The following is a list of kidnappings that occurred in the 1990s, summarizing the events of each case, including instances of celebrity abductions, claimed hoaxes, suspected kidnappings, extradition abductions, and mass kidnappings.
Date Victim(s) Abductor(s) Location Age of victim(s) Outcome Notes5 January 1990Leann Marion WhitlockRonald Lee Henderson and Tommy David StricklerVirginia, United States of America 19Murdered19-year-old Leann Whitlock, a sophomore student of James Madison University, was abducted by two men outside a shopping mall in Harrisonburg, Virginia, before she was murdered inside a wooded area in Augusta County, Virginia. Whitlock's body was found eight days later, and within six months, the two kidnappers, Tommy David Strickler and Ronald Lee Henderson, were arrested and charged with murdering Whitlock. Strickler was sentenced to death and consequently executed on July 21, 1999, while Henderson was sentenced to life imprisonment.2 April 1990Humberto Álvarez MachaínBounty huntersMexicoReleasedAlvarez-Machain, a suspect in the murder of Enrique Camarena, was kidnapped, allegedly by Americans to bring him to trial in the United States.Alvarez-Machain, 331 F.3d at 610. Alvarez's complaint alleged claims sounding in: (1) kidnapping; (2) torture; (3) cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; (4) arbitrary detention; (5) assault and battery: (6) false imprisonment; (7) intentional infliction of emotional distress; (8) false arrest; (9) negligent employment; (10) negligent infliction of emotional distress; and (11) violations of the Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.8 May 1990Becky O'ConnellDonald Eugene MoellerSioux Falls, South Dakota, US9MurderedO'Connell was walking home from a neighborhood convenience store when Moeller kidnapped her. He took her to a wooded area along the banks of the Big Sioux River east of Lake Alvin in Lincoln County, raped her, stabbed her multiple times, and then cut her throat. Moeller was executed for the crime by lethal injection in 2012.12 May 1990Mami MatsudaUnknownAshikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan4Murdered4-year-old Mami Matsuda disappeared on 12 May 1990 and was later found murdered a day later.『殺人犯はそこにいる: 隠蔽された北関東連続幼女誘拐殺人事件』 新潮社、2013年、16 or 17 May 1990Joanna ParrishMichel FourniretAuxerre, France20MurderedTo supplement her income during a stay in Auxerre, Parrish advertised her services as a teacher in a local newspaper, offering private English lessons. According to a flatmate, she was contacted by a man asking her to teach his son. She arranged to meet the caller outside the Banque Populaire in Auxerre at 7pm on 16 May 1990, but did not return home from the appointment. Her naked body was found the following day in the River Yonne, three miles outside town. She was raped, beaten and strangled. Serial killer Michel Fourniret, long suspected of the murder, eventually confessed to abducting and killing Parrish while serving a life sentence in 2018 but died before he could stand trial; his wife Monique Olivier was later convicted of being an accomplice to the crime.20 May 1990Susan PoupartUnknownLac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, US29MurderedThe victim was abducted and murdered. Three are considered primary suspects, but the murder remains unsolved.19 June 1990Elizabeth BainUnknownScarborough, Ontario, Canada22Presumed murderedElizabeth Bain was last seen leaving her home to drive to the University of Toronto Scarborough. Her car was found three days later with a large bloodstain on the back seat; she was presumed dead. Her boyfriend, Robert Baltovich, was convicted of her murder but was later exonerated; it is suspected that Bain may have been a victim of serial killer Paul Bernardo.2 August 1990British Airways Flight 149 passengersIraqi Army Kuwait International Airport VariousVariousPlane landed during the invasion of Kuwait.10 August 1990Jennifer SchuettDennis Earl BradfordDickinson, Texas, USA8RescuedSchuett was abducted from her room by Bradford who told her he was a police officer. He left her in a field after sexually assaulting and attempting to kill her, but she was rescued after being found by a group of children. Bradford was arrested for the crime 19 years later on 13 October 2009, but was found hanged on 10 May 2010 before he went to trial.30 August 1990Diana TurbayLos PriscosMedellín, Colombia40MurderedColombian journalist kidnapped by associates of the Medellín Cartel, who duped her into believing that she was going to interview guerilla leader Manuel Pérez. She was held in Copacabana until 25 January 1991, when she was killed during a botched rescue attempt by police.12 September 1990Davide CerviaFormer Italian Navy Electronic warfare technicianVelletri, Italy0UnknownDavide Cervia was kidnapped from his home in the Velletri countryside by a commando composed of at least four people. One of his neighbours witnessed the kidnapping but did not call the police on the spot. Davide Cervia was a former member of the Italian Navy, a highly skilled technician in operating electronic warfare ELT/ETE/GE with the Oto-Melara OTOMAT system.
According to some rumours coming from the Italian intelligence (SIOS), the kidnapping was arranged and managed by a Middle Eastern country (presumably Iraq) since Davide Cervia was useful to train the Iraqi defence forces to use the Oto-Melara OTOMAT system soon after the start of the first Gulf War (2 August 1990).
During the years of service in the Italian Navy, Davide Cervia had a top-secret clearance. He was considered the most skilled operator of the Oto-Melara OTOMAT electronic system, which had also been supplied to Iraq.
According to some other rumours, the list of countries potentially involved in the kidnapping includes (other than Iraq) Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and the Soviet Union (stealing of top-secret military information).