KidnappingSolved
The Kidnapping of Charles Urschel
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United StatesJuly 22, 1933
Oklahoma oil millionaire Charles Urschel was kidnapped at gunpoint from his Oklahoma City home on July 22, 1933, by the notorious gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly and his partner Albert Bates. Urschel was held for nine days and collected meticulous details about his captors during his captivity. The $200,000 ransom was paid and Urschel was released. Kelly was captured in Memphis within weeks, largely due to Urschel's precise observations, and died in prison in 1954.