Pirates catcher Elias Diaz’s mother has been rescued in Venezuela, three days after she was kidnapped, according to media reports.
Ana Soto, 72, had been kidnapped in San Francisco, in the state of Zulia, on Thursday. Six people have been detained in connection with the kidnapping, including one person who was a neighbor of the Diaz family, according to a report from the Venezuelan newspaper La Nacion. The report cited police sources.
Kidnappings are on the rise in Venezuela in the wake of the country’s ongoing political instability. In recent years, professional baseball players or their families have often been targeted.