Tag:

Kidnapping

Cousin, 2 Men Charged After Remains Of PA Man Who 'Suspiciously' Disappeared Found In MD Cousin, 2 Men Charged After Remains Of PA Man Who 'Suspiciously' Disappeared Found In MD
Cousin, 2 Men Charged After Remains Of PA Man Who 'Suspiciously' Disappeared Found In MD The remains of a 25-year-old man who has been missing from Pennsylvania since March 2024 have been found and Maryland, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Friday, Oct. 18. Three men — including his 18-year-old cousin — have been charged with his murder.  Matthew "Matty" Whisman, of Lancaster's body was recovered from the Conowingo Creek in Cecil County, MD on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, PA State Police explained. This was just one day after they updated the missing person case to include a $2,000 reward offer, as Daily Voice reported.  Steven Gaddis of Nottingham, PA;&nbs…
Enola Felon Attempts To Kidnap Girl At Sheetz, Police Say Enola Felon Attempts To Kidnap Girl At Sheetz, Police Say
Enola Felon Attempts To Kidnap Girl At Sheetz, Police Say A convicted felon has been held without bail after attempting to kidnap a girl at a Pennsylvania Sheetz, police announced on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Jared Michael Sweigard, 42, of Enola, was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 13, after multiple kidnapping attempts, according to police and court documents. The first incident happened at the Sheetz Convenience Store and Gas Station located at 1158 River Road in Marietta, according to the police. When officers arrived to the report of a  "suspicious person" and people told them that a man in his 40s attempted to enter their vehicle while they were ins…
Pennsylvania Car Thief Caught Stealing Hyundai In Maryland With Sleeping Infant Inside: Police Pennsylvania Car Thief Caught Stealing Hyundai In Maryland With Sleeping Infant Inside: Police
Pennsylvania Car Thief Caught Stealing Hyundai In Maryland With Sleeping Infant Inside: Police A Pennsylvania man got more than he bargained for when he stole a woman's car in Maryland and took off with an infant peacefully sleeping in the backseat, police say. It was a sleepless night in Frederick County for some, after Mechanicsburg resident Jeremy Francis Rineman, 45, picked the wrong car to steal and now faces a kidnapping charge on top of the motor vehicle theft offense. According to a spokesperson from the Frederick Police Department, at around 9:20 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, a woman in the 1700 block of Harvest Drive in Frederick left her silver Hyundai Elantra outside of her…
'Violent Predator' Gets Life For Killing Bucks County Co-Worker, Dumping Body In MD 'Violent Predator' Gets Life For Killing Bucks County Co-Worker, Dumping Body In MD
'Violent Predator' Gets Life For Killing Bucks County Co-Worker, Dumping Body In MD A man described by authorities as a "violent predator" was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday, Sept. 9 for kidnapping, robbing, and killing a Pennsylvania co-worker, authorities announced. Michael Allen Stark, 50, of Royersford, PA was found guilty by a Bucks County jury of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, theft by unlawful taking, flight to avoid apprehension, and abuse of a corpse, according to District Attorney Jennifer Schorn and court records. Stark's victim was 50-year-old Matthew James Branning of Sellersville, who went missing after l…
Western PA Man Convicted For Fake 'Kidnapping For Drugs' Plot: DA Western PA Man Convicted For Fake 'Kidnapping For Drugs' Plot: DA
Western PA Man Convicted For Fake 'Kidnapping For Drugs' Plot: DA A McKean County man was convicted on Friday, Aug. 23 in a fake "kidnapping for drugs" plot, authorities said. Tuesday Hale, formerly of Bradford, was found guilty of crimes related to the staged kidnapping in August 2023, according to District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer. The conviction followed a two-day jury trial at the McKean County Courthouse, she said. Hale was charged after the City of Bradford Police received a report from a Bradford man who had received messages – including a staged picture – from his girlfriend’s cell phone stating that his girlfriend had been kidn…
