I think a kidnapping with ransom would always have been big news if the victim was white, female, and middle class or higher social status. It's just not a common crime in the US in the modern age, despite its prevalence in works of fiction. The risk/reward balance just doesn't make it worthwhile compared to other forms of crime for profit for the majority of people. Hacking, extortion, blackmail, and fraud are all lucrative and can be done remotely, without the messy complication of successfully abducting and controlling a human being, and doing so without anyone knowing that you have that person, alive or dead. It's just too much work. Too many points of failure, especially in the age of digital trails and cameras.
MOO