My husband was in the top side ship repair and oil field supply business in New Orleans. When we had to go to Mexico City on business, we were met by 3 cars. All were armored. We were in the middle car with a car of body guards in front and back of us. This was standard for anyone doing legitimate business. We had 3 friends/acquaintances that were kidnapped. All were recovered but suffered horribly. I love Mexico but will NEVER travel there in the near future. I would caution all parents to seriously think about not allowing their college kids to spend Holidays on the beaches there. I am not usually such a cautious traveler. Once in Venice in 1981 The Red Brigade murdered a person right underneath our Hotel Balcony.I will return there in a heart beat. --But Mexico is now a whole different world.

I watched with great interest at the ordeal that your family went through... it does not surprise me that no one was brought to justice.... I am glad that you are now safe .. although you have found it not possible to live in Mexico... I have been helping a Mexican family for over 2 years now... that were falsely accused of abuse against children. It involves the Attorney General's office in Mazatlan, and people being imprisoned for almost 2 years before being released .. clear of all charges as there was no evidence... Even with the the clearing of those imprisoned .. arrest warrants still exist for the same false charges against 3 people and they cannot get these arrest warrants quashed... They literally have to give themselves up and be imprisoned and then prove to a judge .. their innocence.... These charges were trumped up for the sole purpose of demanding money... 3 million pesos from this family... money they don't and never had... Mexico is a corrupt country in many ways... reaching high into the ranks of the justice system.... Tourists should be afraid to go there... if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.. you can be caught in a web that is difficult to impossible to get out of in Mexico.... I love Mexico .. and have not felt safe to return there for the past 2 years as I fear for my personal safety.. being vocal in the defense of this innocent family

Good luck with your life in the USA..... I am glad that you have got your family back together... and have been able to put your life back together....

Just speechless about this story yet unfortunately not surprised. I now live in El Paso, TX border with Juarez, MX and just like the Valseca family miss Mexico but will never visit again. Several friends were kidnapped but they did not have the same luck Mr. Valseca did, they were found dead in the middle of roads just weeks after they were kidnapped. Everyone I know has now been touched by the violence in one way or another. Whoever had the means to flee into the US now has due to fear of the out of control violence. It is no longer the drug cartels involved but the police and the military. Mexico is literally a "no man's land' now, there is no law, there is no justice and it is only getting worse by the day. I applaud this family for speaking out and letting the world know what really happens with this joke of a "Government". It saddens me deeply as a Mexican to say this but everything beautiful and any potential left for Mexico is now gone. The only thing we are left with is to pray because to trust the police and the justice system only makes us feel more disappointed and enraged.

Jayne and Eduardo,

My heart ached as I watched you tell your story. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I really needed the attitude check for my own life. I called my husband and told him only a hint of what you had gone through. Then I told him how much I love him, and that he is my best friend. Jayne, your love and dedication to your husband really inspired me, and touched my heart. It reminded me once again of what I want to be for my husband and my family. I am so thankful that Eduardo was brought back to you. What a gift from the God.

what happened to the employee that volunteer to deliver the money and was taken? i wasn't able to watch the whole episode.

Jayne and Eduardo- We sat riveted to the television last night as your ordeal unfolded. I cannot imagine the terror you experienced. One of our daughters was married in San Miguel de Allende on Dia de los Muertos of 2007. As tourists, we had no inkling of the tragedy being played out around us. I can understand how you fell so totally in love with SMA and felt safe prior to this happening. We researched SMA quite thoroughly before the wedding and found it to be as safe as most US towns. It is one of the most picturesque towns I know of. Thank God for the inner strength you both possess and the love you share. Good luck on your new life in the States.

I was visiting San Miguel de Allende for the first time in Aug. 2007, two months after this occurred. There was no mention in the press or "on the streets" of Mr. Valseca's kidnapping. I'd considered retiring there at one time and planned another visit for this summer. Needless to say, I won't be returning. Not that I'm a priority candidate for kidnapping but I don't want to be in a place where events are covered up so tourism won't be damaged, where there is no recourse or where justice can't be delivered. Pretty scary. Thanks for your excellent reporting but especially thanks to the Valsecas for bravely coming forward with their story. I'll continue to follow their journey.

