Crime & Safety

Baseball Great Cal Ripken's Mother Abducted in Maryland, Released

Aberdeen, MD, resident and Ripken family matriarch Vi Ripken was taken from her home Tuesday.

resident Violet Roberta Ripken is safe at home after she was abducted from her home Tuesday morning, police said.

Aberdeen police spokesman Lt. Fred Budnick told Patch Wednesday there was no indication was specifically targeted and that a motive was under investigation.

In a statement, Aberdeen police said a man armed with a handgun—described as in his late 30s or early 40s wearing a light colored shirt, camouflage pants and glasses—forced Ripken into her own vehicle between 7-8 a.m. Tuesday.

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Aberdeen police received a call from Baltimore County police around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday regarding a suspicious vehicle in the Ebenezer Road area of Essex.

Ripken, 74, was located at 6:15 Wednesday morning unharmed in her vehicle near her home on Clover Street, police said.

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Police said she was not injured and is resting with family members.

Violet Ripken is the widow of Cal Ripken Sr. and the mother of Ellen, Cal, Fred and Bill Ripken.

"As you now know, our mother was abducted at gunpoint from her home yesterday morning," the children of the famed baseball family said in a statement.

"This has been a very trying time for our family, but we are grateful and relieved that mom is back with us, safe and healthy. We want to thank everyone for their tremendous support, especially all of the law enforcement agencies that worked so hard and quickly."

The FBI, Harford County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State police and Baltimore County police were assisting Aberdeen police in the investigation.

In a news release sent at 5:38 a.m. Wednesday, Baltimore County police initially reported Ripken, of the 400 block of Clover Street in Aberdeen, as missing.

An hour later, police said Ripken had been found in Harford County and was speaking with police.

Vi Ripken is very active in her hometown—serving on a number of volunteer boards, including the , which this fall is opening .

She's also a regular at games at . The club is owned by Ripken Baseball, founded by her sons Cal and Bill upon Cal's retirement. Her daughter, Elly, is an accountant for Ripken Baseball.

Her late husband, Cal Ripken Sr., was known affectionately as "Senior" to friends and family. He was a longtime coach and minor league manager in the Orioles system. He managed the Orioles in 1987, becoming the first manager with two sons on his roster. Cal Ripken Sr. died on March 25, 1999, and the family started the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation in his memory.

Cal Ripken Jr. is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame after an extraordinary career with the Orioles. He earned the nickname "IronMan" after he played in a record 2,632 consecutive games. Ripken also won two American League MVP awards during his career with the Orioles. He is chairman and founder of Ripken Baseball.


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