3,000 Yazidis Are Still Missing. Their Families Know Where Some of Them Are.

Seven years after they were captured by the Islamic State, some members of the Iraqi religious minority are still being held captive by fighters in Syria. Others are with families of ISIS militants.

How a Tip to Obituaries Breathed New Life Into a Decades-Old Mystery

A news assistant on the Obituaries desk describes how information he received while doing a routine part of his job set him on an investigation of a notorious 1975 kidnapping.

Member of Brutal ISIS ‘Beatles’ Cell Pleads Guilty in Hostage Cases

Alexanda Kotey admitted that he played a key part in American prisoners’ kidnapping, detention and hostage negotiations. Some of the hostages were beheaded.

Member of ISIS ‘Beatles’ Cell Plans to Plead Guilty in Abuse of Hostages

An upcoming change-of-plea hearing for Alexanda Kotey suggests he is cooperating with prosecutors and could provide details about victims.

A Lawyer’s Deathbed Confession About a Sensational 1975 Kidnapping

Samuel Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune, was abducted by two men who confessed to the crime. But then their story evolved wildly, and the jury believed it. Was it all a lie?

Jon Lindbergh, Aviator’s Son Who Took to the Sea, Dies at 88

Family triumph (Charles Lindbergh’s trans-Atlantic flight) and tragedy (the kidnapping “crime of the century”) shaped his early life, but he made his mark in the depths.

Ruth Pearl, Mother of Murdered Reporter Daniel Pearl, Dies at 85

A reluctant celebrity, she was thrust into the spotlight after his brutal death, and created a foundation in his memory to promote cultural understanding.

He Hired 2 Men to Kidnap His Wife. They Ended Up Drowning.

Lawrence Handley, 53, a business executive from Lafayette, La., pleaded guilty this week to three criminal charges after a plot to kidnap his estranged wife went badly awry.

Parents Who Never Stopped Searching Reunite With Son Abducted 24 Years Ago

Guo Gangtang’s cross-country, decades-long search for his son inspired a movie. Now, there’s an ending fit for Hollywood.

Boko Haram Leader Really Did Kill Himself, Audio Message Says

A notorious terrorist leader in Nigeria who kidnapped schoolgirls in Chibok has blown himself up, according to a new audio recording attributed to the head of a rival extremist group.

London Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Rape and Kidnap of Sarah Everard

Wayne Couzens admitted to charges of rape and kidnapping of the 33-year-old marketing executive, whose killing in March touched off national anger at male violence against women.

Opinion | Nigeria Is in Disarray. So Its President Banned Twitter.

It’s a bad time for President Muhammadu Buhari to play the tyrant.

As Dictators Target Citizens Abroad, Few Safe Spaces Remain

For émigrés and exiles, pressure on families back home, social media intimidation, even kidnapping, have become a regular part of life.

Harvey Schlossberg, Cop With a Ph.D. in Defusing a Crisis, Dies at 85

A psychologist who had worn the blue, he coached thousands of New York City police officers in hostage negotiations, creating a model for law enforcement.

Nigerian Terrorist Leader ‘Dies’ Again. Was This the End of His 9th Life?

Abubakar Shekau, the longtime leader of Boko Haram, was reported to have blown himself up on Wednesday night. But he has been falsely reported dead several times before.