Ok so I have a story where an FBI team of around 5-7 are kidnapped, and I have no idea of how long the antagonist would need to keep a low profile, move the captives around, and generally avoid detection. Does anyone know around how long a kidnapping case is kept open, or how the antagonist could avoid FBI trying to get the team back? Idk a good way she could stage all their deaths??
Essentially forever - there is no statute of limitations on kidnapping. Also it seems very unlikely that the FBI would give up on a case where its own agents were kidnapped - that sort of thing would attract unlimited resources due to the organisational insult. Staging their deaths would also not be a good option as there is also no statute of limitations on murder and the same logic applies (unless he is also going to frame someone else or stage them as an accident) Also how the hell does one kidnapper overcome a team of 5 highly trained agents - sounds improbable to me
Yeah you're right, I guess I will have to do an AU, or something. God, the more I think about it the more cringe I realize the story sounds. ugh. I don't mean they would close the case (Sorry terrible wording), I meant when would they be forced to lessen focus on that case. You're right though. I could change it so it's a team like a gang??? idk, and the captives aren't FBI. I will probably scrap the whole thing and start from scratch.
you could set it somewhere other than the US - in Mexico for example their organised crime/narco trafickers are pretty much at war with the Fedrales and its not unusual for feds to be kidnapped (they aren't generally kept alive though)
I like that idea, I think I may only have 2 of the group of 7 kidnapped since this is a Fanfic of the show Criminal minds. I will only have Reid, and Garcia kidnapped since neither of them is super fit or very strong. Not that they are very weak either, just they would probably be easier to subdue than Hotch, or Morgan. Also faking only 2 deaths would be easier than 5-7. What do you think?
Also The MC does have a gang to pin the murders on, the gang is already going to be known for their hatred of cops, but it's all a work in progress.
I think that's been done on the show tbh , it will be hard to avoid it coming off as derivative and weak ( Reid was kidnapped in series 2 , Garcia was targetted by a stalker a couple of series ago, and JJ was kidnapped in the last series but one) The other thing is that per the various examples above the other 5 would never stop looking, and also they are profilers so it will be difficult for your character to fool them
I haven't watched all the series, I do remember JJ being kidnapped, and Ried being kidnapped though I don't think I remember Garcia dealing with a stalker. , I am thinking about maybe having my OC somehow try to keep the team at bay a little, with threats to harm Reid more, I know the MC will have to to be taken in at the end, but the damage done to Garcia and Reid won't go away, I am planning to go all out with this. like Amputation type stuff. To be completely honest this is essentially going to be torture porn in written form. I just need to be able to have My OC have Reid and possibly Garcia for a few days or more. This is one of the harder Fandoms to write this kind of fanfic of, because I don't know really anything about the FBI, or know enough about forensics to be able to write a character that could outsmart the BAU.