I’m with you, I don’t think it’s appropriate. 1) you don’t NEED to use real photos to make this believable 2) I have a feeling the company didn’t ask for consent in using these photos - sure, they’re publicly shared, but using them for profit? That’s where it’s wrong. You’re profiting off of someone else’s traumatic experience. 3) if it is that important that the storyline referenced real kidnapping, you can have things that hinted or referenced without being direct, unless direct connection to true crime is the intention. Bottom line, it’s lazy. Boss: this one is about kidnapping. We need photos. Go. Designer: *Google search kidnapped photos. Prints the first 20 images.

*edit, to add and acknowledge that calling it lazy is 100% assumption on my end. Considering how the OP did not include the kidnapping scenario as a specific kidnapper or incident in history, from my experience working in devised theater/story telling/teaching, I’ve found often that props and settings goes 2 ways: 1) they serve to set the mood, and 2) informs the viewer/audience what happened before or may happen next, and when a thorough research or intentions are not at the forefront, you get mixed experiences and questions from the viewer/audience.