The family of Ecuadorian soccer player Jackson Rodríguez was rescued after being kidnapped from their home in Guayaquil, authorities reported on Friday.
Rodríguez, 26, hid under his bed when four armed and masked individuals broke into the home in the Mucho Lote neighborhood on Wednesday, taking his 24-year-old wife and 5-year-old son. After their release, the wife and son were given medical care but were found to be safe, said police commander Pablo Dávila.
The kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom, but the family refused to pay, Dávila added. Rodríguez, a left-back for Emelec, a first-division soccer club, did not have any physical harm from the incident.
After a police operation on Thursday night, officers located Rodríguez’s wife and son in “El Fortín,” a neighborhood in the northwest part of the city, known for being one of the most dangerous areas in Guayaquil, where a massacre of 22 people occurred in March.
This kidnapping took place during a state of emergency declared by the government in several areas of Ecuador, including the province of Guayas, which includes Guayaquil. The state of emergency was declared 10 days prior to address growing concerns over organized crime groups and violence in the region.
Guayaquil has been facing a surge in crime over the past few years, with a particularly alarming rise in violent deaths in early 2025. Between January and March, 2,345 violent deaths were reported, including 742 in Guayaquil. The city’s port is known for being a major hub for illegal drug trafficking to Europe, Central America, and the United States.
In a similar incident, another soccer player, Pedro Perlaza of Liga de Quito, was kidnapped in December 2024 in Esmeraldas, but was rescued a few days later.