GUILTY! Pennsylvania Kidnapper Bit, Pulled Hair Out Of Woman's Head GUILTY! Pennsylvania Kidnapper Bit, Pulled Hair Out Of Woman's Head
Guilty! Pennsylvania Kidnapper Bit, Pulled Hair Out Of Woman's Head A Middletown man has been found guilty in a bizarre kidnapping case, the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday, Aug. 21.  Bryan Edwin Perry, Jr., 37, was convicted of kidnapping, aggravated assault, intimidation of a witness, strangulation, and other charges on August 14, according to the DA's release. The conviction comes following a three-day trial.  On Sept. 2, 2023, Perry took a Harrisburg woman hostage from a home in the 2200 block of Logan Street in Harrisburg "for three hours while he drove her to secluded spots," as stated in the release, ad…
PA Man Kidnapped Four 'Females,' Held Them In Shipping Container: State Police PA Man Kidnapped Four 'Females,' Held Them In Shipping Container: State Police
PA Man Kidnapped Four 'Females,' Held Them In Shipping Container: State Police Four women were abducted, threatened with weapons, and sexually assaulted in a shipping container in the Poconos this week, according to state troopers.  Police said they received a phone call about a possible kidnapping involving a Ford SUV around 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday. They tracked the vehicle down at the Mount Pocono Walmart and found one victim with suspect Isaiah Rogers-Keeney, troopers said. Another victim was spotted leaving the store with a second suspect, Davaun Carlon Jackson, according to authorities.  Investigators believe Jackson and Rogers-Keeney…
Pair Wanted For Gunpoint Kidnapping In Montgomery County: Police Pair Wanted For Gunpoint Kidnapping In Montgomery County: Police
Pair Wanted For Gunpoint Kidnapping In Montgomery County: Police Ambler Borough police are seeking two suspects in a 2023 gunpoint kidnapping, the department said in a release Wednesday, March 27.  Deonte Davis and Terrell Watkins are each wanted for conspiracy, burglary, and related counts, according to court records.  Police said Davis and Watkins helped break into a home on the 200 block of S. Maple Avenue last Feb. 21 and robbed a victim at gunpoint before taking them to Philadelphia, where they later escaped.  Two other suspects, Beheejah Alwan and Samaj Dawkins, were previously convicted in connection with the inciden…
Accused Kidnapper, Killer Of 23-Year-Old Dad Arrested By Harrisburg Police Accused Kidnapper, Killer Of 23-Year-Old Dad Arrested By Harrisburg Police
Accused Kidnapper, Killer Of 23-Year-Old Dad Arrested By Harrisburg Police A convicted felon who was allegedly seen on video stealing a van involved with the kidnapping and murder of a 23-year-old dad has been arrested, Harrisburg police announced on Monday, March 25, 2024.  Stafford Wedderburne, 31 of Harrisburg, has been charged with with the following in connection with the Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022 killing of 23-year-old Jordan Allen also of Harrisburg, according to the police and court records: Homicide Murder Of The First Degree.  Felony Kidnap To Facilitate A Felony.   Felony Robbery -Threat Immediate Serious Injury.  …
WV Man Arrested For Killing Mercersburg Roommate, Ditching Body In Hagerstown: US Marshals WV Man Arrested For Killing Mercersburg Roommate, Ditching Body In Hagerstown: US Marshals
WV Man Arrested For Killing Mercersburg Roommate, Ditching Body In Hagerstown: US Marshals A West Virginia man is accused of shooting one of his former roommates dead in Pennsylvania and dumping the body in Maryland before fleeing to North Carolina, authorities announced on Tuesday, Dec. 19.  Shane Adrian Bradley, 32 of Hedgesville, WV, had been staying with several other people in a home in the 14000 block of Ditto Road in Montgomery Township, Mercersburg when a "minor verbal altercation" ended with him shooting one of his roommates, Isiah Clark, Pennsylvania State Police detailed in a release.  The 20-year-old's body was then loaded into a car — wi…
Carjacking, Kidnapping, Rape: Multi-State Crime Spree Stretched Into PA, Feds Say Carjacking, Kidnapping, Rape: Multi-State Crime Spree Stretched Into PA, Feds Say
