The kidnapped wife and child of Ecuadorian player Jackson RodrÃguez have been freed, local police confirmed on Friday.
RodrÃguez's wife, Andrexy Karelis, and five-year-old child were abducted early on Wednesday when men broke into their home in Guayaquil in search of the Emelec defender.
RodrÃguez, 26, was not taken as he hid under a bed when he heard the front door being broken down.
The Ecuador police posted a video on social media of the operation they carried out in the early hours of Friday in Guayaquil to free the victims and said both were safe and unharmed.
RodrÃguez's club, Emelec, said in a statement: "According to information already released by the competent authorities, the victims of the kidnapping in Guayaquil, relatives of our player Jackson RodrÃguez, have been released.
"We are grateful for the effective investigative and operational work of the national police, which led to the release of his loved ones, who were kidnapped in the early hours of Wednesday, April 23. Both victims are safe and sound. Club Sport Emelec asks that the privacy of the family be respected at this time."
Insecurity and crime have plagued Ecuador for four years, with an increase in the first few months of the year, according to the government. Between January and March, 2,345 violent deaths were reported, 742 of which occurred in Guayaquil, 168 miles southwest of the capital Quito.
Other athletes have been targeted in the past. In December 2024, Liga de Quito player Pedro Perlaza was kidnapped in Esmeraldas, a city 113 miles northwest of Quito, and rescued a few days later.
