Story highlights
The victim's daughter had sent a man to prison for life
Frank Janssen was rescued from an Atlanta apartment
FBI says kidnappers planned to bury him at the apartment
The FBI has offered a $25,000 reward for two men suspected in a two-state kidnapping plot.
Frank Janssen was abducted April 5 from his home in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and rescued by police five days later at an apartment in Atlanta.
Five people have been arrested. The FBI said Wednesday it is offering the reward for information leading to the arrest of Jakym Camel Tibbs, 21, and Quantavious Thompson, 18 or 19. They should be considered armed and dangerous, the FBI said.
The kidnappers sent demands to Janssen’s family “for the benefit” of Kelvin Melton, an inmate at Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant related to criminal complaints against the defendants.
Janssen’s daughter, Colleen Janssen, an assistant district attorney in Wake County, had prosecuted Melton, officials said. Melton is serving a life sentence without parole.
Authorities said they traced a call to Melton’s prison cell, where he communicated with the kidnappers. The FBI said the group planned to kill Janssen and bury him at the apartment complex, which is near the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, according to CNN affiliate WXIA.