Under federal and state law, kidnapping is commonly defined as taking or confining a person against their will by force, violence or fraud.
Sherri Papini, California woman arrested for allegedly faking her own kidnapping and lying to federal agents, was released from jail after family posted $120,000 bond. She also must undergo psychiatric treatment and surrender her passport. More
March 9, 2022
Four men face trial: Fox, Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft Jr. and Daniel Harris. Prosecutors say the men came up with the plan to snatch the Democratic governor because they were angry about pandemic restrictions she imposed. More
March 9, 2022
They're accused of taking critical steps over several months, including secret messaging, gun drills in the woods and a night drive to northern Michigan to scout her second home and figure out how to blow up a bridge. More
March 8, 2022
Jury selection begins Tuesday in the trial of four men who are accused of conspiring to snatch Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. More
March 7, 2022
Sherri Papini, arrested on charges she faked her own kidnapping, mail fraud and lying to a federal agent was ordered detained as a danger and flight risk. More
March 4, 2022
Sherri Papini was found on Thanksgiving Day in 2016 after weeks of searching with bindings on her body and injuries including a swollen nose and a “brand” on her right shoulder. More
March 4, 2022
A judge ruled three men charged in plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before the 2020 election were not entrapped by the FBI. More
March 1, 2022
A man charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has agreed to plead guilty, according to documents filed Monday, giving prosecutors another insider who could be a key witness at a March trial. More
February 7, 2022
On Wednesday, surveillance video showed a pickup truck belonging to Beecher ram its way through the Bloomberg ranch's security gate. More
February 5, 2022
A federal court on Thursday overturned a man's kidnapping conviction stemming from his assaulting his girlfriend for seven minutes, ruling that the time he restrained the victim while beating her was too brief to be charged separately. More
February 3, 2022
The three fugitives are facing multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit kidnapping involving children. More
February 1, 2022
An Air Force airman will spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping a Mennonite woman from northwestern New Mexico, fatally shooting her and leaving her body in the freezing cold in a forest clearing hundreds of miles away. More
January 19, 2022
Defense attorneys want to dismiss the indictment against five men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. More
December 27, 2021
The man accused of kidnapping, raping and holding a Snow College student against her will for several days in his basement had a warrants out for his arrest issued in 2018. More
December 20, 2021
The parents of a missing Snow College student who was found alive Saturday night expressed their gratitude for everyone who helped bring their daughter home. More
December 20, 2021
A woman has been sentenced to a prison treatment program for what prosecutors said was her role in a violent kidnapping and torture case. More
October 18, 2021
Mark Gooch showed no emotion when the verdict was announced. He stood in a military stance, with one hand resting over the other behind his back. More
October 14, 2021
Kern County jury finds man guilty Thursday of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an Uber driver. More
October 4, 2021
By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The brother of a U.S. Air Force airman on trial in the death of a Mennonite woman testified Wednesday that the defendant asked him to remotely scrub information from his cellphone shortly before he was arrested and later charged with kidnapping and murder. Samuel Gooch’s testimony […] More
September 29, 2021
U.S. Air Force airman on trial for kidnapping Mennonite woman in New Mexico fatally shooting her and dumping body in Arizona tried unsuccessfully to cover his tracks prosecutor told jurors. More
September 24, 2021
A former probation officer has been found guilty for her role in the kidnapping and killing of a Minneapolis real estate agent. More
September 21, 2021
A part-time police officer and former firefighter in West Virginia has been indicted on federal civil rights charges involving two victims. More
September 2, 2021
10-year-old Journey Brown victim + attempted abduction in Roy Utah sharing her story hoping it gives courage to fight back against attackers + Richard Rodney Palmer + registered sex offender. More
September 1, 2021
By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada man who pleaded guilty in state and federal courts to crimes stemming from the abduction and rape of two teenage girls was sentenced Tuesday to about 15 more years in federal prison and lifetime supervision as a top-tier sex offender. “I just wish I […] More
August 31, 2021
Cristhian Bahena Rivera sentenced to life in prison without parole in abduction and killing of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts three years after she disappeared while out for a run. More
August 30, 2021
Ty Garbin cooperated within weeks of being arrested, willingly putting a “target on his back to begin his own redemption,” the government said in a court filing. More
August 25, 2021
A person of interest will reportedly be charged for the kidnapping and murder of an Atlanta bartender. More
August 16, 2021
Lawrence Handley allegedly orchestrated the kidnapping of his estranged wife, which later involved the death of two suspected hired kidnappers who drowned while trying to escape police. More
August 4, 2021
Justo Smoker apologized to Linda Stoltzfoos’ family in court, saying he had “robbed the family of time and memories.” More
July 27, 2021
KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — A woman convicted in the 1987 kidnapping and death of a northern Illinois businessman has been granted a re-sentencing hearing by the state’s appellate court. Nancy Rish, 59, petitioned in December 2017 for a resentencing hearing so that the court can consider evidence of domestic violence. Stephen Small of Kankakee suffocated […] More
July 23, 2021
