Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson

Aimee Semple McPherson
Prior to her story of being kidnapped in 1926, McPherson was little known outside Southern California.[1]

On May 18, 1926, Christian evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappeared from Venice Beach, California, after going for a swim. She reappeared in Mexico five weeks later, stating she had escaped from kidnappers there. Allegations arose that the kidnapping story was a hoax carried out to conceal a tryst with a lover, leading to court inquiries. Her disappearance, reappearance, and the resulting allegations and inquiries precipitated a media frenzy that changed the course of McPherson's career.

  1. ^ Loud, Grover C. Evangelized America (New York: L. MacVeah, The Dial Press 1928), p. 331-333.