According to the Council for Law and Human Rights (CLDH), an average of 49 kidnappings occurred every day in Mexico in 2011, with a total of 17,889 abductions last year.
On Wednesday, Jorge Rentas, Alejandro Zambrano, Gema Yadaria Zambrano and Orlando Zambrano were all arraigned in a Newton courtroom. All four have been charged with kidnapping.
The defendants reportedly abducted Alfonso Moreno outside a Lowe’s store in Hickory.
WSOC-TV reported:
His girlfriend, who asked we not show her face, said Moreno had gone to buy curtains for their home.
About an hour after leaving she started getting phone calls demanding a $200,000 ransom for his safe return.
“Twelve o’clock was what they said was it or they would kill him. This is bad, this is bad. They want us to come through with some money now or we are not going to make it,” she said.
“We believe he was specifically targeted because he had access to money and that he could get money for his release,” said Capt. Reed Baer with Hickory police.
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