Three arrested after 13-year-old kidnapped and held for ransom

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Two adults and a juvenile have been arrested after a 13-year-old boy was kidnapped Thursday and held for ransom on the Southeast Side.

Law enforcement officials said they were contacted about a kidnapping involving the boy and that the suspects were demanding a ransom from the boy’s father. 

Court records state that at about 5:30 a.m. the boy's father received a phone call from his son's phone, with a woman demanding $3,000 because she caught the boy inside her vehicle and he had damaged the car.

While investigating, police discovered where the victim was possibly being held. Columbus police SWAT executed a search warrant in the 4100 block of Tarkton Square North, in the Winchester neighborhood, and safely recovered the boy, police said.

A Kia with a broken rear passenger window was parked outside. The boy said he was inside the vehicle when he was confronted by two males who directed guns at him and assaulted him, court records state. He was forced inside while the woman used his phone to demand money from his father.

Cece Prak, 20, Zackary Boyd, 21, and a juvenile were arrested and each charged with a first-degree felony count of kidnapping. During an interview, the defendants denied holding the juvenile against his will for ransom, court records said.