Amanda Edinger, the housekeeper overseeing Michael Bloomberg’s multi-million dollar property in Colorado, was rescued Thursday after being kidnapped at gunpoint by a man allegedly searching for the former presidential candidate or his daughters.
Joseph Beecher, 48, allegedly wanted to “make an international scene” when he rammed his truck through the gate of Bloomberg’s Rio Blanco County estate, according to the Daily Mail. Beecher then found Edinger working at the ranch’s service house and kidnapped her at gun point, forcing her to drive him through metro Denver and into Wyoming in her own vehicle, reported the New York Post.
Edinger told investigators that Beecher kissed her on the forehead and told her he would kill her if she were a man, according to the New York Post. He also forced her to withdraw money from an ATM where Edinger said she mouthed the words “help me,” hoping it would be recorded by the machine’s surveillance camera, reported the Daily Mail. (RELATED: Gang Blamed For Kidnapping 17 American Missionaries In Haiti)
UPDATE: Both Beecher and Edinger have been found safe. Beecher was taken into custody and Edinger is in protective custody. https://t.co/5dpBwiRVOk
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) February 3, 2022
Beecher is being held without bail in the Laramie County Jail in Wyoming after being charged with kidnapping in federal court Thursday, according to NBC News. Beecher also faces multiple state charges including kidnapping and felony menacing, as well as further charges in Wyoming.
“We’re deeply grateful to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Wyoming law enforcement, the F.B.I. and other individuals for their swift and heroic action in this case in ensuring that no lives were lost and that the victim has been rescued and safely returned to her family,” Michael Bloomberg spokesman Ty Trippet said in a statement.