Intruders Kidnap Wife and Child of Soccer Player in Ecuador

The Emelec defender reportedly hid under a bed during the home invasion in the city of Guayaquil.

Honduras' Roger Espinoza, right, and Ecuador's Christian Suarez battle for the ball during a friendly game in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Feb. 29, 2012. Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo

The wife and 5-year-old daughter of Ecuadorian soccer player Jackson Rodríguez were abducted during a home invasion at their residence in the port city of Guayaquil.

The kidnappings occurred around 3 a.m. local time on April 23, when unknown men entered the home looking for Rodríguez, 26, a defender for the Emelec club.

Police chief Édison Rodríguez said the soccer player was hiding under a bed when the incident occurred.

Rodríguez recalled hearing the front door being broken down and the intruders questioning his wife about his whereabouts, before taking her and their child.

In his testimony to authorities, Rodríguez said he looked out a window following the kidnapping and noticed that “the individuals were traveling in a gray-colored double-cab pickup truck.”

The incident occurred amid a state of emergency declared in nine areas throughout the nation—including Guayas, where Guayaquil is located.

The declaration, due in part to an increase in drug-related violence and crime in Ecuador, mobilizes security forces in those territories to combat the operations of organized crime groups.

The measure is set to last 60 days, imposing curfews on residents and temporarily suspending any legal protection against unauthorized search and entry of homes or mail.

According to government data, 2,345 violent deaths were recorded so far this year, over 740 of which occurred in Guayaquil.

Ecuador, with a population of 18 million, is among the Latin American nations with the highest homicide rates, seeing an increase from eight per 100,000 people to 46 per 100,000 from 2020 to 2023.

This isn’t the first time a professional athlete was targeted in the country. In December 2024, Pedro Perlaza, who played for Liga de Quito, was kidnapped in the coastal city of Esmeraldas.

He was held hostage for three days before being rescued and released, after National Police and their Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit were able to locate him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.