Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapping
Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped from his hotel room at Harrah's Lake Tahoe on December 8, 1963. A ransom of $240,000 was paid. He was released after three days. The kidnappers Barry Keenan, Joe Amsler, and John Irwin were caught and convicted. Sinatra Jr. was unharmed.
Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapping is documented in the ColdCaseIndex database as a missing-person case connected to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The disappearance is dated to December 8, 1963. The victim is recorded as 19 years old and male. The last known information on record places the case at December 8, 1963, Harrah's Hotel, Lake Tahoe, NV.
Within the ColdCaseIndex taxonomy, Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapping is filed under Missing Person with a status of Conviction. A missing-person entry documents someone who disappeared under circumstances that remain unresolved. The record is cross-referenced under the themes kidnapping, celebrity, conviction, Nevada, 1963, rescue, which connect it to related cases across the database.
The Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapping case ended in a criminal conviction. It is retained in this index as a historically significant case — one whose investigation, prosecution, or aftermath shaped forensic practice, criminal law, or the public understanding of violent crime.
Primary jurisdiction for the Frank Sinatra Jr. Kidnapping case rests with local law enforcement in Lake Tahoe, supported by Nevada state investigative authorities. The case sits within a wider national picture: the U.S. homicide clearance rate has fallen from roughly 90% in the 1960s to about 54% today, and more than 346,000 homicides recorded since 1965 remain unsolved. ColdCaseIndex documents individual cases like this one to keep them publicly visible and searchable.
Curated starting points for verifying and researching this case. Direct references are checked; search links are provided as further-reading aids. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information — see a case correction? Email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Have Information About This Case?
Cold cases are solved when someone comes forward. Even a detail that seems minor can matter. If you have any information about this case, contact law enforcement through one of these channels:
- FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- NamUs (namus.nij.ojp.gov) — the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System accepts information on missing persons cases
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
- The local police department or sheriff's office in Nevada, or the state bureau of investigation
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