Carjacking, Kidnapping, Rape: Multi-State Crime Spree Stretched Into PA, Feds Say Four Delaware men are accused in a crime spree that stretched into Pennsylvania and allegedly included car theft, kidnapping, gunpoint robbery, and rape.  Twenty-four-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthews, 23-year-old David Hinson, 21-year-old Michael Caldwell, and 20-year-old Mahkiya Powell were each named in a July 13 indictment unsealed in a US District Court in Delaware this week, said the US Attorney's Office.  The spree, federal authorities say, took place on April 14 and began in Delaware. Investigators claim the four suspects were riding around in a stolen …
COLD CASE: NJ Pastor Nabbed For Homicide Of 8-Year-Old Gretchen Harrington COLD CASE: NJ Pastor Nabbed For Homicide Of 8-Year-Old Gretchen Harrington
Cold CASE: NJ Pastor Nabbed For Homicide Of 8-Year-Old Gretchen Harrington Nearly 50 years after 8-year-old Gretchen Harrington was found dead in a Pennsylvania forest, police say they've arrested the man who killed her.  David Zandstra, now 83 years old, originally a pastor from New Jersey but most recently of Marietta, Georgia, is charged with criminal homicide, kidnapping a minor, and related counts, said District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer's Office in a release on Monday, July 24.  “The murder of Gretchen Harrington has haunted members of law enforcement since that terrible day in August 1975," the DA said.  "The families of victims often say that their live…
Escaped Murder Suspect Recaptured: PA Couple Call 911 After Catching Michael Burham 'Camping' Escaped Murder Suspect Recaptured: PA Couple Call 911 After Catching Michael Burham 'Camping'
Escaped Murder Suspect Recaptured: PA Couple Call 911 After Catching Michael Burham 'Camping' The alleged killer who escaped from a Pennsylvania county jail over a week ago has been recaptured authorities say.  Michael Charles Burham broke out of the Warren County lockup using a makeshift rope of prison bedding on Friday, July 7, 2023, Warren City police have said.  The final leg of the manhunt began with a call to the Pennsylvania State Police tip line of “a suspicious individual” in Conowingo Township around 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, Lt. Col. George Bivens said in a press conference later that same evening.  WARREN COUNTY - As the search for Michael Burham continues, PSP a…
PA Mall Kidnapper Arrested, 2nd Suspect Sought: Police PA Mall Kidnapper Arrested, 2nd Suspect Sought: Police
PA Mall Kidnapper Arrested, 2nd Suspect Sought: Police The man accused of grabbing a 14-year-old girl in an apparent abduction attempt at the Willow Grove Park Mall is in police custody, but the second suspect is still at large, according to authorities.  Khalil Evans, 44, of Philadelphia, was arrested by city police and US Marshals on Thursday, July 13, Abington Township police said in a release.  He is charged with false imprisonment of a minor, a second-degree felony, the department said.  Investigators believe Evans and another unidentified man were working "in concert" to kidnap a teenager from the mall on Wednesday, July 12, Daily Voice…
Kidnappers Grab PA Teen In Abduction Attempt: Police (PHOTOS) Kidnappers Grab PA Teen In Abduction Attempt: Police (PHOTOS)
Kidnappers Grab PA Teen In Abduction Attempt: Police (Photos) A 14-year-old girl was the victim of a kidnapping attempt at the Willow Grove Park Mall, authorities announced on Wednesday. The girl was coming down the escalator when she was met by a man she did not know around 7 p.m. on July 12, Abington Township police explained in a release. The man identified himself as "Alex" and asked her to walk with him, "extending his arm, as if to escort her," according to investigators.  The teen told him she is underage and tried to walk away, but "Alex" "grabbed her arm, placed it in his arm, and restrained her as he led her across the mall," police said.…
Escaped Murder Suspect Might Have Outside Help, PA State Police Say Escaped Murder Suspect Might Have Outside Help, PA State Police Say
