Mother of MLB's Elias Diaz Rescued After Being Kidnapped by Dirty Cops
MLB's Elias Diaz Mom Rescued After Being Kidnapped ... Dirty Cops Arrested
The mother of Pirates catcher Elias Diaz has been safely recovered 3 days after she was abducted in Venezuela ... and several dirty cops have been booked for carrying out the kidnapping.
Elias' mom, 72-year-old Ana Soto, went missing last Thursday in their hometown of Maracaibo -- the state capital of Zulia, Venezuela -- shortly after Elias left her at home.
On Sunday, a group of national and local police officers were able to pull off a rescue mission and place her 6 captors under arrest -- 5 of whom were on the Zulia state police force, according to BBC.
A friend from Venezuela sent me this picture of @Pirates catcher Elias Diaz’s mom after she was saved from her captors / Un colega de Venezuela me envió esta foto de la madre de Elías Díaz después de ser liberada tras su secuestro ¡Enhorabuena! pic.twitter.com/qzLo5O1H63
@MarlyRiveraESPN
The head of Venezuela's investigative police dept. says no ransom was paid for the return of Ana -- who is reportedly in good health despite the incident.
The Pirates released a statement after hearing the news, saying they are "relieved and overjoyed" ... and "incredibly grateful for the swift and effective work of the local law enforcement officials."
FYI, Venezuelan sports stars and their families being targeted is nothing new. Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped back in 2011 ... and more recently, Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera claimed his family was in grave danger, specifically mentioning dirty cops.
Diaz, 27, was the Pirates' backup catcher last season, hitting .223 in 188 at-bats. He's expected to report to the team's training camp Monday in Pittsburgh.
