In 2017, British model Chloe Ayling flew to Milan for a photoshoot. But instead of work, she was kidnapped by a man named Łukasz Herba, who claimed he was working for a criminal group called “The Black Death.” He told Chloe she would be sold on the dark web unless her agent paid a $300,000 ransom.
Many doubted her story at the time, but police later confirmed the kidnapping was real. In a new BBC documentary, Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping, Chloe shares how her calm attitude may have saved her.
“I always remained calm,” she says. “If I can’t control something, I just accept it.” Chloe believes this helped shift the kidnapper’s behavior and gave her a chance to survive.
After six terrifying days, she convinced him to release her. Chloe immediately told police everything. In 2018, Łukasz Herba was convicted and sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison.
The BBC series airs August 4, sharing Chloe’s side of the story for the first time.