How Life360 helped track Jessup’s mother amidst a kidnapping

Our users at Life360 often share stories of how they’re using the app – whether it’s about how they are staying connected with their families or have peace of mind from monitoring new teenage drivers. The stories of gratitude we receive on a daily basis keeps us working hard to constantly improve our app. We recently connected with one of our users, Jessup, who offered to share his own powerful story about how Life360 helped save his mother after she was kidnapped.

On a seemingly normal Saturday afternoon in January, Jessup’s mother, Karen, was leaving her home to visit family nearby. This was a drive she had taken many times and her family knew the commute shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. When she didn’t arrive at her destination within the half hour, her family became worried.

I use Life360 because it lets me know when my family has left or gotten to school. It’s important I know when my sisters and mom get home safely.

After ample time had passed without hearing from Karen, Jessup’s stepfather called her to check-in. When she picked up, she was “speaking in code” and he could hear a strange, aggressive man in the background. Jessup immediately pulled up Life360 to see her location, only to see she was driving far away from her routine commute. Unbeknownst to Jessups’ family, a man had snuck into Karen’s unlocked SUV and hid in the backseat. When she began to drive, he held her at gunpoint and demanded she drive across state lines.

Suddenly, Karen’s kidnapper threw her phone out of the moving car window, activating Life360’s crash detection. Jessup was able to call 911 and explain the situation, alerting the police to look for an accident. From this, authorities were able to utilize the app to track Karen’s location and route.

The kidnapper disappeared after being dropped off across state lines and did not harm Karen. Thankfully, she was able to find local authorities to explain the situation. Jessup says she is recovering safely at home and has shared her Life360 story to over 3000 people via Facebook. 

Download Life360. It helped us prove that my mom was in danger and helped us to track her location. It was really important for the investigation and the local police.

Fortunately, police were able to locate and apprehend the suspect just a few weeks after the incident. Jessup continues to share his mother’s story while crediting her safe-return home to Life360. The family had downloaded the app one month ago to keep his mother and three sisters connected on a daily basis.

Jessup’s story is just one example of the incredible ways Life360 has impacted our users. Thank you to Jessup and his entire family for letting us share your story. We’re so thankful we could be there for you.