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Fame and fortune don’t always guarantee safety. Join us as we dive into some of the most harrowing celebrity kidnappings and hostage situations that shocked the world. From terrifying home invasions to brutal ransom demands, these stories reveal the dark side behind the glamour, featuring stars like Benedict Cumberbatch, Kim Kardashian, Tekashi 6ix9ine, and more.
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00:00He's been kidnapped. Paul, little Paul, your grandson in Rome. They need to speak with you
00:05right now. Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today we're looking at 10 of the most shocking kidnappings
00:10and hostage situations involving celebrities and their families. I saw he found my whole
00:14jewelry box and like held it up like, aha, you know, like we got it. Benedict Cumberbatch.
00:20It was very scary. I mean, I have to emphasize not just because I love South Africa and South
00:25Africans, but it was a small event in a very big country. We were very lucky.
00:29Long before he was casting spells and solving crimes, Benedict Cumberbatch survived a truly
00:34harrowing ordeal in South Africa. While filming a television miniseries in 2004, he and two friends
00:39suffered a blown tire while driving at night. Attempting to fix the flat, they were suddenly
00:44ambushed by six heavily armed men. We were on a sort of bumpy dirt track and then got onto the
00:49end to
00:49the major sort of trunk road down the East Coast. And the front right tire blew and these guys
00:55surrounded us. Stuff went on with belongings and we were pushed about a bit.
01:00The attackers carjacked the group, binding the actor with his own shoelaces before forcing him
01:04into the cramped trunk of the vehicle. After driving deep into the remote wilderness,
01:08the hijackers dragged the victims out and robbed them of their cash and bank cards.
01:13Fearing imminent execution, the terrified group waited in total darkness until the attackers
01:17eventually left, leaving them tied up but incredibly grateful to be alive.
01:21I kind of came to terms with mortality and dying on my own about four times in the space of
01:27half an hour. Kim Kardashian. The robbers are dressed as policemen. Is that what I infer here?
01:33Policemen with masks on. How many were in the room with you? Two. Just the two. But they brought
01:38in the concierge from downstairs, handcuffed, with a gun up to him. During Paris Fashion Week in October
01:442016, Kim Kardashian experienced a truly terrifying ordeal. While staying in a private luxury hotel suite,
01:51the TV star was suddenly ambushed by a group of robbers disguised as police officers.
01:56The men held her at gunpoint, tightly binding her wrists and ankles with plastic cables before
02:01placing her in a bathtub. But then he tied me up with handcuffs and then zip ties and then duct
02:08tape.
02:09And then duct tape my mouth and my eyes. The thieves meticulously ransacked the room,
02:15stealing an estimated $10 million worth of spectacular jewelry, including her famous $4 million
02:20diamond engagement ring. Though she eventually managed to free herself and escape the situation
02:25physically unharmed, Kardashian has spoken extensively about the severe emotional trauma
02:30the robbery has caused her and her family. Well, automatically, you know, your stomach
02:34drops. It's a feeling you can't even explain. And you, like, I knew that was it for me.
02:40Like, I thought you were going to die. A hundred percent. A hundred percent. I said a prayer. I'm
02:43like, I know I'm going to heaven. I hope my kids are okay. My husband. I don't want to cry.
02:48You're making me cry.
02:49Tekashi 6ix9ine.
02:52Get in here. Get in the car. Get in the car. Get in here.
02:55That's what I'm doing.
02:55In July 2018, the controversial rainbow-haired rapper experienced a brutal kidnapping
03:01orchestrated by members of his own gang. Following a late-night music video shoot in
03:05Brooklyn, three armed assailants ambushed 6ix9ine by crashing into his vehicle. They then violently
03:11pistol-whipped the rapper before dragging him into their own car. The kidnappers drove him around the
03:15city, threatening his life and demanding a massive ransom.
03:27They eventually forced him to surrender an estimated $750,000 in custom jewelry and thousands
03:33more in cash. The rapper miraculously managed to escape the moving vehicle and flag down a
03:38stranger for help. And the resulting trial led to his kidnapper ultimately receiving 24 years in
03:44federal prison. He picks up a FaceTime call and he's in a car, like in the backseat. And I see
03:50his
03:50eye bloody and his face is so swollen. And I'm crying. I'm like, yo, what's going on? And someone
03:59in the car was like, oh, you want us to take you back home? And he's like, no, no, no,
04:02no, no. Don't
04:03take me back home. They're trying to kill me. Duffy. In 2020, the Grammy-winning Welsh singer
04:15courageously revealed the tragic reason behind her decade-long disappearance from the music
04:19industry. In an emotional social media post and subsequent essay, Duffy disclosed that she had
04:24been drugged at a restaurant on her birthday, kidnapped, and forcibly taken to a foreign country.
