| Held Hostage | |
|---|---|
| Based on | Held Hostage: The True Story of a Mother and Daughter's Kidnapping by Michelle Renee Ramskill-Estey as Michelle Renee |
| Teleplay by | James Kearns Maria Nation |
| Directed by | Grant Harvay |
| Starring | Julie Benz Brendan Penny Sonja Bennett Natasha Calis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 86 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Lifetime |
| Release | July 19, 2009 |
Held Hostage is a Lifetime Movie starring Julie Benz that aired on July 19, 2009. It is based on the true story of Michelle Renee Ramskill-Estey who also wrote the novel. Hal Foxton Beckett was nominated for a Leo Award for the music featured in the movie.
Michelle Ramskill-Estey (Julie Benz), a single mother, is kidnapped by three masked men and held hostage until she is forced to rob a bank which is the only option she has to save her only child's life while they are both wired to explode. [1]
In November 2000, Michelle Ramskill-Estey and her 7-year-old daughter Breea Ramskill returned to their Needles, California home, only to find 4 men, armed with guns. They strapped fake bombs to the two and ordered Ramskill-Estey to drive to a Bank of America location, where she worked, and give them the $360,000 in the vault. [2] [3] Three people were charged, two men and one woman. The two men were convicted and the woman was acquitted of all charges. [4] [5] The story was shown on I Survived... and 48 Hours .
The case was reconstructed for an episode of the Japanese television show World Extreme Mystery, which aired in 2019.