Kidnapped U.S. Forest Service Employees Released After More Than 12 Hours, Authorities Say

Two U.S. Forest Service employees were released after being kidnapped and held for more than 12 hours in Northern California, authorities said. The employees were taken at gunpoint and zip-tied inside a trailer in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest area. Sheriff and FBI officials said negotiations with the captors—assisted by local, state, and federal resources—ended with the hostages being freed early Friday. A father-and-son duo suspected in the kidnapping were arrested, and investigators are working to determine motive.