The following is a list of kidnappings that occurred in the 1980s, summarizing the events of each case, including instances of celebrity abductions, claimed hoaxes, suspected kidnappings, extradition abductions, and mass kidnappings.
List Date Victim(s) Abductor(s) Location Age of victim(s) Outcome Notes14 February 1980Timothy WhiteKenneth ParnellUkiah, California, U.S.5Rescued/escapedWhite was abducted by Parnell, who had abducted Steven Stayner seven years earlier. Stayner helped White escape on 1 March 1980. 28 May 1980 Dorothy Jane Scott Unknown Anaheim, California, U.S. 32 Murdered She was abducted in her car from the parking lot of hospital where her friend was getting a spider bite examined. Her bones were found on 6 August 1984, next to those of a dog near Santa Ana Canyon Road, being identified by her jewelry and dental records. She had previously received phone calls alternating from infatuated to threatening from an unidentified stalker. The stalker later called her mother and claiming responsibility for her murder. Her case remains unsolved. 13 June 1980 Tiffany Papesh Brandon Flagner Maple Heights, Ohio, U.S. 8 Murdered A girl was kidnapped while shopping alone for a family member. Flagner was convicted of her murder, despite the fact that her body was never found. He eventually recanted his confession. His conviction has yet to be overturned. 13 November 1980 Patricia Cubbage Edward Benton Fitzgerald Sr., Daniel Leroy Johnson Richmond, Virginia, U.S. 22 Murdered Cubbage was a motel clerk, small-time drug dealer, and alleged police informant. She was raped and stabbed to death by drug dealers Edward Benton Fitzgerald Sr. and Daniel Leroy Johnson. The pair were arrested within twenty-four hours. Fitgerald was sentenced to death and executed on 23 July 1992; Johnson was sentenced to forty years' imprisonment. 3 December 1980 Patsy Gaisior Robert Ruff, Frank Johnson Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. 31 Murdered The body of the victim was never recovered, but two suspects were convicted.6 January 1981Marion CroftsTony JasinskyjAldershot, England14MurderedAbducted, raped and beaten to death while cycling to a clarinet lesson. Her case remained unsolved until 1999, when the perpetrator's DNA was matched to former lance corporal Tony Jasinskyj, who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.DNA link traps girl's killer after 21 years – The Daily Telegraph, 11 May 200224 January 1981 and 6 February 1981Agnes Ng Siew HeokAdrian Lim, Catherine Tan Mui Choo, Hoe Kah HongToa Payoh, Singapore9MurderedIn what became notoriously known as the Toa Payoh ritual murders, Lim and his accomplices Tan and Hoe lured Agnes to their flat on 24 January, drugged her, then drew blood from her before suffocating her. Two weeks later, on 6 February, Ghazali was also lured in and murdered. This was an act done to distract the police from investigating an existing rape charge on Lim. All three were found guilty after a 41-day trial, given the death sentence on 23 May 1983, and hanged on 25 November 1988.Ghazali bin Marzuki1021 March 1981Michael DonaldHenry Hays, James KnowlesMobile, Alabama, U.S.19MurderedAfrican-American who was selected at random and abducted by Ku Klux Klan members Henry Hays and James Knowles in revenge for the murder of a white police officer by African-American robber Josephus Anderson. The two Klansmen drove Donald to a neighbouring county, beat him with a tree branch, slit his throat three times and hanged him from a tree. Hays was given the death penalty for the crime, making him the only Klansman executed for killing an African-American.11–12 April 1981Tina SharpUnidentifiedKeddie, California, U.S.12MurderedOne of four victims of the unsolved Keddie Cabin murders, when four inhabitants of cabin No. 28 in the resort town of Keddie were murdered on the night of April 11―12, 1981. Tina Sharp, unlike the other three victims, was missing from the scene when the crime was discovered; her remains were later found near Feather Falls in 1984.20 May 1981Lee StandiferDavid Earl MillerKnoxville, Tennessee, U.S.23MurderedLee Standifer was on a date with her killer when she was attacked and murdered inside a house of an ordained minister in Tennessee, and her body was found hanged a day later in the backyard. The perpetrator, David Earl Miller, was convicted of the murder and sentenced to death in 1984, and he was executed by the electric chair on December 6, 2018.14 June 1981Linda Dianne SmithUnknown White MalePocatello, Idaho, U.S.14MurderedLinda was abducted from her home while babysitting her 9-year-old brother. Local police ignored her brother's eye witness account of the abduction and assumed he was covering for Linda, who ran away. One week later Linda's clothes were found near the Pocatello Creek exit in Pocatello. Police maintained she was a runaway. Eleven months later, Linda's skeletal remains were found below Hospital Way near the Center Street exit in Pocatello. Many mistakes were made mainly due to the police department's assumption that Linda ran away. Although DNA technology did not really exist in 1980, had the police done their due diligence initially they could perhaps have found the perpetrator's fingerprints on the back door he entered and subsequently exited or other physical evidence such as stray fibers or possibly even the perpetrator's vehicle which Linda's brother described.27 July 1981Adam WalshOttis TooleHollywood, Florida, U.S.6MurderedWalsh was abducted from a Sears department store at the Hollywood Mall and murdered, only his severed head was found. His father, John Walsh, later became the host of America's Most Wanted.12 August 1981Jennifer CardyRobert BlackBallinderry, County Antrim, Northern Ireland9MurderedThe first victim proven to have been murdered by Robert Black, a paedophilic serial killer convicted of four murders. She was kidnapped by Black while cycling to a friend's house and was found dead hours later, having been sexually abused and strangled.16 August 