Case type · worldwide

Kidnappings and abductions

466case filesUpdated Jul 18, 2026

Casepin holds 466 kidnapping and abduction cases. By legal status, 59 marked unsolved, 11 marked cold, 26 marked ongoing, 367 marked solved and 3 marked overturned. People taken or held against their will.

59unsolved 11cold 3overturned 26ongoing 367solved

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Files: 466
Unsolved: 59
Cold: 11
Ongoing: 26
Solved: 367
Overturned: 3
Span: 1690–2026

Map of the 466 case files on this page, pinned by legal status — 466 files mappedPins coloured by legal statusExplore live

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The files to open first

Credit: English WikipediaEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListen
Delta, Fulton County, Ohio · 2016
Murder of Sierah Joughin
Sierah Joughin, a 20-year-old Ohio college student, was abducted while bicycling home in Fulton County on July 19, 2016, and found dead three days later. James Dean Worley, a neighbor with a 1990 abduction conviction who was not listed in any offender database, was convicted of her murder in 2018 and sentenced to death, prompting Ohio's Sierah's Law, which created a searchable violent-offender registry.
9 to watch & hear
Credit: Wfsa 12 NewsEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListen
Auburn, Alabama · 2019
Murder of Aniah Blanchard
Aniah Blanchard, a 19-year-old Alabama college student, disappeared from Auburn in October 2019 and was later found dead of a gunshot wound; the man convicted of her murder was sentenced to life in prison in 2026.
9 to watch & hear
Credit: Woodlawn High SchoolEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListen
Leakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland · 1999
Murder of Hae Min Lee
Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old Baltimore County high school student, was strangled and found buried in Leakin Park in February 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of first-degree murder in 2000; the case gained international attention after the 2014 podcast Serial, and Syed's conviction underwent multiple vacaturs, appeals, and reinstatements through 2025.
13 to watch & hear
Credit: English WikipediaEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListen
Star City, West Virginia (disappearance site); body found in Wayne Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania · 2012
Murder of Skylar Neese
Sixteen-year-old Skylar Neese disappeared from her Star City, West Virginia home in July 2012 and was found murdered months later. Two of her high school best friends, Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy, pleaded guilty to killing her in a premeditated stabbing attack.
7 to watch & hear
Credit: Ted Van ZylEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListen
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States · 1993
Murder of Girly Chew Hossencofft
Girly Chew Hossencofft, a Malaysian-born bank teller living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, disappeared on September 9, 1999, shortly after filing for divorce from her husband Diazien Hossencofft. He and his girlfriend Linda Henning were later convicted of her murder. Her body has never been found.
5 to watch & hear
Credit: Baba King at Albanian WikipediaPublic domainSourceSOLVEDListen
Vlorë, Albania (epicenter of the 1997 unrest) · 1997
1997 Albanian civil unrest
The collapse of pyramid investment schemes in early 1997 triggered nationwide protests, the breakdown of state authority in much of Albania, widespread looting of weapons depots, and an estimated 2,000 deaths before international mediation and an Italian-led multinational force helped restore order ahead of new elections.
5 to watch & hear
Credit: According to Fox News , this video was posted on the website for Muntada al-Ansar on May…Editorial useSourceUNSOLVEDListen
Baghdad, Iraq · 2004
Killing of Nick Berg
Nick Berg, an American radio-tower repairman working in Iraq, disappeared in April 2004 and was found decapitated in Baghdad in May 2004; a video released by an Islamist militant group showed his killing, which it framed as retaliation for the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse.
5 to watch & hear
Credit: Repórter Brasil Online, CC BY 2.5 BR, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 2.5SourceSOLVEDListen
Esmeraldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil · 2010
Murder of Eliza Samudio
Brazilian model Eliza Samudio was killed in June 2010 after a paternity and custody dispute with football goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza; he was later convicted of her murder.
5 to watch & hear
Credit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2681931/Anni-killer-set-freed-months-live.htmlEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListen
Cape Town, South Africa · 2010
Murder of Anni Dewani
Swedish newlywed Anni Dewani was shot dead during a taxi hijacking on her honeymoon near Cape Town in 2010; three men were convicted of the crime and her husband was acquitted and exonerated.
3 to watch & hear
Image recordEditorial useSourceSOLVEDListen
Tallahassee area / Lake Seminole, Florida–Georgia border · 2000
Murder of Mike Williams
Jerry Michael "Mike" Williams, 31, vanished during a duck-hunting trip on Lake Seminole on December 16, 2000, and was long presumed drowned and consumed by alligators. His remains were found near Tallahassee in October 2017 and ruled a homicide. His wife, Denise Williams, and her longtime friend and later second husband, Brian Winchester, were ultimately tied to the killing; Winchester testified he shot Williams at Denise's direction, and Denise was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
3 to watch & hear

