Cal Ripken Jr.’s Mother Abducted, Found Safe
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MIKE THEILER/AFP/Getty Images(ABERDEEN, Md.) — Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.’s mother was found safe today after she’d been abducted at gunpoint from her home northeast of Baltimore.
Vi Ripken, 74, was abducted sometime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Tuesday by a man who approached her and used a handgun to force her into her 1998 Lincoln Town Car, according to the Aberdeen, Md., Police Department.
Around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Aberdeen police received a phone call from the Baltimore County Police about a suspicious parked vehicle.
At around 6:15 a.m., Ripken was “located unharmed in her vehicle in close proximity to her residence,” police said. Paramedics said she wasn’t injured, and Ripken is now resting at home with her family.
A spokesperson for the Baltimore FBI told ABC News that Ripken was “confined and restrained” when police found her.
The Ripken family released the following statement, according to ABC News’ Baltimore affiliate WMAR:
“As you now know, our mother was abducted at gunpoint from her home yesterday morning. This has been a very trying time for our family, but we are grateful and relieved that mom is back with us, safe and healthy. We want to thank everyone for their tremendous support, especially all of the law enforcement agencies that worked so hard and quickly. This is an ongoing investigation, so we hope everyone understands that we cannot comment further at this time.”
The Aberdeen police told ABC News that they could not comment on whether demands were made for Ripken’s return or if her abduction was related to her famous son.
Cal Ripken Jr. played shortstop and third base for the Baltimore Orioles for 21 years. He is perhaps best known for playing 2,632 consecutive games during his career, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record. Ripken’s brother Billy Ripken also played for the Orioles, and their father, Cal Ripken Sr., managed them both for a time.
Police are searching for a white, male suspect in his late 30s or early 40s who was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt, camouflage pants and eyeglasses. He was armed with a handgun.
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