1981Charles ArmstrongProvisional Irish Republican ArmyDundalk, Ireland55MurderedArmstrong was an Irish laborer from Crossmaglen who was abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA, and his body dumped in a bog in County Monaghan.September 1981Sidney JaffeTimm Johnsen and Daniel KearToronto, Canada56ReleasedAmerican-Canadian businessman who was kidnapped by two bounty hunters and returned to Florida, where he was tried in absentia for failing to appear for land sales fraud.15 September 1981Ursula HerrmannWerner Mazurek (but see below)Schondorf, West Germany10DiedUrsula Herrmann, a 10-year-old schoolgirl, was abducted on her way home from gym class. Her family received a ransom demand for 2 million Deutsche Marks, but the kidnapper(s) cut off communication before arrangements were made to deliver the money. Several days later, Ursula was found dead in a box buried in a nearby forest. The box was stocked food and drink to last a number of days but had inadequate ventilation, and the child is believed to have died in a matter of hours; some evidence suggests she may have been dead before being locked in. Despite an extensive investigation, no culprit was apprehended then. In 2007, police and prosecutors renewed their investigation into Werner Mazurek, who was a suspect at the time and was implicated by an alleged accomplice, who had, however, retracted his confession and witness statement and since died. Based on this statement and circumstantial evidence, Mazurek was convicted in 2010 of kidnapping resulting in death and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mazurek continues to protest his innocence, and the victim's family have not accepted Mazurek's guilt. The family have attempted to force a new inquiry, but the case is officially closed. Since the crime was not deemed a murder, it would by now have been prescribed. 29 October 1981 Tina Harmon Robert Anthony Buell Lodi, Ohio, U.S. 12 Murdered Harmon was abducted while away from home in Creston, Ohio. She was found raped and strangled five days later. Her murder remained unsolved until 2011 when DNA from the scene was matched to Robert Buell. It is unknown if Buell was the only person involved in her murder.3 November 1981Marcy Renee ConradAnthony Jacques BroussardMilpitas, California, U.S.14MurderedHigh school student abducted, raped and killed by another student, who then dumped her body in a ravine, but brought several students to view the body. Two days later, he was denounced and arrested.17 December 1981James Lee DozierRed BrigadesVerona, Italy50RescuedDozier was a US general working for NATO in Italy. He and his wife were kidnapped by a Marxist terrorist group and freed by a NOCS commando on 28 January 1982.18 December 1981Nina von GallwitzUnknownCologne, Germany8ReleasedVon Gallwitz was kidnapped on her way to school. Her parents paid a ransom of 1.5 million German marks and she was freed on 15 May 1982 at a rest area called Ohligser Heide, after 149 days.1982Chila SilvernailsJoseph KondroLongview, Washington, U.S. 8MurderedChila Silvernails disappeared in 1982 from Kalama, WA and was found dead the next day after being killed.20 April 1982Peter PocklingtonMirko PetrovićEdmonton, Canada40RescuedCanadian entrepreneur who was taken hostage along with his wife, maid and babysitter, by a Yugoslav immigrant who planned to kidnap Pocklington's wife. After she escaped the others released, Petrović attempted to extort Pocklington's associates for a ransom, but was prevented from doing so after police went into the house and opened fire, wounding both him and Pocklington. Both men recovered, and Petrović was later deported.27 April 1982Frances Julia SlaterJohn Earl Bush, J.B. Parker, Alphonso Cave and Terry Wayne JohnsonStuart, Florida, United States18MurderedConvenience store clerk and the granddaughter of Outboard Marine Corporation chairman Ralph Evinrude. Slater was kidnapped from a convenience store where she worked, and the four men robbed and killed her. One of them, Bush, was executed in 1996, while for the rest, Parker had his death sentence commuted to life, Johnson was sentenced to life and Cave died of unknown causes while on death row in 2023 before he could be executed.2 May 1982John E. Irving Stephen Gerald ChildsNew Brunswick50ReleasedCanadian businessman who was kidnapped by a gunman and held hostage for ten hours before being rescued unharmed.25 May 1982Susan SinghMichael SinghKansas City, Missouri, U.S.34MurderedAbducted from her home and murdered by her husband, Michael Singh. Susan was bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument. Her husband was observed attempting to bury her body in a shallow grave and apprehended following a short chase.17 July 1982Krista HarrisonRobert Anthony BuellMarshallville, Ohio, U.S.11MurderedThe victim was abducted by van at a park near her home. She was found six days later. Buell was convicted in 1984.30 July 1982Susan MaxwellRobert BlackColdstream, Scotland11MurderedThe second confirmed victim of paedophilic serial killer Robert Black. She was abducted while walking home from playing tennis and was found dead in a copse by the roadside on 12 August.22 August 1982Richard "Ricky" StetsonJohn JoubertPortland, Maine, U.S.11Murdered Stetson had gone jogging on the 3.5 mile long Back Cove Trail in Portland, Maine. When he had not returned by dark, his parents called the police. The next day, a motorist discovered the boy's body on the side of US I-295.25 September 1982Lisa Ann MillicanAlvin and Judith NeelleyRome, Georgia, U.S.13MurderedThe couple abducted Millican outside a gaming arcade in the Riverbend Mall and held her captive for three days, during which time both Neelleys sexually assaulted her multiple times. On 28 September, Judith Neelley poisoned her with an injection of Drano, before shooting her and throwing her over a cliff when that failed to kill her.4 October 1982Janice ChatmanAlvin and Judith NeelleyRome, Georgia, U.S.23MurderedA young engaged couple from Rome. Both we