California resident Kimberly Sue Endicott, kidnapped in Uganda, reportedly is released
Kimberly Sue Endicott, a Costa Mesa resident who was kidnapped for ransom last week in Uganda, has been released safely along with her Congolese safari guide, ABC7 reported Sunday morning.
Endicott was released after ransom was paid, according to the news report. The amount of ransom paid and other details of the release were not immediately disclosed.
Jane Goldring, a director at Wild Frontiers, said the two kidnapping victims had been freed, according to a New York Times report. Another official with the company, who asked not to be named, said the two were “enjoying a square meal and hot shower” at a wilderness camp in Uganda run by Wild Frontiers.
They reportedly were dropped off at a point near the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since the Tuesday kidnapping, a rescue party of police, military and game rangers were sent to find the abducted people, according to a statement from the Uganda Media Centre.
Endicott and her guide were taken in an ambush by four gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a protected area near the porous border with Congo, according to Ugandan police and a government spokesman.
Security services have this evening managed to rescue kidnapped U.S. citizen Kimberly Sue Endicott and her driver Jean Paul Mirenge. Appreciation goes to @PoliceUg and sister security agencies that led the operation to return Sue and Jean Paul.
Details to follow. pic.twitter.com/l3xczXixgb
— Government of Uganda (@GovUganda) April 7, 2019
The U.S. Embassy in Uganda warned travelers to exercise caution in the area in a statement posted to its website on Wednesday.
The embassy is “aware of reports that an American citizen was kidnapped in the Ishasha area of Queen Elizabeth National Park in southwestern Uganda on April 2, 2019. Government of Uganda security forces are responding to the area,” the statement said.
While the FBI’s website says it is often involved in the response when Americans are threatened or harmed abroad, an agency spokeswoman on Friday declined to comment on Endicott’s case.
On Friday, neighbors at Endicott’s Costa Mesa condo complex declined to speak with media, not wanting to jeopardize her safety.
Friends and acquaintances describe Endicott as a generous person and an adventure seeker with a passion for animals and traveling, according to interviews and news reports. Going on safari to see gorillas was a long-held dream for her, ABC7 reported.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.