The cameraman deliberately moved the camera to capture a close-up of Edmund's crying face. For kidnappers, such raw emotion was the money shot.

"Cry louder and shed more tears," he even told Edmund. "Snot is even better—your mommy will wire the money as soon as she sees it."

Edmund sniffled, "But I'm already crying so much..."

The cameraman nodded. "Yes, but you're not miserable enough. Just think about it—you'll be spending decades of your life on a bed in the middle of a kennel, your body