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Florida resident Marcela Borges, her husband Ruben Morias, and their son Ryan were kidnapped by a mafia gang on November 15, 2009. This abduction story is the subject of Lifetime’s new crime thriller titled Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story, which aired for the first time on January 11, 2025, at 9:00 pm ET.
The main focus of Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story is how Marcela's strength and courage enabled her family to escape from the mafia gang and protect themselves from danger. Currently, Marcela lives in Winter Garden, Florida, with her husband, Ruben Morias, and their two sons, Ryan and Lucas.
A recap of what happened to Marcela Borges and her family in 2009
As reported by FOX News, Marcela Borges and her family were blindfolded and held hostage for three days after armed intruders broke into her Winter Garden, Florida residence on November 15, 2009.
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The armed men used duct tape to incapacitate the family of three: Marcela, Ruben, and their 5-year-old son Ryan. At the time of the kidnapping, Marcela was pregnant.
As per the Daily Mail, although Ruben Morias managed to give the intruders $30,000 from the family safe, they demanded more. They forced Marcela to withdraw $23,600 from an ATM, and even after meeting all the demands, the family was still held hostage and tortured mentally. The Daily Mail also reported that the kidnappers played Russian roulette with young Ryan.
Demonstrating bravery, Marcela managed to escape despite being pregnant. She climbed out of a second-floor window while one of the intruders fired three shots at her, however, one bullet struck her wrist.
A witness who heard the shots fired at Marcela told Fox News:
"I heard some gunshots... looked up to where I heard the gunshots and saw a guy with a handgun shooting at this lady."
Marcela successfully reached her neighbor's home and called the authorities to report the home invasion. The intruders realized that the police were on their way and fled.
The witness who saw the criminals escape also shared with Fox News:
"After that, I saw a couple more guys come from behind the house and jump the fence and run."
When authorities and an ambulance arrived, Borges was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.
As per FOX News, 5-year-old Ryan was unharmed during the ordeal. However, Ruben sustained a blow to the head but was not gravely injured.
Also read: 5 chilling details about Marcela Borges' home invasion
What happened to the intruders?
In the days that followed, three of the four intruders were arrested: Oscar Diaz Hernandez, Miguel Diaz Santiz, and Victor Manuel Sanchez, as reported by FOX News.
Victor and Miguel were sentenced to life in prison for their crimes. However, the leader of their gang, Bianca dos Santos, fled to Bolivia. Oscar Hernandez, the fourth member, was declared mentally unstable, and the charges against him were dropped, as per Spectrum News.
To learn more about this case, watch Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story, now available on Lifetime.
