canmark
Sep 27 2004, 03:11 PM
Ugueth Urbina's mother has been
kidnapped in her native Venezuela and is being held for a reported $15 million ransom. Police are urging him not to pay the ransom as it may set up a dangerous precedent which may lead to other MLB players' family members being kidnapped. Urbina's father "was murdered by bandits in a botched robbery attempt in Caracas in 1994."
NFLJockGuy
Sep 27 2004, 03:48 PM
Geez, glad you guys aren't looking for her; this happened the end of August/1st of September...
Urbina was in Tampa with the team when he found out...not sure what the status of the story is currently...we first reported the story here in Detroit on September 2nd; since I do mostly NFL stuff and rarely MLB, I've lost track of the story....
canmark
Sep 27 2004, 04:11 PM
The article I linked to (dated Monday September 27, 2004) was on the home page of ESPN.com. I assumed this was a current news.
Joe in Philly
Sep 27 2004, 08:05 PM
I only remember hearing about it for the first time about 3 or 4 days ago. Perhaps this is because I was away at the time it happened and I wasn't quite in touch with what was going on.
What a sad and scary situation for him. I don't envy his decision. If he pays money he gets his mother but that will lead to other kidnappings. If he doesn't he loses her, after losing his father.
Ms. de Blazer
Sep 28 2004, 11:52 AM
The ESPN article also noted that the families of other Venezuelan players, especially Johann Santana, were pretty nervous. Some players were talking about moving their families.
canmark
Oct 31 2004, 07:22 AM
Whatever happened to this story? Did Urbina get his mom back?
Joe in Philly
Oct 31 2004, 08:06 AM
Haven't heard anything. I know that the Phillies signed Tomas Perez to a new contract and they said that because of the situation in Venezuela, contract terms would not be released. And Perez is just a bench player.
canmark
Jan 25 2005, 01:44 PM
Update:
Urbina's mom still kidnapped, believed alive. QUOTE
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan kidnappers holding the mother of Detroit Tigers pitcher Ugueth Urbina have demanded $3 million in ransom for her release, but have not contacted her family in at least a month, a chief detective said on Tuesday.
Nearly five months ago, gunmen broke into the family home of Venezuelan-born Urbina and took his mother, Maura Villareal, from the house on the outskirts of Caracas.
\"The trail has not been lost. We sometimes work with kidnappings that last a year, that have lasted seven months,\" Joel Rengifo, head of the national investigative police anti-kidnapping unit, told Reuters in an interview.
Joe in Philly
Jan 25 2005, 08:28 PM
If I were a player from Venezuela and I could afford it, I'd insist that all of my family move. I wonder if other players are considering this, or if there are family members who simply refuse?
Joe in Philly
Feb 18 2005, 08:38 PM
Urbina's mom has been rescued. Very good news.
Joe
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