Escaped Murder Suspect Might Have Outside Help, PA State Police Say The alleged killer who escaped from a Pennsylvania county jail last week is still on the run, and state police believe he may be getting assistance from "one or more" area residents.  Michael Charles Burham broke out of the Warren County lockup using a makeshift rope of prison bedding on Friday, July 7, Warren city police have said.  He was being held on arson and burglary charges and is also the prime suspect in the Jamestown, New York killing of 34-year-old Kala Hodgkin on May 11, according to police in that city.  I met such a sweet girl i got to call friend over 18 years ago and n…
Hollywoodesque Crime Spree Lands PA Woman Jail Time: DA Hollywoodesque Crime Spree Lands PA Woman Jail Time: DA
Hollywoodesque Crime Spree Lands PA Woman Jail Time: DA A 41-year-old woman has learned her fate after admitting to a crime spree that reads like the plot of a Hollywood movie. The Central Pennsylvanian who stole two cars, drove with a revoked license, threatened her friend, crashed a car into a barn, caused a fire, abandoned a dog, sent police on an over 100 mph chase, and faked a medical issue to attack police in an attempt to escape— has learned her fate, according to a release by the Cumberland County District Attnory Sean M. McCormack.  Chontelle Melissa Shirk, pleaded guilty and her sentence was imposed on June 13, 2023, the DA said and c…
'Zombie Hunter' Who Beheaded PA Woman Sentenced To Death: DA 'Zombie Hunter' Who Beheaded PA Woman Sentenced To Death: DA
'Zombie Hunter' Who Beheaded PA Woman Sentenced To Death: DA An Amazon delivery driver by day and self-described "zombie hunter" at night has been sentenced to death.  Bryan Patrick Miller a 49-year-old Arizonan pleaded insanity with a lawyer who used a "Jekyll and Hyde" defense during a trial over the brutal stabbing and beheading deaths of two young women— including a 21-year-old from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, according to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. Miller, also dubbed the "Canal Killer", was "found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, dangerous class one felonies, two counts of kidnapping, class two dangero…
Possible Homicide, Kidnapping, 'Do The Right Thing' Award In Accused PA Killer's Past Possible Homicide, Kidnapping, 'Do The Right Thing' Award In Accused PA Killer's Past
Possible Homicide, Kidnapping, 'Do The Right Thing' Award In Accused PA Killer's Past Details about a teenager accused of shooting four people, including two young brothers whose bodies will be transported to Puerto Rico for burial, have come to light.  James Fernandez-Reyes, 16, was arrested along with Alex Torres Santos, 23, in connection with the shooting deaths of Jesus Perez-Salome, 8, Sebastian Perez- Salome, 9, and Joshua Lugo-Perez, 19, all of Lebanon, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.  "Do The Right Thing" Award Recipient  Three years ago, when James was 13 years old and living in New York, he received an award for his good behavior, according…
Wanted Man Shot In Head During Hostage Situation In Harrisburg: Police Wanted Man Shot In Head During Hostage Situation In Harrisburg: Police
Wanted Man Shot In Head During Hostage Situation In Harrisburg: Police A 28-year-old Harrisburg man was shot in the head after holding a stranger's two-year-old daughter hostage, according to the Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo’s Office. Antonio Hammond has been charged with kidnapping of a minor, burglary, aggravated assault, criminal trespassing, and related firearms charges, the DA’s office explained in a release on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.  Hammond was wanted for violating his parole on Feb. 23, 2023, and the Fugitive Task Force had been looking for him when Harrisburg Police spotted him on Tuesday, but he quickly fled— although not befor…
NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds NEW CHARGES: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds
NEW Charges: Out-Of-State Woman Held Captive For Year By NJ Man Was Raped, Grand Jury Finds UPDATE: A South Jersey man repeatedly raped a woman he'd kidnapped and held hostage during a nearly year-long cross-country trip, state authorities said an ongoing investigation has found. James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, was captured and has remained jailed ever since the woman escaped from a residence in Bass Township and fled to safety at a nearby gas station three months ago, ending a terrifying year in captivity. Parillo originally was charged with first-degree kidnapping, criminal restraint, aggravated assault and strangulation, as well as hindering apprehension, obstruction and refusing to…
