken captive in Mexico in a kidnapping that left two dead came after a woman traveling with the group contacted police when they did not return to the U.S.
Americans found quickly, but Mexico’s missing remain lost
March 9, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — When four Americans were kidnapped in the border city of Matamoros, authorities rescued the survivors within days, but thousands of Mexicans remain missing in a state long associated with cartel violence — some in cases dating back more than a decade.
Suspect in woman’s kidnapping, death enters not guilty plea
March 8, 2023 GMTTUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man accused of the 2019 kidnapping and killing of the stepdaughter of a UFC fighter has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case, authorities said.
Families shaken awaiting word on Americans taken in Mexico
March 7, 2023 GMTLAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — The violent kidnapping of four Americans in a Mexican border city shook families across the Carolinas as they agonized for days while waiting to learn whether their loved ones survived a cosmetic surgery road trip that turned deadly.
Former NBA player Morrow facing assault, kidnapping charges
March 4, 2023 GMTCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Former NBA player Anthony Morrow is facing charges of assault on a female, assault by strangulation, communicating threats and second degree kidnapping in Charlotte.
According to Mecklenburg County Sheriff's office arrest records, Morrow was arrested on Feb.
Defendants get life term for 2019 death of Alabama toddler
March 3, 2023 GMTBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday handed down life sentences to the two people convicted of kidnapping and killing a toddler in Alabama in 2019.
At least 22 people, including children, abducted in Congo
March 1, 2023 GMTKINSHASA, Congo (AP) — At least 22 people, including children, were abducted from three villages in northern Congo, local authorities said.
Seven armed men dressed in white military uniforms, attacked towns in Ango territory in Bas-Uele province Tuesday, area administrator Mazale Lekabusia Marcellintold The Associated Press by phone.
Archaeologist kidnapped in PNG to return to Australia
February 27, 2023 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — After spending a week held hostage by an armed group demanding a ransom in Papua New Guinea’s remote Highlands region, an archaeologist is expected to return to Australia soon.
Life term imposed in murder of boy, false kidnapping report
February 26, 2023 GMTBRIDGETON, N.J. (AP) — A woman convicted of killing her toddler son four years ago and telling police he had been kidnapped before his remains were found buried in the yard of her New Jersey home has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Papua New Guinea kidnappers release last 3 hostages
February 26, 2023 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian-based archaeologist and two Papua New Guinea nationals have been released from captivity after being taken hostage by an armed group in a remote part of Papua New Guinea several days ago, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Sunday.
Trial looms in case of boy’s death at remote, armed compound
February 25, 2023 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Three defendants from an extended family arrested in a 2018 law enforcement raid on a ramshackle desert encampment rejected compromise offers from prosecutors to resolve kidnapping, terrorism and weapons charges in proceedings Friday at U.S.
2024 trial set for polygamous sect leader in Arizona
February 24, 2023 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — The trial for a polygamous sect leader charged with kidnapping and evidence tampering in an investigation in his community on the Utah-Arizona state line has been postponed until 2024.
10 killed in riots in Indonesia’s restive Papua province
February 24, 2023 GMTJAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Ten people were killed and more than 20 others wounded in a riot in Indonesia’s Papua province, police said on Friday.
The riots began Thursday afternoon in Wamena town in the Jayawijaya district of Papua, the country's easternmost province, amid reports of a child kidnapping.
Egypt says 6 Christian nationals freed from Libya detention
February 17, 2023 GMTCAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s foreign ministry said Friday that six Christian Egyptians who were kidnapped and then illegally detained earlier this month in western Libya have been released.
The men, all relatives from Egypt’s southern city of Sohag, were abducted after traveling to the lawless North African country in search of work in early February, according to Amir Nassif, a lawyer for the men’s family.
Canada to deploy navy vessels to Haiti as violence worsens
February 17, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Canada will send navy vessels to Haiti for intelligence-gathering as part of efforts to quell worsening gang violence in the Caribbean nation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Lawsuit seeks white woman’s arrest in Emmett Till kidnapping
February 16, 2023 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A relative of Emmett Till is suing to try to make a Mississippi sheriff serve a 1955 arrest warrant on a white woman in the kidnapping that led to the Black teenager's brutal lynching.
Connecticut man pleads guilty again in 2020 killings
February 16, 2023 GMTMILFORD, Conn. (AP) — A 26-year-old Connecticut man pleaded guilty Thursday to murder and kidnapping charges in connection with a series of crimes in 2020 that led to a six-day multistate manhunt.
