Kidnappers posing as delivery men abducted Schunck from her home in the Jardin Santa Helena area of Sao Paulo, neighbors told AFP last week.
Advertisement
An unnamed police officer told local media they found Ms Schunck “tied up” but otherwise unharmed.
Erick Gabriel of Motorsport.com reported that had the ransom been paid, it would have made the kidnapping “the largest ransom sum in Brazilian history”.
Brazilian police said Wednesday they are investigating the apparent disappearance of the mother-in-law of Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
The incident comes just days before the start of the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
A Facebook page that appears to be Schunck’s says she lives in the southeastern Brazilian city.
Ecclestone himself has reasons to be happy as well since despite a 120 million reais (approximately $36,5 million) ransom was requested, no money was actually paid.
He was among three men arrested in connection with the kidnapping.
Ecclestone is considered to be one of the richest figures in the world of sports, with an estimated fortune of 3.1 billion USA dollars, according to Forbes magazine.
According to the newspaper, police believe that the kidnappers had been monitoring Aparecida’s property for many months, and could now be moving her among several locations to avoid detection. Mrs. Schunck is the mother of Bernie Ecclestone’s wife (they married in 2012).
Advertisement
A crackdown by police, including the formation of a special anti-kidnap division, reduced the number considerably, and the crime has become much less common.
