The true story behind the abduction of Chloe Ayling ahead of Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story

Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story, a BBC documentary, explores the case of 20-year-old British glamour model Chloe Ayling, who traveled to Milan, Italy, in July 2017 for what she believed was a routine photoshoot. Instead, she was drugged, abducted, and held captive for six days by brothers Łukasz and Michał Herba, who demanded a €300,000 ransom while claiming ties to a fictional Black Death Group.

Chloe Ayling’s release, followed by intense media scrutiny and public skepticism, sparked debates about victim credibility and societal biases. While her ordeal led to the brothers’ convictions in Italian courts, Ayling herself faced accusations of staging the kidnapping for publicity.

The BBC drama Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story revisits this gripping case, shedding light on her resilience and the challenges of being believed. The series premiered on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on August 14, 2024, in the UK, and is set to debut on AMC+ in the US starting August 28, 2025.

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The real story behind Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story

Chloe was lured to Milan for a photoshoot (Image via Unsplash/@Alexander Dummer)

On July 10, 2017, Chloe Ayling, a model from South London, arrived in Milan for a photoshoot arranged through her agent, Phil Green. The booking had been made by Andre Lazio, later revealed as an alias of Łukasz Herba. The next day, at a studio in Milan, Ayling was attacked by a masked man, identified as Łukasz, and his brother, Michał, as per the BBC.

She was injected with ketamine, handcuffed, and stuffed into a large holdall bag before being driven 120 miles in a car trunk to a remote farmhouse in Viù, near Turin. For parts of the journey, Ayling was unconscious and feared suffocation inside the confined space, according to The Guardian. The kidnappers claimed ties to the so-called Black Death Group, a criminal syndicate allegedly selling women as s*x slaves online, and demanded €300,000 from her agent.

They threatened to auction Chloe Ayling if the ransom was not paid. Forensic analysis later confirmed her ordeal: ketamine traces were found in her hair, and Michał’s DNA was identified in the vehicle, as per BBC.

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Survival and captivity of Chloe Ayling

Chloe Ayling was kept captive for 6 days (Image via Unsplash/@Mina A)

During her six days in captivity, Ayling faced extreme uncertainty but adopted coping strategies to maximize her chances of survival. Łukasz Herba, posing as MD, informed her of the ransom and the supposed threats from the criminal group. Recognizing her interest in her, Ayling attempted to build rapport. He promised to promote her career and even claimed to be in love with her, as per The Guardian.

She was allegedly forced to accompany him on outings, such as buying shoes, and even shared a bed, though she later testified that no sexual assault occurred. Her compliance, she explained, was a calculated decision to avoid escalating danger: “You do anything to get free," as per BBC. The Black Death Group was later revealed to be largely fictional, inspired by the film By Any Means. Yet at the time, the threats felt very real to Ayling.

Michał Herba’s role appeared secondary, helping with logistics. Italian police later confirmed her account with physical evidence and communications between the brothers. Her ability to remain calm and compliant was critical to her release, but once the case became public, that same behavior fueled skepticism and doubt over her story.

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Release and media backlash

Chloe Ayling was accused of fake kidnapping on a TV show (Image via Unsplash/@Carlynn Alarid)

On July 17, 2017, Łukasz Herba drove Ayling back to Milan and left her at the British consulate. He instructed her to describe him as a friend who had saved her. Exhausted, Ayling initially complied with the narrative but, after questioning by authorities, disclosed the full truth. No ransom was ever paid. Herba later claimed he released her because she was a mother, but police rejected this justification, according to The Guardian.

Despite her ordeal, Ayling quickly became a target of suspicion. Her composed demeanor, decision to give media interviews, and later reality TV appearances, including Celebrity Big Brother, led critics to accuse her of staging the kidnapping. CCTV footage of her walking alongside Herba and reports of shopping trips were frequently cited out of context, as reported by The Times.

Chloe Ayling later explained that maintaining composure and cooperating with her captor were survival tactics. Italian police found no evidence to suggest she staged the abduction, yet she endured years of online abuse. The backlash reflected wider societal issues about how victims are judged, particularly when their appearance or actions do not match public expectations, as per The Independent.

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Investigation and legal outcome

Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story (Image via Unsplash/@Markus Winkler)

Italian authorities swiftly arrested Łukasz Herba at the consulate, while his brother Michał was extradited from the UK in 2018. Evidence included ketamine traces, emails between the brothers, and CCTV footage. Łukasz claimed the kidnapping was a publicity stunt inspired by the film By Any Means, but prosecutors dismissed this as false, emphasizing the real risks Ayling faced, as per the BBC.

In June 2018, Łukasz was convicted of kidnapping and extortion, receiving a sentence of 16 years and 9 months, later reduced on appeal to 12 years and 1 month in 2020. Michał was convicted in 2019 and initially sentenced to 16 years and 8 months, later reduced to 5 years and 8 months; he was released in 2024, according to The Independent. Interpol investigated the supposed “Black Death Group” but found no substantial evidence of its existence.

Ayling published her memoir in 2018, while the 2024 BBC drama and 2025 documentary Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping revisited the case. The documentary also revealed Ayling’s autism diagnosis, which experts suggested may have contributed to the public’s misinterpretation of her calm demeanor, as per News.com.au.

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Watch Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story premiering on August 28, 2025, on AMC+.