Texas Retiree Kidnapped for Ransom
Susan Rash contemplated suicide after being kidnapped on her vacation.
Sept. 24, 2007 — -- Texas retiree Susan Rash always felt safe when visiting her Dominican Republic vacation home, until a little more than a week ago when she was blindfolded and kidnapped outside her house.
The 61-year-old's nightmare began after she returned from dinner one night.
"I'm at my driveway and I pull in," she recounted. "I get out to open the gate and two men jumped me."
Ski masks hid the men's faces and as Rash fought to escape, she noticed two more men waiting at a nearby car. But taking Rash would not be so simple.
"I was biting, screaming, kicking, scratching, fighting and the two men could not get me in the car," she said.
In fact, Rash fought so hard, it took all four men to force her into the vehicle. As they drove off and made their way through the Dominican jungle, Rash's assailants revealed their reason for the attack.
They wanted a ransom. They told her they would demand $1 million for her release.
Eventually, the car carrying Rash and her kidnappers reached its remote destination.
"I was blindfolded and we started walking through the jungle and up the mountain, until we got to a pit cave," Rash said. "And they had to pick me up, put me on a guy's back and he took me down into the pit."
Fear gripped Rash, but she struggled to remain calm.
"I just tried to find some inner strength so I wouldn't be so afraid," she said.
Her strength would have to sustain her the three days she was trapped. During the entire time, Rash only had a can of juice for sustenance.
For Rash, the situation became so difficult she contemplated suicide. She already had a plan for the dark deed.
"I had saved a pin from an earring to cut my wrists with," she said.
While Rash grappled with her situation, her husband, David Rash, was back in Texas attempting to secure her release with the help of the FBI.
"[Susan] is the best friend I'll ever have in my life. I love this woman with all my heart," he said. "I'd do anything to get her back."
Related Stories
ABC News Live