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA
Ex-Con Kidnapper Gets 43 Years, No Parole, For Rape, Arson, Assault Rampage Through NJ, NY, PA UPDATE: An ex-con who kidnapped and raped his ex-girlfriend in Pennsylvania, then torched a used car dealership in Paterson and rammed a stolen SUV into police cars at both ends of the George Washington Bridge was sentenced to 43 years in federal prison. Luis Figueroa, 42, first took a plea deal from the government that called for him to serve 26 years in a federal penitentiary. Then he abruptly withdrew his plea, took his chances with a trial – and lost. Federal jurors in Newark convicted Figueroa in May 2022 of kidnapping, criminal sexual abuse, illegal gun possession and assaulting…
Bucks Son Put Fentanyl In Mom's Iced Tea, Shot Her Dead In Philadelphia: DA (UPDATE) Bucks Son Put Fentanyl In Mom's Iced Tea, Shot Her Dead In Philadelphia: DA (UPDATE)
Bucks Son Put Fentanyl In Mom's Iced Tea, Shot Her Dead In Philadelphia: DA (Update) A 28-year-old Bucks County man is accused of killing his mom by spiking her iced tea with fentanyl then killing her in Philadelphia over the weekend, authorities said. Sean Rivera, of the Morrisville section of Falls Township, drugged his 72-year-old mom, Carol J. Clark, before driving her to Philadelphia where he shot and killed her, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said. Rivera left his mom's body in a shed, but officials found her early Monday morning, April 10, and pronounced her dead, Weintraub said. The investigation began on Sunday afternoon for a report of a do…
Former PA School Principal Charged In NJ Sex Assault, Burglary Cold Case Former PA School Principal Charged In NJ Sex Assault, Burglary Cold Case
Former PA School Principal Charged In NJ Sex Assault, Burglary Cold Case A 39-year-old former Pennsylvania school principal has been charged in a 2014 sexual assault and burglary that occurred more than eight years ago in Central Jersey, authorities said. On Sept. 21, 2014, a woman reported being sexually assaulted by a man later identified as Danny McEaddy, who had forced his way into her apartment in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Director Robert Hubner of the Woodbridge Police Department. My Story : Principal Danny McEaddy 🙏🙏🙏 In Kindergarten I was labeled as behaviorally disturbed. In 2nd …
PA Man Accused Of Kidnapping Caught In NYC By US Marshals PA Man Accused Of Kidnapping Caught In NYC By US Marshals
PA Man Accused Of Kidnapping Caught In NYC By US Marshals A Chambersburg man wanted for kidnapping was arrested by US Marshals and NYPD in New York City on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 10:10 a.m., authorities announced the following day.  Jarell Stanley Cherry, 40, was wanted on an active arrest warrant for "acts involving Kidnapping and Aggravated Assault with a firearm," Chambersburg police stated in the original release on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.  Cherry has been charged with felony kidnapping to facilitate a felony, felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, felony strangulation, felony possession of a firearm prohibited, misdeme…
VA Man Kidnaps, Assaults Woman In Central Pennsylvania, Police Say VA Man Kidnaps, Assaults Woman In Central Pennsylvania, Police Say
VA Man Kidnaps, Assaults Woman In Central Pennsylvania, Police Say  A Virginia Man has been taken into police custody shortly after kidnapping and assaulting a woman in central Pennsylvania on Friday, March 3, police say. The woman who 36-year-old Charles Wilson held hostage is safe now, according to both Pennsylvania state police and Swatara Township police. Wilson and the victim are from Roanoke, according to the police. Why they were in the Harrisburg area is unclear. Police were called following an early morning domestic dispute in Swatara Township, where it was clear that "the female was taken from the scene against her will," police say. H…
