Premium

In Memphis, abductions happen weekly but arrests are few

By , Daily Memphian Updated: October 18, 2022 3:45 PM CT | Published: October 08, 2022 4:00 AM CT
<strong>La Tonia Blankenship was kidnapped in the 1990s and forced to drive her captors to a field in Arkansas. Blankenship, who is running for the District 4 seat on the Memphis City Council, said the trauma never goes away, which makes her worry for all the people in the city who have survived abductions and crime.</strong> (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

La Tonia Blankenship was kidnapped in the 1990s and forced to drive her captors to a field in Arkansas. Blankenship, who is running for the District 4 seat on the Memphis City Council, said the trauma never goes away, which makes her worry for all the people in the city who have survived abductions and crime. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

An investigation by The Daily Memphian analyzed nearly 40 abductions and kidnappings since July 1.

Topics

abductions MPD Subscriber Only

2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.

Will you help us reach more Memphians with quality, in-depth local news? Make a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian, a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization, today.

Thank you for keeping up with what’s happening in Memphis. Thank you for investing in our community’s trusted local news source.

Jane Roberts

Jane Roberts

Jane Roberts has reported in Memphis for more than 20 years. As a senior member of The Daily Memphian staff, she was assigned to the medical beat during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also has done in-depth work on other medical issues facing our community, including shortages of specialists in local hospitals. She covered K-12 education here for years and later the region’s transportation sector, including Memphis International Airport and FedEx Corp.

Public Safety on demand

Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.

Enter your e-mail address

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here