The Encyclopedia of Kidnappings

From Viking raids to Aztec sacrifices, from sexual slavery to terrorist attacks, kidnappings have been committed for profit, politics, religious beliefs, and sometimes for even for savage reasons. This volume studies this sinister branch of criminal activity. More than 900 entries survey kidnappings from Biblical times to the present, detailing notorious kinappers, well-known victims, infamous cases as well as numerous other examples of this crime. Featured cases include: "The Disappeared" - a term coined in Argentina for those who vanished and presumably died at the hands of Latin American governments and military juntas; Robert Franks (1924) - the teenage victim of wealthy "thrill killers" Nathan Leopold, Jr and Richard Loeb; Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr (1932) - the son of legendary aviator Charles Lindbergh who was kidnapped and murdered at 20 months old; Etan Patz (1979) - the six-year-old New York City boy whose disappearance galvanized the city and led to the declaration of National Missing Children's Day by former president Ronald Reagan; and "Truck Stop Killer" - an elusive kidnapper-murderer rumoured to have claimed numerous victims while haunting the US highways - but who may not even exist.