Abused Woman Held Captive By NJ Man During Year-Long Cross-Country Trip Escapes: Authorities Abused Woman Held Captive By NJ Man During Year-Long Cross-Country Trip Escapes: Authorities
Abused Woman Held Captive By NJ Man During Year-Long Cross-Country Trip Escapes: Authorities A South Jersey man kidnapped a woman in New Mexico, then held her hostage during a nearly year-long cross-country trip before she managed to escape, authorities said Friday. James W. Parrillo Jr., 57, may have done the same thing to other women in other states, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and State Police Supt. Colonel Patrick J. Callahan said in a joint statement on  Feb. 17. Parillo was captured after the woman escaped from a residence in Bass Township where she’d been confined and fled to a nearby gas station, they said. Authorities charged Parillo with first-deg…
12-Year-Old Raped By Mom's Ex-BF Who Hid Her Body In The Freezer, LanCo. DA Says 12-Year-Old Raped By Mom's Ex-BF Who Hid Her Body In The Freezer, LanCo. DA Says
12-Year-Old Raped By Mom's Ex-BF Who Hid Her Body In The Freezer, LanCo. DA Says A  39-year-old kidnapped a mother and a child separately and raped them at a local hotel— then killed the daughter and tried to hide her in the mother's freezer, authorities announced on Friday, Feb. 10 just a few hours after the girl's body was found in the home.  Jason Shackelford, of Columbia, "raped and killed his girlfriend’s 12-year-old daughter on the night of Feb. 8 into the morning of Feb. 9 at a home in the 500 block of Avenue H in Columbia. He stated he attempted to conceal the victim’s body in a freezer in the basement," the Lancaster County District Attorney says. …
Crazed Husband Shoots At Vehicle Carrying Wife, Kidnaps Occupant After PA Crash: Police Crazed Husband Shoots At Vehicle Carrying Wife, Kidnaps Occupant After PA Crash: Police
Crazed Husband Shoots At Vehicle Carrying Wife, Kidnaps Occupant After PA Crash: Police A 29-year-old Harrisburg husband has been charged with attempted homicide after he spotted his wife in a vehicle with another person and began shooting, and then chased the car until it crashed, authorities said. Before he was taken into custody, Erick Vazquez-Torres also forced an occupant of the wrecked car into his own, police said. Vazquez-Torres was near South 19th and Paxton Streets around 6 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 15 when he saw his wife in a nearby car and approached it, the Harrisburg Bureau of Police said. Vazquez-Torres shot at the car multiple times, leaving one of the occu…
Restaurant Employees Held Hostage In Pittsburgh, Police Say Restaurant Employees Held Hostage In Pittsburgh, Police Say
Restaurant Employees Held Hostage In Pittsburgh, Police Say A man from Erie heading to see his kids in West Virginia held employees hostage at a Pittsburgh Eat 'N Park on Thursday, Jan. 5, authorities say.  Larry David Elkins II, 30, of Erie, fired at least three shots while holding two workers and the manager hostage at the restaurant in the 1200 block of Banksville Road, according to police and court documents.  Pittsburgh police from Zone 6 were called to reports of shots fired, including a man who passed by Elkins in the parking lot. Upon arrival, police were directed to a back office where they quickly detained him. Three shell…
GOT HIM! Second Man Arrested In Kidnapping, Killing Of 25-Year-Old Woman: Police GOT HIM! Second Man Arrested In Kidnapping, Killing Of 25-Year-Old Woman: Police
GOT HIM! Second Man Arrested In Kidnapping, Killing Of 25-Year-Old Woman: Police A second man has been arrested on homicide charges in connection with the death of a popular local poet, authorities announced just hours after sharing his wanted poster on Jan. 4..  Paige Nikole Kibe, 25, was found near River Road in Bratton Township on Friday, Dec. 16, according to an earlier release by state police. Michael Jason Kennedy, 44, of Yeagertown, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, and kidnapping, among 13 other offenses related to Kibe's disappearance and killing on Dec. 21, state police explain in the release and court documents confirm. …