Naman Shrestha
In NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Ranch,’ we get a detailed glimpse into the life of the Valseca family and how it turned upside down when Eduardo Valseca was abducted and held captive for several months in 2007 in a small town in Mexico. Held for ransom, the hostage was tortured and assaulted on a regular basis, putting pressure on the family to pay out his ransom. Although Eduardo was released later, he did not come out as the same person. Thanks to the exclusive interviews with the family, including Eduardo, the viewers are able to get many of their questions answered.
Eduardo and Jayne’s Life Turned Upside Down in 2007
Hailing from San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Eduardo Garcia Valseca was the son of Colonel Jose Garcia Valseca, the founder of over 40 newspapers in Mexico and, hence, quite an influential figure. Eduardo grew up to become a successful businessman as an art dealer, but he could not find the same success in his first marriage, during which he became the father of two boys—Fernando and Emiliano. Divorced and trying to move forward with his life, the art dealer locked eyes with an American woman named Jayne at a payphone near Washington, DC, in 1992. As sparks flew between the two, the two got married and moved to his native land, Mexico.
By saving up money fixing houses, the couple purchased a picturesque desert ranch in the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. Just half a mile away from their ranch, Eduardo and Jayne founded a Waldorf School. Leading a picture-perfect life and raising three children, Fernando, Emiliano, and Nayah, they could not ask for more from life. However, their idyllic life came to a sudden halt just a couple of weeks before summer vacation. One morning in June 2007, after the couple dropped their kids at school, they noticed that they were being chased by a car. By the time they could do anything, they were ambushed by a gang of armed men and made to get out of the vehicle at gunpoint and get inside theirs.
Eduardo Was Held Captive For More Than Seven Months
On the way, they decided to let Jayne go but kept hold of Eduardo. Several tense days later, she received an email from the kidnappers who demanded $8 million for the well-being and liberation of her husband. Since his father was an influential figure in the nation, the kidnappers might have thought that Eduardo had millions of dollars to his name. However, by the time he had grown up, most of the family money was gone. So, when Jayne was unable to gather the necessary funds to free her husband, the kidnappers started becoming violent towards Eduardo, to the point that they even shot him twice, once in the leg and once in the arm, while keeping him bound in a small wooden cage. Not only did the entire ordeal take a toll on his physical being, but it also tested Eduardo’s mental strength.
After months of torturing and threatening, the kidnappers realized that the family really couldn’t gather the $8 million they demanded. So, they finally set Eduardo free after accepting a revised amount of ransom money. During the seven and a half months of captivity, he had lost several pounds and weighed less than 100 pounds when he returned home to his wife in January 2008. His wife told CNN, “He was so weak and had been through so much that he couldn’t even smile. He could barely talk above a whisper, and it took several hours of giving him liquids and foods for him to even be able to talk and to finally smile with the children.”
Eduardo Lost His Wife And Currently Lives in Washington, DC
After the traumatic experience, the Valseca family relocated to the United States and stayed at Jayne’s mother’s residence. For a while, Eduardo started going to therapy sessions to deal with the trauma he suffered. In order to raise awareness about organized crimes, the couple launched a crusade and even protested in front of the White House. Several months later, they decided to head back to Mexico and videotape some portions of the report, despite knowing that their lives could still be in danger from the kidnappers. Eduardo and Jayne took this opportunity to throw a reunion party and invited their local friends. Soon, he learned that his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, which ultimately took her life at the age of 45, in 2012.
Since then, the widower has been leading a single life as he watched his children find success in their personal and professional lives, making him a proud father. Determined not to let his traumatic past dictate his present life, he resides in a suburb of Washington, DC. Promoting his wife’s 2011 book titled ‘We Have Your Husband: One Woman’s Terrifying Story of a Kidnapping in Mexico,’ Eduardo keeps her memories alive in his heart. Although he stays away from his children, he keeps in touch with all of them.
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