Peter Manfredonia admitted to shooting a former high school classmate to death, kidnapping the man's girlfriend and stealing a car, two days after he had killed one man and wounded another with a sword.
Driver waives preliminary hearing in killing of Fernley teen
February 15, 2023 GMTFERNLEY, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada man accused of kidnapping and killing a Fernley teenager last year has waived his right to a preliminary hearing in justice court, clearing the way for case to move toward trial in Lyon County district court.
Polygamy kidnapping suspect will be returned to Utah
February 13, 2023 GMTMINOT, N.D. (AP) — The nephew of imprisoned Utah polygamous leader Warren Jeffs will be returned to Utah to face charges that he kidnapped his niece, as he waived extradition at a court hearing Monday following his arrest in North Dakota.
War for control of Haiti’s capital targets women’s bodies
February 13, 2023 GMTPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Nadia hushes the crying 3-month-old baby swaddled in her arms, gently planting kisses on her forehead.
She was 19, not ready to be a mother. But the young Haitian’s life changed when she was walking home from class on the dusty streets of a gang-controlled area of Haiti’s capital last year.
Southern California man charged with two 1981 killings
February 10, 2023 GMTVENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California man was charged Thursday with killing two women in 1981 after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Tony Garcia, 68, of Oxnard appeared in court but his arraignment was continued to Feb.
Man convicted of killing Tucson teen faces 2nd murder trial
February 9, 2023 GMTTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A man already convicted of killing a Tucson teenager now is facing another murder trial, this one involving a 6-year-old girl.
Jury selection from a pool of nearly 100 potential jurors began Thursday in Pima County Superior Court with Christopher Clements’ trial expected to start Tuesday and last 18 days.
Ex-Ohio State football players acquitted of rape, kidnapping
February 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Two former Ohio State football players were acquitted Thursday on charges of rape and kidnapping stemming from a sexual encounter they had with a woman in an apartment the two players shared.
Haitian journalist snatched as kidnapping scourge continues
February 8, 2023 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Suspected gangs have kidnapped another Haitian journalist as colleagues demanded his release, a government office announced Wednesday.
The journalist was identified by the Office of Citizen Protection as Jean Thony Lorthé, who works for Radio Vision 2000.
Man charged in Tennessee jogger’s death pleads not guilty
February 3, 2023 GMTMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The man charged with raping and killing a Tennessee kindergarten teacher during a pre-dawn run in Memphis last year pleaded not guilty Friday.
Sweden hits out at ‘disinformation’ on child kidnappings
February 3, 2023 GMTSTOCKHOLM (AP) — The Swedish government again sought Friday to discredit claims that Swedish social service agencies kidnap Muslim children, saying Sweden was again seeing a “systematized” and “extensive” disinformation campaign.
Sudan teen refugee freed after 5 months in Libyan detention
February 1, 2023 GMTCAIRO (AP) — A Sudanese teen refugee has been released from a detention center in western Libya where he was held for five months after being kidnapped and tortured by gunmen demanding ransom, his family said Wednesday.
Ex-Florida police officers accused of beating homeless man
January 26, 2023 GMTMIAMI (AP) — Two former South Florida police officers turned themselves in Thursday morning to face felony charges over the beating of a homeless man who had been drinking outside a shopping center last month, officials said.
45-year sentence given for 2020 attack on gay Louisiana man
January 26, 2023 GMTLAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the kidnapping and grisly knife attack on a teen in 2020 — part of what federal authorities said was a scheme to kidnap and murder gay men.
World Health Organization employee abducted in northern Mali
January 24, 2023 GMTBAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A World Health Organization employee was abducted by unidentified assailants in northern Mali, the U.N. agency's director-general said Tuesday.
Dr. Mahamadou Diawara was kidnapped from his car in the town of Menaka on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.
Guilty verdict in 2017 Hawaii vacation rental murder
January 20, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A jury on Friday found a man guilty in the 2017 murder of a woman cleaning a Hawaii vacation rental house and the kidnapping of her 8-year-old daughter.
Jurors found Stephen Brown guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and two counts of kidnapping.
10 dismembered bodies found buried in central Mexico
January 17, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities said Tuesday that they had unearthed 10 dismembered bodies from under the floor of an events hall in central Mexico.
