Cal Ripken Jr.'s mom OK after kidnapping

ABERDEEN, Md., July 25 (UPI) -- The 74-year-old mother of former Baltimore Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. has returned home safely after being kidnapped at gunpoint, police said Wednesday.

Aberdeen, Md., Police Chief Henry Trabert said Violet Ripken was accosted by a man wielding a handgun Tuesday morning, forced into her own car and driven by the suspect throughout Central Maryland before being found unharmed Wednesday morning, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Unnamed law enforcement sources told the newspaper Ripken had been bound by the kidnapper, who did not demand a ransom.

"This has been a very trying time for our family, but we are grateful and relieved that mom is back with us, safe and healthy," the Ripken family said in a statement. "We want to thank everyone for their tremendous support, especially all of the law enforcement agencies that worked so hard and quickly."

Trabert said Violet Ripken was "very upset" after the incident, describing the suspect as a white male in his late 30s to early 40s, last seen wearing a light colored shirt, camouflage pants and eye glasses.

The victim's son, Cal Ripken Jr., is a Hall of Famer and two-time American League MVP for the Baltimore Orioles. Her late husband, Cal Ripken Sr., was a longtime coach and manager for the club.

Her son Billy Ripken also played for the Orioles.