04:29She wrote at the time, many of you wonder what happened to me. Where did I disappear to and why?
04:33She was cruelly held captive and repeatedly assaulted over the agonizing course of several
04:38weeks by her dangerous attacker. The resilient artist eventually managed to return home safely,
04:43but she lived in immense fear for many years afterward. By sharing the details of her past,
04:48Duffy hoped to process the severe trauma and finally close that deeply dark chapter of her life.
04:54Wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain. I did not want to show
04:58the world
04:58the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken?
05:03Nancy Guthrie. According to two federal law enforcement sources that spoke to Fox Digital,
05:08the DNA samples from the home came back to people who had reason to be there,
05:12and then one partial sample yielded a result that couldn't be checked by the FBI's CODIS database.
05:18In a chilling case that gripped the world in early 2026, the mother of TV anchor Savannah Guthrie
05:24abruptly vanished from her Arizona home. On February 1st, worried family members discovered
05:29the 84-year-old missing under highly suspicious circumstances. It is now day 24 of the search for
05:35Nancy Guthrie. Law enforcement still hasn't named a suspect or a reason for her disappearance.
05:40Disturbing doorbell camera footage later released by the FBI revealed a masked and armed individual
05:46maliciously tampering with her home security system. There were multiple signs pointing towards
05:51an abduction, including blood on the porch and the fact that Guthrie had left behind her daily
05:56medications. As the desperate search stretches on with enormous public attention, the devastated
06:01family has offered a massive $1 million reward, praying for a true miracle to finally bring her
06:06home safe and sound to her loved ones.
06:0821 minutes after the hour, everybody. In today's show, host Savannah Guthrie and her family are now
06:12offering a million dollar reward to find their mom, Nancy. Police believe an armed masked man took the
06:1984-year-old and Guthrie says they still believe in miracles, but have to come to terms with some hard
06:24truths. Freddie Heineken. There's always an excuse if you're looking for it. We're going to do this,
06:30do it now. Freddie Heineken, the wealthy CEO of the massive Heineken brewing empire,
06:35and his trusted driver were ambushed and abducted right outside his Amsterdam office in 1983.
06:41The kidnappers transported both men to a remote warehouse, where they were cruelly forced to
06:46endure three horrifying weeks locked inside of soundproofed cells.
06:49Now you listen to me. You are in no danger here. As long as the money is paid, you will
06:57be released.
06:58Do you understand?
06:59The ruthless criminals demanded a truly astronomical ransom of 35 million Dutch guilders.
07:05Equivalent to about 15 million American dollars at the time. The terrified family desperately paid
07:11the enormous sum in secret. Shortly afterward, police located the warehouse through an anonymous tip
07:16and successfully rescued both men. The famous kidnappers attempted to flee the country,
07:21but were eventually tracked down, arrested, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
07:25You know, I think I'll sit this one out. In prison. Look, we can get out while we're still young.
07:32But they'll never find the money.
07:34John Paul Getty III.
07:36My former father-in-law only buys the best, but I don't need an ex-secret agent to solve the
07:41mystery
07:41of what happened to my son, because there is no mystery. I need one thing only, and that is 17
07:46million dollars.
07:48In 1973, the 16-year-old grandson of billionaire oil tycoon John Paul Getty was snatched off the busy
07:54streets of Rome. His ambitious captors initially demanded a staggering ransom of 17 million dollars.
08:00However, his wealthy grandfather famously refused to pay the ransom, stating that doing so would only
08:06invite future criminals to attempt similar attacks on his other grandchildren.
08:09I have 14 grandchildren. If I start paying ransoms, I'll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.
08:17So, the ruthless kidnappers decided to escalate the situation by severing the teenager's right ear
08:22and mailing it to an Italian newspaper. Horrified by this gruesome delivery, the frightened family
08:27finally negotiated the ransom down to around 3 million dollars, which Getty reluctantly paid.
