Brother: Ransom demanded for missing Texas soldier
McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- The brother of a Texas soldier says the soldier has been missing for a week, and that the FBI has told his family that the Army received a ransom demand for the soldier's return.
J.C. Gonzalez, the brother of 24-year-old Pfc. James Gonzalez, said Tuesday that the FBI told his family that the Army received a call demanding a $100,000 ransom and a demand that all soldiers be withdrawn from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Gonzalez is a soldier at Fort Hood in central Texas. He failed to return to base July 13 as scheduled. He told his family in Robstown two days earlier he was headed to Laredo to hang out with friends before returning to base.
About 575 National Guard troops remain on the border, but the thousands that had been patrolling the area withdrew last year.