Tal vez San Miguel de Allende es uno de los lugares mas bonitas de Mexico. Pero la delinquencia empezo ha aumentar despues que empezaron de abrir los centros nocturnos, en las afueras de SMA que no hace mucho de esto. Todo empezo cuando fue electo el PAN en SMA. Desde entonces se empezaron a oir casos como estos y sobre el narcotrafico, en si la gente sabe pero no pueden hablar por temor. Pero me da gusto saber que hay gente como Jayne y Eduardo que tuvieron el valor de hacerlo publico aqui en USA y ojala que la gente que sepa de estos abusos se atrevan a denunciarlos, aunque se que es duro porque en SMA o en Mexico , cualquier persona tiene acseso a pedir informacion de las denuncias y eso pone en peligro a los que lo hacen. Quiero mucho a SMA porque es donde naci y fui criado pero por la inseguridad no lo visto como me gustaria, empezando con la frontera de Mexico. Me duele saber que esto paso en mi pueblo.

i watched the show and i think that the kidnappers are horrible to do that to your and your family your are my idol and i hope you and your family find the kidnappers and have a good life glad your safe

Two years later the Valsecas get a call from the Federal Police to ask them not to speak about their kidnapping, of course no progress made t catch their kidnappers. Instead of tying to silence the victims they threaten them with another potential kidnapping since they (the police) haven’t made an arrest. This is outrageous! The interview of the Federal Police Commissioner (Alejandro Rojas) was telling, “the case is a permanent case”, it’s a systematic job”. He then blames it on the EPR and explains its “national security” so no further information can be made—and at the same time he tells the Valsecas case closed, keep your mouths shut. If’s he not corrupt himself, he’s either protecting his (poor) reputation or trying the best to cover up the story to protect the tourism trade. Americans, beware-This is what you’ll get it you travel to ANYWHERE in Mexico.

Time to boycott Mexico, too many of the government and municipal, state and federal police are complicit in kidnapping and the drug trade, no secret to anyone living in Mexico. For political reasons, primarily their inept ability to prevent or just reduce kidnappings the Mexican government continues to minimize the growing problem spreading throughout Mexico. No longer is it the wealthy, even the lower class Mexican people are being held for a ransom. It is an insidious poison leeching its way through the entire Mexican society, regardless of demographics. Until the Mexican government takes kidnapping serious every US citizens should boycott the entire country with our dollars. This is the ONLY thing the Mexican government will understand, loss of tourism/dollars. Any Americans wishing to vacation in Mexico should remember what the gentleman whose daughter was kidnapped and subsequently killed said, “there is no justice” in Mexico. Cover ups, obfuscation, inept police at every level, not a place I’d like to go regardless of the beauty and cost and how wonderful 99% of the Mexican people are.

My wife asked 2 weeks ago if we should take a vacation to Cancun, where we’re been before. I said no, it’s too dangerous now anywhere in Mexico, the Dateline show Desperate Hours reinforced my belief this is no longer a place to vacation or to travel to for business.

I grew up on the Border (El Paso) and frequented Cuidad Juarez regularly as a child and young adult. Even then (60's and 70's) Mexico was known as a country with nominal laws but little systematic enforcement where "justice" and "protection" could be had for a price. Fast forward to the 80s and 90's. Narcoterrorism and extortion are rule the day. Mexico has descending to the level of Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq. All failed states. Anyone living or travelling in Mexico is indordinately susceptible to violence the longer one stands on Mexican soil.

i live 58 miles from mexico and i have stop going there about 6 yr ago. i think that the us should go in there and clean it up, if were going to fight it should be there and not were we have been for all this time, over what  OIL what a wast of life.

i think it's sad that the wife and husband can no longer go home what dose that say for that country and this country

I'm so saddened by your story, the words have left me. I ask that God bless you, keep you safe, and restore the physical and mental health to your family. Thank you for being brave enough to help others by reliving your pain and telling your story on Dateline.

I am a American girl who was iving in Mexico and Kidnapped for ransom in 1976. I was 8 years old at the time and held for almost a month. I lived outside in the mountains, was blindfolded and tied to a tree for 99% of the time. I so identify with Jayne and her family, I too had to leave Mexico after I was returned. I did return to Mexico a few years later and lived there for another two years. On the show it mentioned Jayne was looking to connect with other Americans who have been through this ordeal; I would love to connect with her.

My story is very similar, however in my case both Mexican and American government were involved in making sure it stayed quiet. As I said above I would love to connect with Jayne and share my story. I too am ready to speak and tell my story.

Gracias

In 1982 we spent 3 months in SMA and, even back then, we were told that the police were corrupt, violent thugs and were the last people to call on in times of trouble. They were the butt of many jokes and referred to as "monkeys" by people in the town. We were also told that being a cop in Mexico was considered the "lowest of the low" job and nobody with any brains or integrity would join the police force.

Apparently nothing has changed. SMA is a gorgeous town, as is much of the rest of Mexico, but with stories like this coming out with amazing frequency (think of how many such stories are suppressed!), the wise traveller will find somewhere safer to spend money. Those of us lucky enough to live in relatively safe places (Canada, in my case) might do well to spend our holidays (and money) discovering more of the many delights of our own countries.

