UPDATE: Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was rescued Saturday, as his captors were ambushed in their mountain hideout in Valencia, Venezuela.
24-year-old Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted Wednesday night in Venezuela. Ramos had returned to Venezuela after his rookie season, and was approached by an SUV with armed men who took him away. Venezuelan government officials pledged investigators and efforts to recover Ramos. Major League Baseball and the Nationals said the league’s Department of Investigations was working with authorities.
Criminal groups in Venezuela have targeted baseball players before, but this marks the first time a Major League player was kidnapped. The abductors have not yet made contact with the family or with anyone. Authorities say they have assembled sketches of two of the alleged kidnappers.
