#kidnapping case

James Roday Rodriguez in Psych (2006) Pilot

Jessica McCormack disappeared under suspicious circumstances in July 2019. Before vanishing, the 25-year-old was planning on making some major changes in her life. Jessica wanted to move with her three young daughters from Noel, Missouri to St. Louis. Before she had the chance, she went missing. Jessica's body was found about two weeks later near Missouri Highway 59 between Lanagan and Noel. She had been murdered, and her body was stuffed into her own suitcase. The last confirmed sighting of Jessica occurred on July 16th, 2019. Just two days earlier, Jessica and her three daughters spent time with Jessica's best friend, Megan Bailey, at Megan's residence. According to Megan, Jessica was going to be picked up on July 16th by Ibraham Akfeen - the father of her youngest child. Then, Jessica, Akfeen, and the children were all going to move to St. Louis. The one thing holding Jessica back was her relationship with a man named Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed. Mahamed and Jessica were married - not legally, but through the Muslim faith. Their relationship was reportedly tumultuous and Jessica had told people that if something bad happened to her, Mahamed was likely responsible. Due to this, Jessica's friend Megan grew worried when Jessica stopped answering her calls and texts on July 15th. Megan was even more alarmed when she was contacted by Akfeen, who told her that he had received a concerning message from Jessica's phone. Megan and police officers both went to Jessica's home on July 16th. Megan stated that nobody answered the door, but she could tell that there were people inside the apartment. Other reports state that officers were, in fact, able to confirm that Jessica was inside the home - but this was the last known sighting of her alive. Thirteen days later, Jessica's body was found. An exact cause of death has never been revealed, but it is clear that she was a victim of homicide. After investigators identified the body as that of Jessica McCormack, they wanted to confirm that her children were safe. The only problem was, police could not find the children. At that point, an Amber Alert was issued. The public was asked to be on the lookout for both Mahamed and the kids. On August 8th, 2019, the children were found safe in Des Moines, Iowa - at the home of one of Mahamed's former co-workers. The former co-worker told police that Mahamed and the children had arrived at her house on August 5th. On the morning of August 8th, the woman found a note from Mahamed stating that he could not care for the children. Police then issued a warrant for Mahamed's arrest. He was being charged with kidnapping Jessica's oldest daughter - as the girl's father had not given consent for her to be taken across state lines. Police could not immediately take Mahamed into custody because he went on the run. It took about two years, but Mahamed was finally located in Guatemala during the summer of 2021. He was extradited back to the United States, where he was formally charged with kidnapping. 

John Weisbecker vanished under suspicious circumstances on March 11th, 2009. The 21 year-old was last seen at the home he shared with his mother and sister in Ocean City, New Jersey. A postal carrier spotted John at the house around 10:30am on the day of his disappearance. When his mother tried to call him about an hour later, John’s phone went straight to voicemail. John’s mother returned to their home around 9pm that evening and realized that John was not home. However, his car was still parked in the driveway. After a few hours passed with no sign of John, his mother reported him missing.

Throughout the investigation, detectives have stated that they believe John disappeared shortly before noon. His wallet and cell phone went missing with him, but his phone has been shut off and he has not accessed any of his bank accounts/credit cards since he disappeared. Detectives apparently also found evidence that John did not leave his home voluntarily. It is unclear what evidence was found—whether it was blood, gun shell casings, or some other sign of a struggle; but it is clear that investigators believe John was taken from the home against his will. In fact, the FBI was eventually brought into the investigation and has now classified John’s case as a kidnapping. Despite massive search efforts, a decade has passed without any clues to John’s whereabouts or any suspects in the case.

John’s loved ones have struggled  to find a motive for anyone to kidnap him. John was unemployed at the time of his disappearance, and his family members said that he did not have any known enemies. Many have theorized that John was involved in drug dealing or some other illegal activity, but investigators said that they “have no reason to believe John was involved in drugs in a major way.” Investigators have otherwise released very little about potential persons of interest, however they have stated that several people have been reluctant to fully cooperate with the investigation. Investigators also believe that more than one person is responsible for John’s disappearance, and that John was likely familiar with his kidnappers. In regards to the police investigating John’s friends, a detective working the case told reporters, “his friends have been a letdown. Step up and be a friend and come forward.”

Pictured above: The Short Family, circa 2002.

The Shorts were known as an ‘nice, average family’. Michael (50) and his wife Mary (36) owned a mobile home moving business and were raising their daughter Jennifer (9) in Bassett, Virginia. The trio was described as a private, but happy family. According to acquaintances, the Short family tended to be on the quieter side, and they were not known to cause drama. Due to all of this, community was incredibly shocked when Michael and Mary were found shot to death at their home on the evening of August 15th, 2002. The police were called that evening after a co-worker who drove by the Short’s home spotted Michael laying in a pool of his blood inside their enclosed carport. One police arrived on the scene, they found Mary shot to death in the couple’s bedroom. Their daughter, Jennifer, was nowhere to be found. An Amber Alert was issued, and a search for the young girl quickly ensued.

All of the searches by professional search teams unfortunately came up empty. Then, over a month later, on September 26th, 2002,  a gruesome discovery was made. A man’s dogs found human remains in a creek in Rockingham County, North Carolina. The remains were located approximately 35 miles away from the Short’s home in Virginia. The remains were sent to the lab for forensic testing and were later confirmed to be that of Jennifer Short. She had also been shot in the head. It was clear at this point that the Short family had been executed—but so many questions remain, such as: who would want the Short family dead? Why was Jennifer taken to a different location? Was she held captive for a period of time before she was killed? Perhaps the most haunting question, though, is the motive. Why did someone kill this entire family?