Ripken Abduction: Reward Raised to $100,000 by Cal Ripken Jr (VIDEO, PHOTO)
Cal Ripken Jr. has announced a new reward for any information about his mother, who was abducted from her home just over a year ago. The reward of $100,000 will be offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
The 52-year-old Hall of Famer announced the new reward to media outlets Thursday at the Sports Legends Museum.
"Something like this changes all of our lives. You think about things a little differently than you did before," said Ripken Jr., according to WTOP. "No one prepares you for these sort of moments."
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Vi Ripken, 75, was abducted from her own home in Aberdeen at gunpoint on July 24, 2012. Surveillance video shows images of a man that police are looking into in connection to the kidnapping.
The suspect tied the elderly woman up and threw her in the back seat of her own car. He drove her around for almost 24 hours before returning her home unharmed, according to police.
Despite the images being released, an arrest for the suspect is yet to be made after one year. Ripken Jr. hopes that the case will be re-energized by upping the reward.
"We are trying to reignite interest in the case by putting up a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the man who abducted mom a little over a year ago," Ripken Jr. said, according to CBS Baltimore.
He added, "In our minds, this is important, not only for us and our community, but for all communities. We would like to get closure on this case and give all of us some peace of mind."
Police are not sure whether the kidnapping was random or whether Vi Ripken was targeted.
"America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh will also put the new information on the website to generate interest. "Somebody knows who this guy is," Walsh said. "These creeps talk."
For anyone with more information on the case, please call police or "America's Most Wanted" at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
Here is a video news report into the development:
