Complex sentence: Contact was established with the kidnappers within days of the men's disappearance; negotiations proved slow and inconclusive, but the captors reportedly signaled early on that they would not kill Rohde, though the captives themselves were regularly threatened with death.
Split into simpler sentences: Contact was established with the kidnappers within days of the men's disappearance. Negotiations proved slow and inconclusive, but the captors reportedly signaled early on that they would not kill Rohde, though the captives themselves were regularly threatened with death.