A 61-year-old woman turned up shaken but unharmed Friday, three days after she was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in the city of Antioch, east of San Francisco.
Ruth Mayer, whose husband is a prominent jewelry store owner, phoned home at 12:30 p.m. from a residence in El Sobrante, 30 miles west of Antioch. She had been dropped off nearby.Shoeless and casually dressed, Mayer appeared upbeat and fit at an afternoon press conference at the Antioch Police Department. She read from a written outline, thanking everyone who worked and prayed for her safe return and singling out Antioch police and family members for their efforts. Of her family, she said, "I know they suffered a lot."
"I just want to say I'm so very happy to be home," she told reporters with her husband, Gene, at her side. "I'm still in a state of shock. I still don't know all that's gone on. I just want to enjoy Christmas with my family. I want to go home, I want to rest and I want to appreciate my home, my family. That's all I can say right now."
Investigators were close-mouthed about the circumstances of the abduction and reappearance, saying that Mayer spent most of the afternoon with family members and had not been interviewed in depth about her ordeal.
"I'm not sure she's sure where she's been," Police Chief Dave Lewis said. "We hope to develop that in our continuing investigation. We don't want to get into details."
Lewis said Mayer refused medical attention. "It's evident by her appearance she was kept in good shape."
Mark Mershon, an FBI assistant special agent in charge, did say that the kidnappers made no attempt to collect on the ransom they demanded in a note they left at the Mayer residence after they abducted her at gunpoint Tuesday evening and made off with jewelry and a 200-pound safe. The kidnappers asked for a specific sum, but investigators would not disclose it.
Lewis suggested that investigators would redouble their efforts to apprehend the kidnappers during the weekend. He reminded the public that there are substantial rewards for information leading to any arrests. A total of $100,000 has been pledged by various donors, including $25,000 by the City Council.
Investigators had been fearful for Mayer's safety, after having heard nothing from the kidnappers. Adding to the anxiety, there was silence after police sought to reassure the kidnappers that a disoriented Gene Mayer had inadvertently overlooked their written demands and prohibitions. The ransom note was discovered by police when they searched the home several hours after the abduction.
Investigators speculated Friday that Mayer's return had much to do with the kidnappers being convinced that it was indeed an oversight. They also credited much-publicized warnings that doing harm to a kidnap victim could bring severe punishment.
Police and the FBI say at least four people might have been involved in the crime.