About these files

Kidnappings and abductions, in brief

The files run from 1690 to 2026. The 2010s hold the most, with 96 files. The oldest is Sugarloaf massacre, from 1780.

They are spread across 82 countries; the most are in United States (195), United Kingdom (23) and Israel (19). By type, the largest groups are murder and homicide cases (325), robbery and burglary cases (42) and disappearance cases (39).

154 files of the 466 have coverage attached: 408 videos, podcasts and documentaries from 29 creators. The most covered is Murder of Hae Min Lee, with 13 items to watch or hear. That Chapter, Dr. Todd Grande and Kendall Rae have covered the most of them.

Every file is written from cited sources and pinned where it happened, and every person named carries the legal status the record gives them. If you hold information about an unsolved case, contact the investigating agency named in its file rather than posting it publicly. Families and anyone involved can request a correction from any file.

Every file

Every file: kidnappings and abductions

180 files

JENNIFER JOYCE KESSE - ORLANDO, FLORIDA — Credit: FBIPublic domainSource
ONGOING AudioDisappearance of Jennifer KesseOrlando, Florida, United States · 2006 · 10 to watch & hear
Praia da Luz Portugal February 2015 07 (cropped) — Credit: Bengt NymanCC BY-SA 4.0 Source
UNSOLVED AudioDisappearance of Madeleine McCannPraia da Luz, Lagos, Portugal · 2007 · 32 to watch & hear
Joseph James DeAngelo — Credit: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s OfficePublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioCalifornia serial murders, sexual assaults, and burglaries (1974–1986)Sacramento, California (crimes spanned multiple California counties) · 1970s · 13 to watch & hear
Sierah Joughin — Credit: English WikipediaEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Sierah JoughinDelta, Fulton County, Ohio · 2016 · 9 to watch & hear
Closs Home Barron Wisconsin — Credit: Wisconsin Department Of JusticePublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioKidnapping of Jayme ClossBarron, Wisconsin · 2018 · 9 to watch & hear
Aniah Blanchard Event Infobox — Credit: Wfsa 12 NewsEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Aniah BlanchardAuburn, Alabama · 2019 · 9 to watch & hear
Daniel morcombe — Credit: www.derwan.com/images/view/Daniel_Morcombe.jpgEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Daniel MorcombeKiel Mountain Road overpass, Woombye, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia · 2000s · 12 to watch & hear
Hae Min Lee — Credit: Woodlawn High SchoolEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Hae Min LeeLeakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland · 1999 · 13 to watch & hear
Michael Lee King — Credit: Florida Department of CorrectionsPublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Denise Amber LeeNorth Port, Florida, United States · 2008 · 9 to watch & hear
Jefferson County Indiana Courthouse — Credit: Photo by Calvin Beale, as an employee of the Economic Research Service, part of the…Public domainSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Shanda SharerMadison, Jefferson County, Indiana · 1992 · 7 to watch & hear
Skylar Neese — Credit: English WikipediaEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Skylar NeeseStar City, West Virginia (disappearance site); body found in Wayne Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania · 2012 · 7 to watch & hear
Dennis Rader, convicted of the BTK murders — 1966 U.S. Air Force portrait — Credit: United States Air ForcePublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioWichita serial murders (1974–1991)Wichita and Park City, Kansas · 1974 · 7 to watch & hear
