Memphis Police Address Kidnapping Ransom Report

Memphis Police are investigating a reported kidnapping after 25-year-old Deonta White told two people he had been abducted and was being held for ransom early Saturday, April 25. (wreg.com) (aol.com) Police said White called his brother and his ex-girlfriend around 4:30 a.m. and said he was locked in the trunk of a vehicle. The callers told officers the kidnappers wanted $500 for his release. (wreg.com) (aol.com) According to the police account relayed by local outlets, White also said he was having an asthma attack during one of the calls. Memphis Police issued a City Watch kidnapping alert at about 5:45 a.m. as officers searched for him. (wreg.com) (hoodline.com) The reported last-seen location was the 1100 block of West Warren’s Road in Midtown, and the alert described White as a Black man, 5-foot-8 and about 165 pounds. Police asked anyone with information to call 911. (aol.com) (uscrimeradar.com) What police have publicly confirmed so far is narrow: a reported kidnapping, a ransom demand, and an active effort to find White. Memphis Police had not, in the material publicly available, identified suspects, a vehicle, or a confirmed abduction scene. (wreg.com) (memphispolice.org) That distinction explains the official messaging around the case. A City Watch alert is meant to push information out quickly while officers try to locate a person and determine what happened. (aol.com) (memphispolice.org) As of the latest local reports available in this search, the investigation was still open and police were still asking for tips. No public update in the sources reviewed said White had been found. (wreg.com) (hoodline.com) For now, the case stands as a reported ransom kidnapping with one concrete figure — $500 — and a man police were still trying to locate. (wreg.com)