Modus Operandi (19 page)

Cults

Fanatic religious cults kidnap by seeking out potential members. These victims come from all walks of life, but they all have a desire to belong. Cult members slowly seduce their victims with promises of happiness and spiritual fulfillment. This procedure is time-consuming and is carried out over an extended period of time. Eventually, victims are asked to attend a series of lectures or meetings where the brainwashing begins. These meetings are choreographed in such away that the leader appears to be a deity, apostle or disciple of God. Cult members appear affectionate during these meetings, but behave so the victim feels intimidation and a need to participate. This is usually done by telling the victim of all the good and miracles performed by the spiritual leader.

The brainwashing usually starts off with an overload of information designed to cause confusion and a belief that friends and family are outsiders and are attempting to, in some way, harm or prevent the spiritual transformation the victim is seeking. This is often performed by sleep deprivation. Upon entering a cult, meetings and worship will continue for days. The cultists will not actually say that you cannot sleep, but they will tell the victim that to achieve enlightenment, he must continue to worship no matter how tired he feels. Depriving the victim of water, food and bathroom facilities re-enforces the brainwashing. The cultists do this by explaining that the ability to control one's basic needs is the first step to controlling one's thoughts.

The victim will not be given a chance to act on their own without constant supervision, until the cult feels it is safe to give the victim some freedom. The victim is informed that to become a true member, he must release all outside financial bonds, properties and money to the organization. All of the victim's finances are eventually turned over to the group and all outside contact with family members ceases.

The group suppresses all efforts by family members and law enforcement authorities to personally contact the victim. The victim may be moved around from state to state. All financial and basic needs are provided by the cult so the victim is dependant on the group for mere survival.

When Mauro worked as a detective sergeant for a police department, he was responsible for fingerprinting and performing background checks on all people entering the town for solicitation purposes. This was done by order of the township for the protection of the citizens of the community.

One summer Saturday morning, a group of around twenty-five members of a well-known religious cult was reported soliciting and selling poor-quality silk flowers. The patrols located the supervisor of the group who was ordered to report with all members to police headquarters for processing.

The permits cost five dollars each, which was paid by the group leader, and the only identification the other group members had was a picture ID issued by the cult. While filling out the permit application, Mauro discovered they were from all over the world—Australia, South Africa, Europe and Asia.

When dealing with religious cults, one must realize that the leaders have a great deal of control over their victims. This was proven by Jim Jones and the People's Temple; Jones ordered all 912 of his followers to commit suicide rather than return to the United States.

Fanatics and Terrorists

Fanatics and terrorists use kidnapping in an attempt to gain publicity for their cause. They will also use it to frighten people and to achieve financial gains. These people are the most dangerous because they truly believe in their cause and feel that what they are doing is right.

Mauro interviewed a former member of a well-known terrorist group who was in prison. When Mauro asked him how he got involved, he stated that he truly believed that his group was going to overthrow the United States government, and he, along with other members, would do anything to accomplish this goal.

He was incarcerated for his involvement in robbing armored cars. The money obtained by robbing these vehicles was used to supply items the group needed to survive. These items included safehouses in different areas of the country, transportation, basic living staples, as well as weapons and explosives.

While questioning him further, Mauro asked him how he would overthrow not only the law enforcement community, but the military and the common people of our nation. He replied that his group was strong enough to start the revolution and that once it was started, the nation would join their cause. He also stated that he felt like a colonialist during the Revolutionary War, and that he would be responsible for overthrowing the U.S. government, just as his forefathers declared their independence from England.

These types of groups will normally make a dramatic kidnapping to increase their publicity. They wear military clothes and carry military weapons. We all remember the kidnapping and eventual enlistment of Patty Hearst in the Symbionese Liberation Army. Once kidnapped, she was brainwashed through isolation; she was left alone for days at a time locked in a closet. She was told when to eat, when to shower, when to use the bathroom, and all this time, she was blindfolded and tied up by her captors.

Political propaganda was recited to her over and over, and she was told that her lifestyle and that of her family was unjust. Eventually, all this physical abuse and mental anguish took its toll and she began to accept the teachings of her captors. She was so involved with the organization at one point that she participated in violent criminal activity.

A terrorist will never avoid a conflict and will be willing to sacrifice their comrades or themselves for their cause. Their victims will probably be sacrificed or be turned into a group member if held long enough.

Terrorist kidnappings are well planned and carried out with military precision. A plan will be formulated taking advantage of weak security precautions. This may occur when the target is dropping off his child for piano lessons or when he is rendezvousing with a mistress.

