Abductions Caught on Video Tape: Missing Persons and Outcomes

By: Shane Lambert

What would you do if you’re walking home one night, like Carlesha Freeland-Gaither was, when a stranger suddenly grabs you from behind? You fight, but quickly realize that he is stronger than you, but in the corner of your eye, you see a camera. You now know that there is a chance that someone might care enough to come looking for you -- if only they see the footage.

In the back of your trunk, your mind races. You ask yourself if someone will figure out that you were on that street at that time and then realize they need the camera footage. You think about the people who care about you and their motivation for finding you. That effort, you know, is your best hope.

But most abductions are not caught on camera. Furthermore, some abductions, including one below involving a toddler, are hard to watch. That is not just about the subject matter, which can be disturbing, but it's about low video quality too. Abductors aren't exactly posing for the camera, and security cameras are meant for Hollywood sets. Still, the rare abductions caught on videotape have given us a chilling window into the reality of people vanishing.

Novelist George Orwell, writing in 1948, warned us of a dystopian future where cameras would be everywhere and we would have no privacy. It seems that "no privacy" is for better or worse. No one likes to feel the gaze of a camera, yet snippets of footage have become both a tool for justice and an educational reminder of how quickly someone can be taken away.

The "Privacy vs Justice" debate can be set aside for now. Let’s dive into some unforgettable footage, explore what they reveal about missing persons, and uncover why these videos stick with us long after the screen goes dark.

AI-generated. Not a real image of an abduction.

The Night Carlesha Freeland-Gaither Fought Back

It was November 2nd, 2014, in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood. Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, a 22-year-old nurse, was walking home when a man grabbed her off the street.

Surveillance footage captured the struggle. It showed Carlesha kicking, trying to signal for help, and clawing to break free as her abductor forced her into a gray Ford Taurus. The video, raw and unfiltered, is an example of the battle between abductor and abductee. 

With this case, there was a happy ending. The footage spread like wildfire online, sparking a city-wide manhunt.

Carlesha was found alive two days later on November 4th, 2014, in Maryland. Her abductor was tracked down thanks, in part, to the video’s rapid spread and the flood of tips it generated. The suspect, Delvin Barnes, was later sentenced to 35 years in prison (Philadelphia's NBC affiliate/July 4th, 2016). 

The Heart-Wrenching Case of Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney

Not every story ends in rescue. In October 2019, 3-year-old Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney was playing outside a birthday party in Birmingham, Alabama, when she vanished.

Security cameras caught a man luring her away with candy, and she appears happy to follow him. Not every abduction is about brute force. 

The footage, chilling in its simplicity, shows how quickly innocence can be stolen. Here it is, perhaps highlighting for the one millionth time the need for parents or guardians to ensure a close watch on their children:

The video galvanized a desperate search, but more than a week later, Kamille’s body was found in a landfill. Two suspects were charged, and the footage became a rallying cry for justice, a grim reminder of how vulnerable our youngest are.

Samantha Koenig: A Barista’s Final Shift

In Anchorage, Alaska, on February 1st, 2012, 18-year-old Samantha Koenig was closing up the coffee stand where she worked when a man approached. Security footage showed him forcing her out at gunpoint, her hands raised in surrender. The video, which is long and unsettling, captures her last moments before she vanished.

Samantha's abductor was Israel Keyes. He was a serial killer later linked to multiple murders. He killed Samantha and dumped her body in a frozen lake. He was caught after using her stolen debit card, but not before leaving a trail of devastation.

Why These Videos Go Viral, and Why They Matter

What is it about these abduction videos that grips us? Part of it is the raw, unfiltered truth they reveal. This isn't Hollywood, but nor is it so-called "Reality TV." It's a true cross-section of daily life where the subjects of the film are people of the community, unscripted.

We all know these things could happen to us or at least someone we know. Most of us, like Carlesha, might have walked down a street that made us feel uncomfortable. Some of us, like Samantha, have probably left a door unlocked at work. I think most parents will have taken their eyes off their children for a short time.

But there are also cases we don't know anything about because we have no videotape. So when we do have it, inferences can be drawn about what may have happened to other people. The videotape is more than just evidence for one crime; it's a clue as to how abductors work in a more general way.

What I Would Do If Facing Abduction

Watching these videos makes me wonder what I’d do if it were me. On this subject, experts vary on what they recommend.

I’ve read some say that you should cooperate with someone who is pointing a gun at you or carrying a weapon. But I’ve read others who said you should never go to the secondary scene.

There is a contradiction there, if you think about it. If someone with a gun is telling you to go to a secondary scene, do you go as ordered, or do you not go because going to the said place might be a bad move?

We have to admit that you might be done for either way. With that in mind, I would not go to the secondary scene. My thinking is that whatever the abductor had planned for me, he’s not comfortable doing that at the primary scene. That’s why he wants to lead me away. 

However, perhaps what I'm thinking right now is irrelevant. I do realize that fear might just take over, and the thoughts I’m having as I write from the safety of my living room won’t be the same ones I have in the moment of truth.

But if they were, I would just face my fate at the primary scene instead of going who knows where. Not only is there a chance that the move will throw the abductor a curveball, but if I'm dead either way, I'd rather the evidence of my disappearance be tied to a known location of mine than somewhere random.

What Can We Do

Next time you see one of these clips online, don’t just scroll past. Watch it and share it. There's more meaning in that than in sharing the videos of the goofballs online with their antics.