Las Vegas has seen a sharp rise in kidnapping and abduction reports this year, with new police data showing that cases have surged by more than 40 percent compared with the same period in 2025.
Police investigated more than 150 kidnapping or abduction cases as of May 24, up from 108 reported during the same timeframe last year – which is roughly a 42 percent increase, according to data collected from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, KSNV reported.
The spike comes as several recent high-profile cases in the Vegas area – some involving accusations sexual assault or deadly carjackings – are also being investigated for alleged kidnapping. Experts say the numbers may also reflect the wide scope of Nevada’s kidnapping laws.
Under the state’s law, kidnapping can include a range of situations in which a person is taken, detained or moved against their will. State statute defines kidnapping as unlawfully seizing, confining, abducting, concealing or carrying away a person for purposes including ransom, robbery, sexual assault, substantial bodily harm or other crimes, KSNV reports.
Prosecutors can also pursue kidnapping charges when someone is moved or detained during the commission of another felony, even if the distance is short.
“Kidnapping involves a number of different scenarios,” retired Clark County District Attorney David Roger said. “The core of every kidnapping is taking someone against their will and moving them to a different area, and it doesn’t have to be very far.”
Angela Reyes, chief program officer for SafeNest, a Las Vegas organization that supports victims of domestic and sexual violence, said some survivors describe situations in which they were taken, moved or threatened against their will, though many victims may still hesitate to report those incidents to police.
“I think there is definitely a discrepancy about reporting,” Reyes said, adding that some victims fear retaliation or doubt law enforcement can protect them based on prior experiences.
Roger also said that kidnapping cases have historically been associated with crimes such as carjackings and sexual assaults.
Several of these cases are included in the reports for this year.
Last month, police arrested 39-year-old Martin Guerra for alleged kidnapping and sexual assault. Police are searching for possible additional victims as they released photos of a white van. Guerra remains in custody on a $1 million bail and is set to appear in court on June 3.
Another case involved 55-year-old Harold Allen, who is accused of stealing a running car from a Walmart parking lot in April while a passenger was asleep inside. Investigators said Allen crashed the vehicle into another car and a light pole near West Charleston Boulevard and Essex Drive, killing the passenger, Benito Saragosa. Prosecutors later charged Allen with first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery and grand larceny of a vehicle.
Police also investigated a suspected kidnapping tied to a domestic violence incident that led to a vehicle pursuit with officers over the weekend, and the arrest of 26-year-old Alejandro Mendoza.
The data shows that the top three areas in Las Vegas for reported kidnapping and abduction cases in 2026 so far have been Spring Valley with 23 cases, compared with only eight last year, and Northwest and Southeast, each with 22.
South Central Area Command experienced the largest percentage increase, with reported cases rising 225 percent – from four cases last year to 13 this year.
