Kidnapings Montana

On July 15, 1984, athlete Kari Swenson was kidnaped while running on a mountain trail near this resort town about 20 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. Her abductors--who the next morning shot Kari through the chest and killed one of her rescuers--were self-proclaimed mountain men Don Nichols, 53, and his 18-year-old son, Dan. They had long shunned society, hiding out in the mountains and surviving on squirrel meat, poached livestock and caches of red beans.

A man accused of abducting a 17-year-old girl from a Nebraska mall last week surrendered at a lakeside cabin in Montana after the teenager calmly helped police end a 10-hour standoff. Anne Sluti, an honor student from Kearney, Neb., had a black eye but appeared otherwise unharmed. She ran into the arms of a deputy and was later reunited with her parents in nearby Kalispell. "We have a miracle that happened," Sluti's father, Don, said by telephone from Kearney before leaving for Montana.

The wife of an internationally known cattleman got a ransom note demanding $1 million after her husband disappeared, authorities have disclosed. He was found shot to death two days later. Wayne Stevenson, 51, was reported missing Sunday evening after he failed to return from feeding cattle. His body was found near a shed Tuesday. He had been shot several times, Sheriff Steve Knecht said.

It is known in some circles as the geographical cure. Pack up your child molester and ship him far away. Montana maintains--and Massachusetts does not deny--that this is what happened in the case of 43-year-old Nathaniel Bar-Jonah. The hulking Massachusetts native now is charged with kidnapping and murdering 10-year-old Zachary Ramsay. The child lived in Great Falls, Mont., where Bar-Jonah was sent by the state of Massachusetts after spending 12 years in a treatment center for sexual offenders.

It is known in some circles as the geographical cure. Pack up your child molester and ship him far away. Montana maintains--and Massachusetts does not deny--that this is what happened in the case of 43-year-old Nathaniel Bar-Jonah. The hulking Massachusetts native now is charged with kidnapping and murdering 10-year-old Zachary Ramsay. The child lived in Great Falls, Mont., where Bar-Jonah was sent by the state of Massachusetts after spending 12 years in a treatment center for sexual offenders.

A man accused of abducting a 17-year-old girl from a Nebraska mall last week surrendered at a lakeside cabin in Montana after the teenager calmly helped police end a 10-hour standoff. Anne Sluti, an honor student from Kearney, Neb., had a black eye but appeared otherwise unharmed. She ran into the arms of a deputy and was later reunited with her parents in nearby Kalispell. "We have a miracle that happened," Sluti's father, Don, said by telephone from Kearney before leaving for Montana.

What do you do when you have suddenly been caught in something so strange and frightening that it couldn't possibly be real? Except that it is. If you're Kari Swenson, you try to deal with it. With the help and support of family and friends, you try to put it behind you. And you go on, trying to put your life back in good order, trying to make your dreams work, trying to find rewards and enjoyment. Swenson, it would appear, is succeeding.

The wife of an internationally known cattleman got a ransom note demanding $1 million after her husband disappeared, authorities have disclosed. He was found shot to death two days later. Wayne Stevenson, 51, was reported missing Sunday evening after he failed to return from feeding cattle. His body was found near a shed Tuesday. He had been shot several times, Sheriff Steve Knecht said.

On July 15, 1984, athlete Kari Swenson was kidnaped while running on a mountain trail near this resort town about 20 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. Her abductors--who the next morning shot Kari through the chest and killed one of her rescuers--were self-proclaimed mountain men Don Nichols, 53, and his 18-year-old son, Dan. They had long shunned society, hiding out in the mountains and surviving on squirrel meat, poached livestock and caches of red beans.

What do you do when you have suddenly been caught in something so strange and frightening that it couldn't possibly be real? Except that it is. If you're Kari Swenson, you try to deal with it. With the help and support of family and friends, you try to put it behind you. And you go on, trying to put your life back in good order, trying to make your dreams work, trying to find rewards and enjoyment. Swenson, it would appear, is succeeding.