Home Invasion Leads to Abduction of Ecuadorian Soccer Star’s Wife and Child

Ecuadorian police are investigating the kidnappings of Emelec FC defender Jackson Rodríguez’s wife and child following a home invasion on Wednesday.

Rodríguez’s wife and daughter were taken during the early hours of April 23, when a group of men broke into their home around 3 a.m. in Guayaquil, looking for him.

The soccer player told police he hid under a bed when he heard the invaders breaking down the front door. He heard them questioning his wife about his whereabouts, after which they abducted her and his daughter.

Rodríguez also told police he saw the getaway car they traveled in through a window, describing it as a “gray-colored double-cab pickup truck.”

Another Ecuadorian soccer player, Pedro Perlaza, faced a similar ordeal in December 2024—except he was the one kidnapped. Perlaza was going to attend a party with a friend when they were taken. Fortunately, both he and the friend were rescued by Ecuadorian authorities days later.

The incident involving Rodríguez’s family comes almost two weeks after the president of Ecuador declared a state-of-emergency in seven of the country’s 24 provinces, also including the capital Quito and the mining town Camilo Ponce Enriquez.

He implemented the measure—set to last for 60 days—to combat drug-related violence in these areas, which has spiked since the beginning of this year.