We may have a long list of the most celebrated cases of kidnapping in modern history. However, we shall be presenting in this article what we may consider as the top 10 most gruesome kidnapping and abuse. The intention of the article is not to horrify the readers but to create the level of awareness for such criminal acts.

1. John Jamelske

The criminal acts committed by John Jamelske, a convicted serial kidnapper and rapist, was the inspiration for the villainous character Jamie Gumm in the highly acclaimed suspense thriller Silence of the Lambs. His series of despicable acts were committed from 1988 up until his capture in 2003 where he abducted many women and held all of them in captivity inside a concrete bunker beneath his house in New York.

2. Fusako Sano

Fusako Sano was the Japanese woman who was a victim of kidnapping at age ten and endured untold sufferings from the hands of his kidnapper and captor, Nobuyuki Sato, for more than 9 years. Sano was already 19 years old when she was finally rescued although her long captivity and lack of contact with other people resulted to her regression in terms of behavioral and mental capacities.

3. Michael Devlin

Michael Devlin is serving a total of 74 life sentences for being a convicted child rapist. Devlin was held in custody and was later charged for the abduction of William Ownby in January 12, 2007. Immediately after the discovery of the abduction, authorities learned of another case of abduction committed by Devlin. The police investigators discovered that Devlin was also responsible for the disappearance and abduction of Shawn Hornbeck in October 06, 2002.

4. Natascha Kampusch

Natascha Kampush was the Austrian woman who was a victim of abduction while she was only 2 years old. She was held captive for over eight year until she was able to escape from her captor, later identified as Wolfgang Priklopil, in August 23, 2006.

5. Colleen Stan

Colleen Stan was a victim of kidnapping and sexual assault in 1977 in Red Bluff, California. Her assailant was later identified as Cameron Hooker and the crime was perpetrated with the help of Janice Hooker, Cameron’s wife. Colleen was sexually assaulted and brutally tortured by Cameron.