08:33The money was delivered, and the youngest Getty was released, but he suffered extensive PTSD
08:37and died prematurely at just 54.
08:40The money came through. It was the full ransom. 3.3 million dollars at today's exchange rate.
08:481.6 billion dollars.
08:49Frank Sinatra Jr.
08:51Frank Jr. was born about four miles away in Jersey City. When his father hit it big,
08:57the family moved to Los Angeles, and that's where Frank Jr. grew up, always in the shadow of his dad.
09:02A major problem with being famous is that people know you're rich,
09:06and some people are not afraid to get their hands on some of it.
09:09Back in 1963, Frank Sinatra's 19-year-old son was abducted at gunpoint from his dressing room
09:15at Harrah's Club in Lake Tahoe. The bold kidnappers blindfolded the young man and drove him across
09:20state lines to a hideout in Los Angeles.
09:22The horrifying ordeal of Frank Sinatra Jr. began while he was filling an engagement at Lake Tahoe.
09:28They soon contacted his famous father and demanded a hefty ransom of 240,000 dollars.
09:33Unlike Getty, the crooner immediately paid the ransom to ensure his son's safe return.
09:38Thankfully, the kidnappers were true to their word and released Sinatra Jr. just a few days later,
09:43completely unharmed. Of course, they were quickly tracked down by federal investigators
09:48and ultimately sent to prison.
09:50The mastermind was a troubled young man named Barry Keenan.
09:54He knew I was dangerous. He knew I was just one crack away from killing everybody or not killing me.
10:01He didn't know, but he could tell I was crazy.
10:03Patty Hurst.
10:04This story had it all. A pretty young rich girl snatched from her home by terrorists,
10:10and then there were plot twists that no one could predict.
10:13It was a made-for-television kidnapping.
10:15In one of the most shocking cases in American history,
10:1819-year-old newspaper heiress Patty Hurst was violently abducted from her Berkeley apartment in 1974.
10:24Her captors were a radical left-wing organization calling themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army.
10:30They cruelly kept Hurst blindfolded in a closet for weeks,
10:33aggressively demanding millions in food donations for the poor.
10:36DeFries's ransom demands are thoroughly examined by authorities.
10:40He wants each poor person in California to receive $70 worth of groceries.
10:47The estimated cost is $400 million.
10:50And in a massive plot twist, Hurst eventually joined the very group that kidnapped her.
10:55Adopting the militant name Tanya, she famously helped the group rob a San Francisco bank.
11:00She was eventually arrested and convicted for her crimes,
11:03although this conviction was pardoned in 2001 by Bill Clinton.
11:06Many modern psychologists argue that she was brainwashed,
11:10but some continue to believe that she was a willing participant in the robbery.
11:14Get on the floor!
11:15All right, this is a hos-up!
11:16Anybody who don't get down on the ground gets a shot in the head!
11:20They bust in, they start swearing at everybody, everybody get down on the ground,
11:23and guess what?
11:24Patty Hurst is right in the middle of things.
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11:43Charles Lindbergh Jr.
11:59The 1932 abduction of Charles Lindbergh's baby shocked the entire globe
12:04and was quickly labeled the crime of the century.
12:07The helpless toddler was boldly snatched directly from his nursery
12:10at the family's rural New Jersey estate.
12:12The desperate kidnapper left behind a crudely written ransom note
12:16demanding $50,000, along with muddy footprints
12:19and a broken ladder that he used to get into the second-story room.
12:22How did he get up there?
12:23Are there marks on the window and wall as well?
12:25There was a ladder.
12:26We found it 100 yards away, three pieces.
12:28We moved it inside.
12:30You moved it?
12:31Yes, for safekeeping.
12:32Well, congratulations, Mr. Schwarzkopf.
12:34You have completely contaminated the crime scene.
12:37Now, if you will, get your boots off this property.
12:39The devastated family quickly paid the massive ransom
12:42in specially marked gold certificates,
12:44sincerely hoping for the child's safe return.
12:46But the famous ordeal ended in complete tragedy
12:49when the innocent boy's remains were discovered in the nearby woods.
12:52Even worse, a coroner deduced that he was likely murdered
12:56on the very night of the kidnapping,
12:57leaving a permanent and extraordinarily dark stain on American history.
13:01What if the baby is dead?
13:04What I burn if the baby is dead?
13:06Which story did you find the most shocking?
13:08Let us know in the comments.
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