OC, CA WF Aesthetician, 56 Kidnapped In Uganda And Being Held For $500K Ransom

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Senior News Editor since 2011
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OC Aesthetician Kidnapped In Uganda And Being Held For $500K Ransom
April 4, 2019 at 6:25 pm

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COSTA MESA (CBSLA) — A Costa Mesa aesthetician and her driver were kidnapped in Uganda Tuesday and officials say the culprits are asking for a $500,000 ransom.

CBS2’s Michele Gile reports Ugandan officials don’t want to pay the ransom.

Meanwhile, an elite force is looking for the two.

Kimberly Sue Endicott was excited to tour Africa. She shared her hopes about her trip according to the property manager at the business park where her skincare business is located.

Tourism police in Uganda have identified the Orange County woman as the kidnap victim — she and her guide were kidnapped at gunpoint while they were looking for animals at Queen Elizabeth National Park.

“The police has dispatched an elite squad from tourism police to report to the security team at Queen Elizabeth National Park and to actively pursue a group of four unknown gunman who allegedly kidnapped an American and a Ugandan senior guide who were on an evening game drive,” said one Ugandan official.

Police say the kidnappers continue to use the victims cellphones to call the lodge

The 56-year-old Endicott reportedly has a daughter and granddaughter.

Neighbors told her that the FBI told them, and family, not to say anything for fear that the captors could hear and use against her.
 
https://nypost.com/2019/04/08/not-clear-if-ransom-was-paid-for-us-tourist-kidnapped-in-uganda/

Not clear if ransom was paid for US tourist kidnapped in Uganda
By Yaron Steinbuch
April 8, 2019 | 8:15am | Updated April 8, 2019 | 10:02am

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Kim "Wayne's World" Endicott (center) after being released by kidnappers in Uganda
WILD FRONTIERS


A California woman who was released after being kidnapped along with her tour guide in a Ugandan national park will be turned over to the US ambassador on Monday amid conflicting reports about whether their ransom was paid.

Kim Endicott and her driver, Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo, were both safe after their five-day ordeal during which they were taken from Queen Elizabeth National Park across the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, police said.

Authorities said that no ransom was paid, although the kidnappers had demanded $500,000 after grabbing the two from a group of tourists on an evening game drive on April 2.

A tour official said a ransom was paid to secure Endicott’s freedom.

The official with Wild Frontiers Uganda Safaris, which organized the kidnap victims’ safari itinerary, said Monday that Endicott was released, “not rescued,” after money was paid.

“Otherwise she wouldn’t be back,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The family of Endicott, who owns a skin care shop in Costa Mesa, had demanded that the US government step up its efforts to secure her release.

The US historically refuses to pay ransom in hostage situations, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterating last week that doing so would just lead to more kidnappings.
 
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