I was very touched while watching Jayne and Eduardos story. I was born in central Mexico, 3 hours south form San Miguel de Allende. My family and I have visited this town a few times and I fell in love with it's beauty and tranquility. It's sad to say but I am not shocked by what happened to Eduardo because it seems that it is now an everyday thing that is occuring in my beloved Mexico. Althought I was a bit surprised that it happened in SMA being so close to my hometown, always thinking that this wouldn't happen around here, only in the border states. But now that peace and tranquility is gone.

We moved to Canada about 16 years ago and about 5 years ago I went back to my hometown to vist family. I loved it so much that I stayed for 2 years. I was not aware of how dangerouse Mexico was becoming, altough the town that I am from is still safe. So in a way I was sheltered from all the crime and violence that was happening around me.

Just like the Valsecas, I miss Mexico so much. I miss the culture, the food, the beauty, the desert, the people. But now I am too scared to go back. It's funny how I had always said that if I could choose another town to live in Mexico it would be San Miguel de Allende. Mexico will always be a part of me, I am proud to be Mexican. But the government, the corruption, the violence, the drug war that is happening right now and all the injustice that the police and other high officials have done and continue to do, makes me so terrribly sad. All the innocent people that are being killed for nothing is not right. It needs to stop but I have a feeling that it will be a long time before we see change, before we see a new Mexico. I can only hope that one day I will feel safe to go back to my querido Mexico.

I am so happy that Eduardo was reunited with his family. It's great to hear a happy ending to such a horrible story. Thank you for chossing to speak out about what happened to you so more people become aware of what is really happening in Mexico. All the best and I wish you all the luck in getting justice.

We wanted so much to live in San Miguel, and in fact did just that for several years. But we couldn't shake off the feeling that there are worse times coming for Mexico, and with much sadness we left. Unfortunately the "word on the street" in San Miguel is that the Valseca story had  a "more than meets the eye" component, alluding to some real estate investments gone wrong and payback to Eduardo. However, we feel it could just be the simple fact that the kidnappers thought they had money, and that was all it took to begin their nightmare.

And where was their "friend" Mayor Lucy Nunez when the train car was being wrecked and the police couldn't come because they had "no gasoline for their cars?" She was shown in several scenes, including singing along with Eduardo on their last visit to San Miguel--but when push came to shove, there was no help when their train car was trashed. Seems like there is more to THAT story than we are hearing, that's for sure.

Personally, without getting all lofty and self-righteous about it, we also just didn't feel we could continue to live in San Miguel, or anywhere in Mexico for that matter, appreciating and benefiting from certain aspects of the quality of life there for expats who have even a modest income--while so many citizens of Mexico are suffering because of the current climate of violence and corruption.  It just didn't seem right somehow.

So, we have left Mexico, and don't know if we shall ever return no matter how much we love the people, the traditions, the food, the music--so many things. It's difficult to imagine that it will change in our lifetime, given that we are in our 60's. So sad, so senseless, and such a tragic loss of life and liberty for so many.

Why oh why can't the American government see what is happening on our own doorstep and do something in THIS part of the world to make a lasting difference for Mexico? Even if it is "self-serving" for our country, the whole situation is reaching critical mass and I'd rather see us reach out to assist the Mexican people than continue to fight wars we'll never win. Not to mention the majority of the money laundering is happening HERE, as well as the consumption of illegal drugs.

I often think of a saying I read that sums it up perfectly..."Poor Mexico--too far away from God and too close to the United States." In any case, best wishes for a peaceful and safe life for the Valsecas.

I Love watching Dateline it's a great news show that can pick up stories that the news cannot elaborate on. 'N every show that I misses on t.v. thankfully I can catch it on the internet. every story that Dateline shows it's always worth watching, I learns a lot. 'N my Heart breaks for a lot of peoples who are ''VICTIMS'' of Crime. I always wanted to visit Mexico one Day, but now I change my mind, FEAR says NO THANK U. I hope that Mexico will straighten out it's Mess that suppose to be the President of that Country job. the peoples cannot do it without the government standing up for his own Country 'N peoples. Laws, Laws, no Laws no Peace, no Laws no justice. just crime 'N corruption only!!!

This was a horrifying story. I can't believe what Eduardo had to go through. I guess some people have strength to get through almost anything. Good luck to him, his brave wife, and his family. I'm tearing up writing this, thinking of their ordeal. I'm always amazed at some people's ability to be so cruel to their fellow human beings.

This show was dragging on so long, I'm glad I could find the outcome here.

I'm changing the channel.

WOW, what a wonderful couple, nice to see a couple with such strong family values and real love and appreciation... Please come to Canada -we need more people with such values as you wonderful couple possess!