Dateline NBC episode The Ranch has explored the harrowing abduction of Eduardo Valseca, a Mexican businessman on June 13, 2007. The incident moved his entire family to the core, especially his ailing wife Jayne Valseca (who was then fighting fourth stage breast cancer).
On the day of the incident, Eduardo had just dropped off his kids at school when he was kidnapped by a gang of armed men. They kept him captive for seven months and was later release in after the family paid an undisclosed ransom.
Jayne was undergoing treatment at the moment and after Eduardo's release, the family move to Washington D.C. Unfortunately, Jayne succumbed to cancer on May 3, 2012. The official synopsis of The Ranch reads:
"The Valseca siblings' lives are changed when their father is taken hostage in an orchestrated abduction." This was originally aired on March 20, 2020."
What happened to Eduardo and Jayne Valseca?
On the morning of June 13, 2007 Eduardo and Jayne Valseca were returning home in their car after dropping off their children their co-founded institution, Waldorf School. Right when they reached home, they found five unidentified cars parked near their property.
The strangers suddenly attacked the couple and shifted them to an SUV. After that they moved to another location where they changed cars again and took Eduardo away, leaving Jayne behind amidst the highway.
The kidnappers held him captive for almost seven months. He was continuosly tortured by them while being confined to a small box. As per CNN, he was beaten up mercilessly and even shot twice when a ransom amounting to $8 million went unpaid.
However, he was released on January 24, 2008 after a reduction in the ransom amount was agreed upon. The Federal Investigative Agency (Agencia de Federal Investigacion or AFI) was involved in the rescue operation. As a result of this horrifying experience, the family relocated to the state of Maryland (Jayne's birthplace).
As reported on Dateline, Jayne's cancer grew worse in May, 2012 and doctors declared that it was terminal. Sadly, she took her last breath on May 3, 2012 leaving the whole family shattered. Currently, Eduardo resides in a suburb of Washington D.C. along with their children.
What was the motive behind Eduardo's abduction?
Eduardo Valseca was the son of famous newspaper tycoon and sports promoter Jose Garcia Valseca. He was the founder of 37 newspapers in Mexico under his initiative named Garcia-Valseca Chain.
Jayne and Eduardo came across each other in 1992 and their romantic relationship grew further. The couple got married on July 9, 1994 and together started a business that mainly worked on tearing down houses and renovating them.
Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison said in a statement:
"They built a real ranch house among the mesquite trees and surrounded it with fine, big gates and outbuildings, a garden for her, a riding ring, and fine Spanish horses for him."
They even donated a portion of the ranch and co-founded Waldorf Schools. They used to drive their three children Nayah, Emiliano and Fernando to the same institution.
Because of Eduardo's affluential background and his father's fame as a businessman, he was kidnapped by a group of strangers. Money was the main motive behind the orchestrated abduction and a ransom of $8 million was demanded from the family.
Did the kidnappers torture Eduardo?
As reported by Sportskeeda,The kidnappers reportedly confined Eduardo in a small wooden box measuirng 80 inches long, 70 inches high and 20 inches wide. It was structured against a concrete wall.
A bucket was left for Eduardo as a makeshift toilet and all he got to eat were egg shells, chicken bones and other scraps. The cage was lit by a bulb and loud music always played to prevent him from functioning properly.
As per CNN, he was also beaten up at times. The kidnappers even shot Eduardo twice (once in a leg and the next time in an arm) when the ransom amount was not agreed upon.
The unfortunate incident shattered the whole family. After Eduardo's release, they all moved to the United States and started a new life. Shortly after, misfourtune again befell when Jayne lost her battle to cancer.
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