As our victim reaches the location of the kidnapping, the passenger of a motorcycle fires a handgun at the driver or tires to stop the vehicle. Once the vehicle is stopped, the kidnappers jump out and break the vehicle's windshield with a baseball bat or large stone. A car or van will arrive to transport the victim away from the scene quickly. The victim is secured with handcuffs or duct tape placed around his hands, feet and mouth. The victim will be placed into a trunk of a car or in the rear of a van.

The kidnappers will then drive to a location where the victim will be kept. The victim will probably be moved periodically from place to place to avoid detection. The ransom demands will be sent in a note by courier or in a videotaped message showing the victim to assure the authorities that they indeed have him. Sometimes, ransom arrangements will be made via the telephone or through a television, radio station or local newspaper.

Terrorists usually demand ransom to carry on "the cause." This ransom will include large amounts of money, sometimes in the millions, and of course the release of political comrades who are incarcerated around the world. These ransom demands are basically made for the benefit of the media rather than for the monetary gain. Think back to the kidnappings and hijackings which happened in Iran and Beirut; money became secondary to coverage of the cause.

In some cases, to assure the authorities that their demands must be met, the victim will have a body part removed and shipped to the family.

Did you ever wonder why no Communist officials or citizens were ever kidnapped? This is because once a high-ranking official of the KGB was kidnapped in a Mideast country. An investigation was conducted and one of the kidnappers was kidnapped and cut into little bitty pieces, leaving only his head intact. By the way, they used a chain saw to do this. After the dismemberment, the KGB carefully wrapped his body parts in a box, so the victim's face stared up at the kidnappers when the box was opened. The victim's body was accompanied by a short note describing what would happen to the remainder of the group if the kidnap victim was not returned. This merry package was dropped off in front of the leader's residence. Needless to say, within twenty-four hours, the kidnap victim was returned safely.

Parental Abduction

When a spouse is divorcing, it is usually over strong conflict or physical abuse. One spouse may be intent on leaving the other for another love interest. There may be sexual abuse or domestic violence directed toward the children. Sometimes the noncustodial parent abducts the child or children in the family.

If the abducting noncustodial parent feels that she is doing this to protect her children from additional sexual abuse, she may remove the children by telling them that they are going for a ride. This is the beginning of the abduction. The parent tells the children that their other parent does not love them anymore, or she will fabricate other stories in an attempt to distance the children from the rest of the family.

In the United States today, underground movements assist noncustodial parents in eluding law enforcement, getting custody returned to them, and providing basic life support. These underground movements are made up of families and sympathetic supporters of abused and neglected children. They set aside basements and other areas in their homes to accommodate the runners. They will provide them with food, transportation, money and legal expenses to assist them in their time of need. When a location gets discovered or after a certain amount of time, the family is moved to another location, which could be in the same town or several states away. This underground movement contacts sympathetic family members by mailing letters to an out-of-state safehouse who in turn will either forward the letters to another location or deliver them to the family.

Parents who are not citizens of the United States will abduct their child and return to their home country. Sometimes the noncustodial parent arranges a vacation to his native country on the premise of meeting family members. Once they arrive or a short time later, the custodial parent will be informed that the children are not returning to the United States. There is nothing the spouse can do to have the child returned to the United States, other than kidnapping the child in return.

Stranger Abduction

It is not really known nor could it be precisely analyzed what percentage of abductions are by a stranger. Because of the runaway population, throwaway kids or family members involved in the disappearance of their children, an exact figure can not be determined.

When a stranger abduction occurs, it is usually a random event and the child does not have the ability to escape or seek help. The offender could be a drifter, which makes it incredibly hard to locate or even to identify him. When stranger abduction occurs, they will be driving their own vehicles and lure the child over to the vehicle with promise of a reward, a plea for assistance, or by stating that they are there on behalf of their parents, who have been injured, and they need the child's assistance. Once in the vehicle, the abductor will secure the victim with physical restraints and make a quick getaway. The offender makes the abduction for a variety of reasons. There may be a sexual connec-lion where the offender will seek out a certain sex, age and type of victim, known as a
profile.

Some offenders maintain custody for just a short time, where others keep the child until they become a liability or no longer fit their sexual profile. Offenders may trade their victims to each other or eventually kill them and dispose of them in an isolated area, out of state, so when they are found, identification is nearly impossible. Stranger abduction is considered by some to be performed by a network of offenders, where victims are taken and passed around and abused throughout the United States. Others believe that there is no network and that only a few offenders are responsible for the abductions committed in the United States.