Crime & Safety

1 Year Later: Aberdeen Police Still Seeking Help in Cal Ripken Family Kidnapping

Vi Ripken, mother of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken and the matriarch of the Aberdeen family, was kidnapped from her Clover Street home and returned within 24 hours in July 2012.

By Sean Welsh

He snuck into the Ripken family garage, drove the family matriarch around the Baltimore region and returned her under the veil of darkness in a 24-hour span.

The man who terrorized Aberdeen's first family of baseball remains at large, nearly a year after kidnapping Vi Ripken and leaving Cal Ripken, the baseball Hall of Famer, and the rest of the family to anticipate the worst.

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The case has been as baffling as it could have been tragic.

The man captured on video, still camera images and in a police sketch has eluded Aberdeen police and assisting agencies—including the Harford County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State police, Baltimore County police and Baltimore City police—in the investigation.

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"We would still consider it to be active," Aberdeen police spokesman Lt. Fred Budnick told Patch. "We're still looking for help from citizens."

The Ripken family declined comment for this story.

At a news conference in Baltimore following the abduction last year, Cal Ripken described the ordeal as "the worst feeling you could imagine," his eyes welling up as he described the uncertainty of the night of July 24, 2012. Earlier that day, his 74-year-old mother was taken.

She was found tied up in her car, a short distance from her home, around 6:15 a.m. on July 25, police said.

Ripken said last year that he had received a call from his sister, Ellen, around 9 p.m. on July 24. She relayed that police had received information about Vi Ripken's car being observed driven somewhere in eastern Baltimore County. A woman was seen tied up in the back seat.

"I actually physically got in the car and drove around," Cal Ripken said at the time. "It would be like finding a needle in a haystack, I suppose, but it made me feel like I was doing something that evening," he said. "I think we were hardening ourselves for the worst possibility. I know I was."

"It was a horrible night," he said.

The case was featured on America's Most Wanted and drew national media attention.

Mrs. Ripken moved in with family immediately after her abduction and eventually assimilated to her routine—participating in the Christmas Street Parade, attending IronBirds games and remaining active in a number of community initiatives.

Anyone with information or a tip may contact Aberdeen police at 410-265-8080.


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