Rhode Island's Kidnappings Plummet More Than Nearly Every Other State: Study

Kidnappings dropped nationwide, but Rhode Island's decline was among the steepest.

By Joseph Hosey, Patch Staff

Sep 2, 2026 6:05 PM EDT

Kidnappings in Rhode Island decreased at a rate greater than nearly every other state in America, a recent study revealed.

The study, conducted by the researchers at Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers of Las Vegas, examined data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer.

Reported kidnappings and abductions across all 50 states were compared across two 12-month periods, May 2024 to April 2025 and May 2025 to April 2026.

"Kidnapping and abduction remain a persistent public safety challenge across the United States, one that is not distributed evenly across the country," according to a media release. "While the national trajectory is moving in the right direction, the picture at the state level is more fractured, with a significant cluster of states pulling sharply against the tide."

That was not the case in Rhode Island, where such incidents dropped by 28.9%. The only other states with steeper decreases were Alaska and Hawaii.

A dozen states saw kidnappings increase during the times in question. The worst was Arizona, followed by Nebraska, Iowa, Florida and New Jersey.

"The national decline is genuinely encouraging, and we should acknowledge the progress," Ramzy Ladah, the founder and CEO of Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, said in the release.

"But the data from these 12 states demands attention," Ladah said. "When kidnapping incidents rise sharply in concentrated pockets while the rest of the country improves, that signals a need for heightened community awareness and stronger local data monitoring in those areas."