Washington man accused of kidnapping and burying his estranged wife alive in woods
10/21/2022 11:34 am PDT
LACEY, Wash. (TCD) -- A man allegedly kidnapped his estranged wife and tried to bury her alive in the woods.
According to a news release from the Lacey Police Department, on Oct. 16, officers responded to a home on the 3800 block of Rossberg Street to a report of overheard screaming and sounds of struggle. At the scene, authorities reportedly met with children who said their mother and father left to go shopping approximately 30 minutes prior.
Upon further search of the home, police said they found duct tape in the home believed to have been used on the victim.
The mother, Young An, reportedly has a domestic violence protection order against her estranged husband, Chae An, and authorities sent out an endangered missing persons alert.
Probable cause documents obtained by KING-TV allege that on Oct. 16, Young An came home from church with her two children, and her estranged husband was waiting for her inside. The victim reportedly instructed her children to leave because she wanted to talk to Chae An about their divorce and financial matters.
Chae An became angry and allegedly punched Young An and tied her up with duct tape. The victim reportedly used her Apple Watch to contact 911 and send out emergency notifications to her contacts.
According to KING, Chae Ann placed his estranged wife into a van and drove her to the woods. There, he allegedly tried to bury her alive, placing dirt on her. The victim said she was in the ground for a few hours, KING reports.
On Oct. 17, the victim was able to get the tape off her arms and escape. Police said she walked through the woods for around a half hour before arriving at a home on Stedman Road at approximately 12:52 a.m., where she told the resident her estranged husband tried to kill her. Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the home, and Young An told authorities that Chae An kidnapped her and took her to the woods, according to police.
The victim was covered in dirt and had extensive bruising to her legs, arms, and head, NBC News reports. She was reportedly transported to a hospital to treat her non-life-threatening injuries.
At around 8:02 a.m., the victim’s estranged husband was taken into custody, and according to NBC News, he faces multiple charges, including first-degree attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, and first-degree assault, but he has not been formally charged yet.
On Oct. 18, investigators searched the area in the woods the victim described and found a "hole consistent with a grave type design," along with duct tape and the woman’s hair, KING reports.
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