KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hermosillo taqueria chain owner victim of so-called express kidnapping, mayor calls it an ‘isolated

Over the weekend, an Hermosillo businessman and his family went through a frightening ordeal.

On Sunday, the owner of a chain of taco shops in Sonora’s capital city was kidnapped and held for ransom. While the state Attorney’s Office did not identify the 78-year-old man, it did confirm that his family paid nearly $12,000 to secure his release that same day. Such crimes are informally known as secuestros express, or express kidnappings.

Authorities say that two assailants allegedly attacked the elderly man in his rural ranch home and drove away with him in his own vehicle. The state AG is investigating.

After speaking with law enforcement, Hermosillo Mayor Antonio Astiazaran said that the kidnapping is not tied to an organized group carrying out such crimes, and described it as an “isolated incident.”

Murphy Woodhouse was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2018 to 2023.