175
was captured by the kidnappers.
She was pictured holding an
automatic weapon in front of the
Symbionese Liberation Army’s logo,
and only repudiated her allegiance
to the group once she had been
separated from them for some time.
Of course, not all kidnap victims
escape their kidnappers. Some are
forced to adjust to their lives with
their captors – as was the case
for Pocahontas, the daughter of
a 17th-century American Indian
chief, who was kidnapped by
English colonists in 1613 and never
returned to her old life.Technological advances
Uncovering the identities of
anonymous abductors can be
extremely difficult for police.
Success often hinges on the ability
of witnesses or the victim to givea physical description of their
attacker after their release.
Sometimes, kidnappers slip up
and inadvertently provide clues
that reveal the whereabouts of the
victim’s location.
The advent of forensic document
identification, allowed in evidence
in the US since the Supreme
Court’s landmark Bell v. Brewster
ruling of 1887, which recognized
the importance of handwriting as
a means of identification, enabled
police to employ trained experts to
compare the writing on ransom
notes with that of suspects.
Marking the banknotes used to pay
a ransom, or recording their serial
numbers, are other ways in which
abductors may be traced.
In recent years, advances in
digital technology have made it
significantly more difficult tocommit kidnappings successfully.
CCTV cameras play an important
role in detection, while tracking
software in cell phones can locate
victims and their abductors.
Removing or neutralizing tracking
devices is of paramount importance
to a kidnapper; otherwise, it is just
a matter of time before police
officers arrive at the abductor’s door.
Such developments have led to
a market for wearable GPS child-
tracking devices. Most look similar
to a wristwatch, and allow the child
to contact a parent at the push of a
button. However, many are clunky
and easy for an abductor to spot.
In theory, as man and machine
become ever more interconnected,
tracking technology could one day
be incorporated into the human
body – which raises important
questions regarding civil liberties. ■KIDNAPPING AND EXTORTION
1974 1998–2006
In Austria, Natascha
Kampusch is imprisoned
in the home of her
abductor for eight years.Patty Hearst, daughter of
US media tycoon William
Randolph Hearst, is
kidnapped by the Symbionese
Liberation Army.1973
Kidnappers seize John
Paul Getty III, the
16-year-old grandson of
billionaire Jean Paul
Getty, from Piazza
Farnese in Rome.1976
Twenty-six children
are kidnapped and
buried alive in a truck in
Chowchilla, California.174-175_Timeline_5.indd 175 13/01/2017 15:18