Police search for kidnappers

21-year-old from Topeka describes being forced to drive to KC, Lawrence

A pregnant Topeka woman says she feared for her life during the seven hours she was held at gunpoint and forced to drive across eastern Kansas on Thursday.

Police on Friday were looking for two men in connection with the incident.

“I saw a gun, what it looked like, in the pocket and he just said, ‘Be quiet, turn around and go to your car,'” the victim said Friday. “So I did.”

The 21-year-old woman, who is six months pregnant, told police she was in the parking lot of a Topeka Dillons at 5720 W 21st St. when the ordeal began about 3 p.m. Thursday.

She reported that two men came up from behind her, displayed a gun and forced her into her car. She said the men then forced her on a seven-hour drive that took her to Kansas City and Lawrence. Then they took $70 from her, according to police reports.

The victim said she first was forced to drive to Kansas City, where the men made her stop at seven or eight different houses.

“I didn’t want to scream or make noises,” she said. “There were times when I could’ve tried to warn people, but they told me, you know, if you say anything, we’ll shoot you and we’ll take the car.”

The woman said they then had her take them to the gas station at 23rd and Harper streets. Once released, she rushed into the gas station to call police. The case is being investigated by Topeka police.

Police said the kidnapping was unusual.

“One of the things we always try to tell people is not to get in the car with somebody and go,” said Sgt. Lance Feyh of the Topeka Police Department. “But you don’t always have that option. If somebody’s got a gun, indicates they have a gun, threatens you or whatever, you’re basically going to do what you need to do to keep yourself alive and safe.”

The woman was not injured in the ordeal.

The suspects are described as two black men, both in their mid-20s. One man is described as being 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing around 170 pounds. He had short hair and was unshaven. He had a tattoo on his neck. The second man is described as being about 6 feet tall and weighing 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a white jacket with a design on it. He had braided dreadlocks.