While we are Celebrating the Return of the Israeli Hostages, What about the US Hostages?
On October 13, 2025, Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza after 737 days in captivity, as part of a ceasefire agreement. CBS movingly reports that "Their faces stare down from every street corner in Israel on posters now sun-faded and ripped. Their stories, told by anguished family members, are almost as well-known as celebrities. They are civilians and soldiers, fathers and sons. Some were at the Nova music festival, where almost 400 people were killed and dozens kidnapped." 20 living hostages were just released by Hamas under the ceasefire deal. Here's who they are. - CBS News
While the world celebrates the return of the surviving hostages, one must of necessity ask this question—
What about those who have been held hostage in the US?
No, they are not called “hostages” but their situations are extreme and bear similarity to the hostages held in Gaza, some of whom were held over 2 years.
Consider this—Dean Sallas has not seen his wife, Amy, in over four years. According to a time line provided by retired attorney, Ken Ditkowsky, “On Amy’s Birthday (April 11, 2021) Dean and Amy secretly met at the nursing home where she was placed so as to be infected with Covid 19 by the guardian to celebrate her birthday. (They had been secretly communicating prior) They were apprehended by Cynthia Montesinos DRCS and informed that for this elder couple married more than 50 years they were required to obtain the permission of Lisa Casanova. This is the same Lisa Casanova who complained to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois that JoAnne Denison was acting in an ethically challenged manner when she assisted Dean Sallas in obtaining an e-mail address. Ms. Casanova – an attorney for the Guardian – has been silent concerning the predatory lending practices of the Byline Bank and its gross overcharges in interest. The foreclosed loan was fraudulent promulgated as a COMMERCIAL LOAN even though in the last decade neither Mr. nor Mrs. Sallas was actively engaged in any Commercial venture. Thousands of predatory interest was extracted from the elderly couple.” From KKD–a History of the Sallas’ Case | MaryGSykes.com
The separation of spouses by guardianship court is not unique to the Sallas case.
Sophia Campasano reports that the guardian for her husband, Albert, made outreaches to attorneys in pursuit of an agenda to divorce the pair, over their stated wishes, and charged Albert for these contacts. When the guardian’s efforts to divorce the two went unaccomplished, the guardian apparently “ went for an order of protection and wouldn’t allow her to see him and when she fought it, he died that day. “
As reported here Judges Increasingly Interfere in Marital Life, “Explicitly, Judge JoAnn Johnson launched a wrecking ball into the 74-year marriage of 102-year-old Stanley Zurko and his wife, Irene (Judgment 9.145.2020 PDF). Neither spouse requested the legal separation nor were either in the courtroom when the judge entered this decision . Why did Judge Johnson take this off-the-high-dive leap? According to the pair's daughter, the separation was done in order to facilitate the robbery of the Zurkos' assets. Stanley Zurko was under a court-authorized guardianship at the time that the court made its order. His wife, Irene, was not.”
The article goes on to report another hostage situation, here—"…the marriage of Charlie Thrash and Laura Martinez Thrash was annulled by Judge Oscar Kazan in Bexar County Court on March 21, 2019.The wedding took place on March 4, 2019. According to legal documents, Charlie and Laura had lived together since 2012. The Netflix film, Dirty Money, focuses in on the Thrash guardianship and seems to point to a concerted effort by Charlie Thrash’s guardian, Tonya Barina, to reap the benefits of Charlie’s considerable nest egg, going so far as to close his place of business and to seize his vehicles. The annulment effectively voided any legal protest that might have been lodged by Laura Martinez Thrash.”
According to Phil Ross, who was the attorney in this matter, Laura has not seen Charlie for about six years.
Another disturbing hostage situation is reported here, involving the taking of Dr. Ena Farley. Professor emeritus of African and Afro-American Studies, SUNY. The video here is not for the faint of heart. "You're breaking my arm!" Police illegally drag 84-year-old widow Dr. Ena Farley from her home - YouTube
According to Dr. Farley’s son Jonathan, also a PhD, (Jonathan Farley obtained his doctorate in mathematics from Oxford University in 1995, after winning Oxford’s highest mathematics awards, the Senior Mathematical Prize and Johnson University Prize, in 1994. Farley graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in 1991) his mother was not under a guardianship at the time. Jonathan states that the guardianship was initiated two weeks later, by his brother Christopher, and that Jonathan was subsequently blocked from seeing his mother, only seeing her for “40 minutes between 6 p.m. on February 5, 2023 ( when they dragged her away ) and February 16, 2024 (over 1 year later).” Jonathan reports that “She died less than 6 months later.”
Jonathan Farley believes that the taking of his mother’s property and the selling of her home was the motivating factor in the assault on his mother’s rights, a perception that has been repeatedly echoed by others who have been impacted by guardianship. However, there are eugenics concerns that have emerged, as explored here The Nazification of US Domestic Policy | ZeroHedge
There are various tools which may be employed to separate the hostages-- that is, the wards-- from the protective oversight of family members. One means is the order of protection, such as detailed in this recent article as being employed in the case of Nataliya Satsunkevich. The Taking of Nataliya Satsunkevich--And Why You Should Care | ZeroHedge. In this case, it has been alleged that APS worker April Hill committed perjury in her testimony in pursuit of the protective order. This perjury is detailed on this page of the official transcript and involves false allegations that Nataliya was "wandering." A check with the local police department produced no such reports. Hill’s other statements about Nataliya, such as allegations that she is not taking her prescribed medications and concerning a fire, need to be equally scrutinized in the light of Hill’s apparent perjury. Nataliya.pdf - Google Drive
Upon the advice of a DoJ employee, Jessica Salas Novak, this was reported to the DoJ and a subsequent report was generated, enumerated as 663907-JQT. A government employee lying to a court in order to achieve an incarceration is a serious offense. At the time of going to press, there has been no response from the DoJ.
The Israeli hostages were often held in tunnels and starved. Unlike the Israeli hostages, those held incommunicado under court authorized guardianships in the US are often held in facilities, such as hospitals or memory care units. Akin to the Israeli hostages and exemplified by the video of Dr. Ena Farley, they are often taken by force. Like the Israeli hostages, they are often plied with inappropriate or deadly medical care. Are the Elderly Being Dosed with Dangerous Antipsychotic Drugs? | ZeroHedge
While we have breathed a collective sigh of relief at the return of those taken by force to Gaza two years ago, let us not forget the plight of those held hostage within the US. There are both older people and younger, like registered nurse Karen Federighi In and Out of The Pits of Guardianship Hell, who have been so afflicted with this grave human and civil rights loophole in America. While we are back slapping about the success of diplomacy and the prevailing of democratic institutions in the Middle East, we need to remember this. Our democratic institutions notwithstanding, we are equally culpable as to the taking of hostages. Unlike Hamas, however, we do not admit to this.