Adam Walsh — Credit: Unknown authorPublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioKilling of Adam WalshHollywood, Florida (abduction site: Sears, Hollywood Mall) · 1981 · 7 to watch & hear
SF From Marin Highlands3 — Credit: en:User:Paul.hPublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Polly KlaasPetaluma, California, United States · 1993 · 6 to watch & hear
Red Bank youth detention centre — Credit: KAIDENBEARD10CC BY-SA 4.0 Source
SOLVED AudioMurder of James BulgerNew Strand Shopping Centre area, Bootle, Merseyside · 1990s · 5 to watch & hear
April Tinsley case map — Credit: Federal Bureau of InvestigationPublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of April TinsleyFort Wayne, Indiana · 1988 · 5 to watch & hear
Girly Chew — Credit: Ted Van ZylEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Girly Chew HossencofftAlbuquerque, New Mexico, United States · 1993 · 5 to watch & hear
John Couey — Credit: Citrus County Sheriff's DepartmentPublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Jessica LunsfordHomosassa, Florida · 2005 · 5 to watch & hear
Common Grounds (Anchorage, Alaska) — Credit: FBIPublic domainSource
SOLVED AudioKillings of Bill and Lorraine CurrierAnchorage, Alaska, United States · 2010s · 5 to watch & hear
Chowchilla kidnapping trailer — Credit: Rick Meyer, Los Angeles TimesCC BY 4.0 Source
SOLVED Audio1976 Chowchilla kidnappingBerenda Slough / Chowchilla, California (abduction site); victims later held at a quarry in Livermore, California · 1976 · 5 to watch & hear
Elizabeth Smart — Credit: Veneta Rizvic / KOMUnews (Flickr), CC BY 2.0CC BY 2.0 Source
SOLVED AudioKidnapping of Elizabeth SmartFederal Heights neighborhood, Salt Lake City, Utah · 2002 · 4 to watch & hear
Kitty Genovese (1961) — Credit: Public domain (1961 New York booking photo) via Wikimedia CommonsPublic domain Source
SOLVED AudioMurder of Kitty GenoveseKew Gardens, Queens, New York City · 1960s · 3 to watch & hear
Mark-James-KilroyEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Mark KilroyMatamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico · 1989 · 4 to watch & hear
Jonelle Matthews — Credit: UnknwownEditorial useSource
SOLVED AudioMurder of Jonelle MatthewsNear Greeley, Colorado · 1984 · 5 to watch & hear

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Archive files86

These files are published and cited but are kept out of search listings for now, either because they fall outside Casepin’s true-crime scope or because they are still being deepened.

Questions

What people ask

How many kidnapping and abduction cases are on Casepin?

466. By status: 59 unsolved, 11 cold, 26 ongoing, 367 solved and 3 overturned. The count covers published files only and changes as new files clear review.

What is the oldest of these kidnapping and abduction cases?

Sugarloaf massacre, from 1780. Open the file

Which case has the most coverage?

Murder of Hae Min Lee, with 13 videos, podcasts and documentaries linked from its file. Open the file

Which creators have covered kidnapping and abduction cases?

That Chapter (28 cases), Dr. Todd Grande (24 cases) and Kendall Rae (22 cases), among 29 creators in all.

Where are most of these cases?

United States (195), United Kingdom (23) and Israel (19).

How current is this page?

It rebuilds hourly from the published files; the newest file change here is dated Jul 18, 2026. A status changes only when the record behind it does.

Every file cited · legal status from the record · our standards · request a correction