The grisly discovery was made in the town of Tenango del Valle, just west of Mexico City, after an investigation into the activities of nine men believed to belong to the Jalisco drug cartel, prosecutors in Mexico State said over the weekend.
Former NFL player arrested in Mississippi on kidnap charge
January 17, 2023 GMTRIDGELAND, Miss. (AP) — A former University of Mississippi and NFL football player has been arrested in Mississippi on kidnapping charges.
Jerrell Powe, 35, remained jailed Monday in the Jackson suburb of Ridgeland with no bail set.
Official: Jihadis abduct at least 50 women in Burkina Faso
January 16, 2023 GMTDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — At least 50 women were abducted by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso’s northern Sahel region last week, a local official said Monday.
The kidnappings occurred on January 12 and 13 approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the town of Arbinda in Soum province, Lt.
Warren Jeffs’ nephew charged with kidnapping girl in Utah
December 21, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah has filed kidnapping charges against the nephew of imprisoned polygamous leader Warren Jeffs, saying that he and his sister’s 10-year-old daughter have gone missing, apparently to keep the girl from her mother upon orders Jeffs issued from prison in Texas.
Judge warned in 2021 of gay bar attacker’s shootout plans
December 16, 2022 GMTCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A judge dismissed the 2021 kidnapping case against the Colorado gay nightclub shooter even though she had previously raised concerns about the defendant stockpiling weapons and explosives and planning a shootout, court transcripts obtained Friday by The Associated Press reveal.
Lengthy prison terms for 3 who aided Whitmer kidnap plotter
December 15, 2022 GMTJACKSON, Mich. (AP) — A judge on Thursday handed down the longest prison terms so far in the plot to kidnap Michigan's governor, sentencing three men who forged an early alliance with a leader of the scheme before the FBI broke it up in 2020.
Attorney: Kidnap plot leader should not get life sentence
December 10, 2022 GMTThe leader of a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should not be sentenced to life in prison because federal prosecutors overstated his role in the plot and have created a “false narrative of a terrifying para-military leader," his attorney argues.
March trial set in Vermont for mall kidnapping
December 7, 2022 GMTBURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A man charged with kidnapping a woman and her child from a mall in New Hampshire and then bringing them to Vermont in 2019 is expected to go on trial in March.
Everett Simpson has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
February prelim set for accused killer of Fernley teenager
December 6, 2022 GMTYERINGTON, Nev. (AP) — A man accused of kidnapping and killing a Fernley teenager in March has been found competent to stand trial and ordered to appear at a two-day preliminary hearing in February.
Train service in Nigeria capital resumes after deadly attack
December 5, 2022 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Rail service in Nigeria’s capital city resumed on Monday, eight months after assailants attacked a train with explosives and gunfire, killing seven people and abducting dozens of passengers.
Body of 7-year-old Texas girl found, FedEx driver arrested
December 3, 2022 GMTPARADISE, Texas (AP) — A 7-year-old Texas girl has been found dead, two days after being reported missing, and a FedEx delivery driver arrested in her death, authorities said.
The body of Athena Strand was found Friday and Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, was arrested on kidnapping and murder charges after confessing to killing the girl and telling authorities where to find her body, according to Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin.
Ex-Border agent indicted in sex assault of an Arizona teen
December 1, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent has been indicted in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a teenage girl in Arizona earlier this year, according to federal authorities.
Judge denies bid for new trial in Whitmer kidnapping case
November 26, 2022 GMTGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge has denied a new trial request by two men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
German priest abducted in Mali’s capital in rare kidnapping
November 21, 2022 GMTBAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Suspected Islamic extremists have abducted a German priest in Mali's capital, colleagues said Monday, marking the first kidnapping of a Westerner in Bamako in more than a decade.
Woman convicted in kidnapping of 3-year-old Alabama girl
November 17, 2022 GMTTUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Federal jurors convicted an Alabama woman on Thursday in the death of a 3-year-old girl who disappearance from a public housing community prompted a more than weeklong search in 2019.
Convicted killer slain in California prison attack
November 15, 2022 GMTIMPERIAL, Calif. (AP) — A California prison inmate serving a life sentence has died after he was attacked with hand-made weapons by two other prisoners, state corrections officials said Tuesday.
William Quintero, 47, was attacked Monday in a recreation yard at Centinela State Prison and was airlifted to a hospital where he died about nine hours later, authorities said.