Jose Ramirez's Harrowing Tale of a 'Virtual Kidnapping' in Mexico Aaron Drawhorn and Mark Zamora - 8 News NOW
go to original December 18, 2013

For the first time, a Henderson, Nevada man is sharing his three-day kidnapping nightmare. (8newsnow)

HENDERSON, Nev. -  Jose Ramirez, who is 72-year-old, was threatened and followed in Mexico. But that is not all, criminals also called his wife here demanding a million dollar ransom.

Ramirez traveled to Mexico for the Ironman Cozumel Triathlon on Dec 1. He swam 2.5 miles, biked 112 miles, and then ran a full marathon all in one day.

But that night, he heard a commotion outside his room and then the phone rang. He got a call with specific orders that he was told he must follow, or he would be harmed.

"I knew something was wrong," Ramirez recalls. "They stated that they were the police and that I needed to listen to them. Otherwise, they were going to do harm to me."

The caller claimed to be from Los Zetas, a violent criminal syndicate in Mexico. Ramirez, who was a police officer with the New York City Police Department for 20 years, knew he couldn't take any chances.

Read the rest at 8 News NOW

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