Family receives chilling video after they can’t pay 19-year-old’s ransom, feds say
.jpg "A Texas man was lured into Mexico and kidnapped for ransom, U.S. officials say. His family was sent video of his torture.")
A Texas man is accused of luring a 19-year-old into Mexico, then kidnapping him for ransom, federal officials say.
Sixto Gonzalez Jr., a 26-year-old from Pharr, Texas, tempted the victim to cross into Mexico with the promise of work, according to a May 15 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas.
The victim, from the border community of Alamo, walked into Mexico on June 23, 2021, and Gonzalez was waiting to pick him up, officials said.
But there was no job, no work to be had. Gonzalez drove the victim to a house in Reynosa, where he was taken captive, according to the release.
For two days, the man was restrained and beaten, while Gonzalez and his accomplices demanded ransom from the victim’s family, the release said.
They wanted $5,000 and a gun in exchange for the man’s safe return. But when his family couldn’t pull the money together in time, they received a chilling video, officials said.
In the video, the kidnappers can be seen torturing the victim, repeatedly hitting him with a wooden board until it breaks, according to officials.
Authorities “eventually determined the location of the house” and found the victim inside, his hands zip-tied, his body covered in bruises, the release said. Law enforcement also found Gonzalez at the home.
Gonzalez confessed to the kidnapping, officials said. He could be sentenced to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 18.
“He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing,” the release said.
This story was originally published May 16, 2023 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Family receives chilling video after they can’t pay 19-year-old’s ransom, feds say."