Recovered; Jan 08, 2005

Lori Wagner saw her kidnapper turn his back for just seconds. And that's all she needed for a corageous dash to freedom. Police say Michael Diekhoff stopped at a Flying J Trucking Center in Sioux Falls, SD about 9:00 the morning of January 8, 2005. When Diekhoff got out of the vehicle to pump gas, police say his kidnapped passenger, Lori Wagner, quickly slid into the driver's seat and sped off onto Interstate 90. She stopped at the next exit and called 911. The Sioux Falls Police Department confirmed that Lori had been kidnapped two days earlier and immediately began hunting for Diekhoff.

Witnesses spotted Diekhoff walking away from the truck stop where he was stranded. The Sioux Falls Police Department and South Dakota State Patrol used tracking dogs to follow Diekhoff into a nearby business that sells campers and trailers. With more than 100 trailers on the property, police and U.S. Marshals finally found Diekhoff hiding in one of the campers and arrested him without incident. It turns out Lori's co-workers were right about the vehicle used in the kidnapping. They had spotted a suspicious minivan close to the company parking lot shortly before Lori was abducted. Police say Diekhoff used that rented minivan for the kidnapping. Lori told police her life was in danger and she had to stay with Diekhoff and follow his instructions in order to stay alive.