California Teen Kidnappers Held; 17-Year-Old Rescued from Motel; $500,000 Ransom Demanded
In Southern California, authorities freed a 17-year-old boy who had been kept captive for four days by abductors who demanded a $500,000 ransom or else they would injure him.
After law officials located the adolescent and his three captors at a hotel in Santa Maria, a city located about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, the teen was freed on Friday.
According to the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, the nightmare started on Monday morning when the kidnappers manufactured a car accident in San Bernardino County, some 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Sant Maria, and kidnapped the adolescent when he stepped out of his car to inspect the damage. The incident was captured on a doorbell camera.
According to federal authorities, the kidnappers phoned the teen’s mother using a Mexican phone number and wanted $500,000 to be transferred to Nogales, Mexico. Over the course of the four days, the guys contacted her many times and threatened to kill her kid if the family did not pay.
The boy was forced to read from a script suggesting the kidnapping was his father’s responsibility for an event that supposedly happened in New York, according to a video the suspects stole, according to the investigators. The screenplay said that the father was aware of the theft, and the boy’s mother received a copy of the film.
Few things are as horrifying to a parent as having their child abducted and detained against their will under the fear of physical assault, according to US Attorney Martin Estrada.
Three guys in their 20s who held the hostages were charged with abduction on a federal level and may get a life sentence if found guilty. They are expected to show up in court on Monday in the afternoon.
The victim and the defendants were tracked to Santa Maria by law enforcement using a Facebook Marketplace post and the doorbell camera video. From the hotel, at least one handgun was found.
In a corner of the hotel room, authorities discovered the youngster resting on the floor. Officials said that the family did not pay the ransom.
