Top Ten Cases of Gruesome Abduction and Abuse

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.

6. Steven Stayner

Steven Stayner was the seven year old boy who was kidnapped and remained captive for seven years. He was also sexually abused while being held in captivity by Kenneth Parnell. Stayner was able to escape after seven years along with another boy whom Parnell had recently abducted.
 
7. Genie

Genie was born to mentally unbalanced parents who locked her up inside her room for 13 long years since birth. Being diagnosed with some degree of mental retardation, her father took it upon himself to treat her daughter by subjecting her to untold abuses and maltreatment.

8. David Pelzer

David Pelzer was the victim of untold physical abuses perpetrated by his own mother with the tacit concurrence of his father and his siblings. His mother, though doting and caring towards her other children, had an inexplicable hatred for David. His sufferings only ended when he was rescued by school officials.

9. Elizabeth Fritzel

Her father, Joseph, kept her locked up in a secret chamber in their residence basement for 24 years. He also committed diabolical acts against her daughter by committing incestuous acts and fathering 3 of his 7 children with Elizabeth.

10. Masha

Masha was adopted by an American man from a Russian orphanage. The adoption process was completed without the requisite background check. Masha was immediately abused and later used in Internet child pornography. Thankfully, police was able to track down Masha and was successfully rescued and the American was eventually captured and brought to the bar of justice.