What is the oldest solved kidnapping?

miles_draken · #1 12-22-2004, 11:55 PM

Just curious if anyone knows about a kidnapping case that was solved in one form or another. I was interested in finding the case that went the longest without resolution and was then solved. If anyone has any links or info i would appreciate it. THanks!

smile22 · #2 12-26-2004, 11:50 AM

io know some cases that are over 30 years old and still not solved if you want the names let me know

Richard · #3 12-27-2004, 01:22 PM

I do not know what kidnapping case would hold the record for being the oldest before resolution, but there have been a few recent cases of matches between missing persons and john/jane does. If you go to the DoeNetwork website, you can read about some of them.

Also, about two years ago (2002?) some human remains were found in a building which was being demolished in Washington, DC. They proved to be those of a missing Army soldier from the "Old Guard" Third Infantry Regiment who had been missing since 1967. The Army had declared him a deserter when he failed to return to his Fort Meyers, VA base, and his parents had been told that because he was considered a deserter, they could not collect his life insurance, and could not even get a headstone or American Flag for a memorial service. After his remains (and Military ID) were found, he was given a funeral with full military honors. Only fitting, since his job had been to guard the tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.

Richard · #4 01-11-2005, 02:07 PM

Charlie Brewster Ross, 4 years old, Kidnapped 1 Jul 1874 from Germantown, PA is one of the earliest documented US kidnappings for ransom. Kidnappers left a ransom note demanding that his parents pay them $20,000 for his safe return and warned his father, Mr. Christian K. Ross not to go to the police.

Charlie's father did go to the police, but three sucessive attempts to leave the ransom in the form of a police trap were unsuccessful. Handwriting experts were able to determine that the note had been written by one William Mosher, a known burgler. On 13 December 1874, Mosher and an accomplice Joey Douglas were fatally wounded while attempting a burglary in Brooklyn. Before he died, Mosher confessed to kidnapping little Charlie Ross, but he refused to say where the child could be found.

An ex-cop named Westervelt was suspected by police of having been associated with Mosher and Douglas in the abduction, but he never admitted to anything. Mr. and Mrs. Ross continued to search for their son for many years afterward, but he was never found.

miles_draken · #5 01-11-2005, 05:47 PM

wow Richard, thanks for that post, how interesting. It is amazing that kids have been disappearing all these years. It would be amazing to find out that he lived a full life and ended up somewhere pleasent. WE can only hope i guess. Thanks for the post!

Richard · #6 01-12-2005, 07:25 AM

I should point out, that the 1874 kidnapping of Charlie Ross is certainly not the earliest known US kidnapping - only a very well documented one in which a ransom was demanded, and which was partially solved. There were many other cases of kidnappings of both white adults and children by the Indians, and many cases of black families being broken up by the slave trade.

Daniel Boone was captured by Indians, lived with them for some time and finally escaped. Later, two of his daughters were kidnapped and he pursued the Indian kidnappers. He got them back after killing some of the Indians.

There are also a number of other stories about whites kidnapped by Indians who later returned to "Civilization". One of them being Olive Oatman. And the famous Ohio Indian Chief "Blue Jacket" was in fact a white man kidnapped in Virginia as a young teenager.

meggilyweggily · #7 02-03-2005, 04:22 AM

I have a missing persons website named after Charley Ross that has two pictures of him -- a photograph and an age-progression. It's at http://www.charleyproject.org

Pepper · #8 02-03-2005, 02:39 PM

I'm a history nut and have been researching my family history for several years.

This is a little off topic, but I believe that over the course of history there were many children that were killed, given away, abused, traded, etc. at the hands of their parents. It wasn't that long ago that children were considered the "property" of their parents, and if one died suddenly or turned up missing, no one paid much attention to it.

There is one case within my own family research where a child disappeared from all records about 1910. His own brother didn't even know that the child existed and thought he was an only child.

I'm glad that finally children are being recognized as humans with rights - though we've still got a long way to go with that, as evidenced by the poor child that was recently taken away from his adoptive family and returned to the birth mother.

KatherineQ · #9 02-18-2005, 07:06 PM

Here's one, that was on CNN yesterday -

A 3 year old Mexican boy was kidnapped and adopted by another family who moved to the US.

Very recently he was positively identified, a 33 year old man living in Washington DC. His sister had been searching for him.

Very happy ending.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americ....ap/index.html