In 1926 evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappeared from Venice Beach in California for 5 weeks. Thought to have drowned, she emerged in Mexico, claiming to have been kidnapped. A grand jury investigation indicated that she had actually been staying with a former employee, Kenneth Ormiston. The case against McPherson was finally dismissed.
Photograph of a hand-drawn diagram that depicts Aimee Semple McPherson's account of her escape from her kidnappers in Sonora, Mexico. A dotted line, representing the U.S./Mexico border, extends across the upper third of the image. Below, the Sonoran town of Agua Prieta and its surroundings are depicted. Above the dotted line, Douglas, Arizona is represented. Notations and scale markers are also included in the diagram. A compass rose sits in the upper right corner. Signatures of witnesses Jackson Bergh and Mayor (of Agua Prieta) Ernesto Boubion are in the lower left corner.