Dateline NBC plans to re-examine the mysterious kidnapping of Eduardo Valseca that took place in June 2007. Titled “The Ranch,” the episode will reveal startling details about the abduction and how Eduardo was held captive for many days. It would also show how his wife, Jayne, tried her best to free her husband. The highly-anticipated episode will air on the network on Friday, July 5, at 9 p.m. EST.
In June 2007, Eduardo Valseca and his wife Jayne dropped their kids at the school. According to the Los Angeles Times, around ten people, who were inside five vehicles, ambushed the couple. Oxygen reported that one of the men shattered the windows of their car and hit Valseca. Moreover, they blindfolded the duo and put pillowcases over their heads before kidnapping Valseca. Jayne freed herself and contacted the police. However, as soon as she reached her car with the police officers, she discovered a ransom note addressed to her.
After the kidnapping, Jayne contacted Mexico’s federal police and initiated negotiations with the kidnappers, who demanded $8 million. For months, Eduardo’s wife kept on negotiating and gave the kidnappers the impression that she might be giving up on her husband. Per Oxygen, the plan worked, and they lowered the ransom amount. Three days after the ransom drop, Valseca, who was held captive by the kidnappers in a small box, returned home. Four years later, his wife Jayne died due to breast cancer. As of now, Eduardo Valseca lives in Washington D.C.
When did kidnappers take Eduardo Valseca & how long was he in captivity?
The Los Angeles Times reported that the abductors took Eduardo Valseca away from the San Miguel area of Mexico on June 13, 2007. The abductors kept him naked in a box for seven months with little food and beat him. Eventually, they released him on January 24, 2008. As he was being held captive by the kidnappers, his wife Jayne was diagnosed with breast cancer. According to Valseca, the breast cancer became worse because of the stress she had after the kidnapping. Sadly, four years after the abduction, Jayne died in 2012.
Although authorities never charged anyone in the case, the Los Angeles Times reported that two Chilean men—Ricardo Palma Salamanca and Raul Julio Escobar Poblete—might be responsible for the abduction. A few years after the Eduardo Valseca kidnapping, police arrested the duo for the abduction of a French-American woman.
Dateline NBC will explore Eduardo Valseca’s kidnapping in this week’s episode on Friday, June 5.
