A Washington state woman escaped after her estranged husband stabbed her and buried her alive in the woods, police said.
A Thurston County sheriff’s deputy found a distressed woman hiding in the front yard of a home shortly before 1 a.m. Monday, NBC News reported, citing court documents.
“My husband is trying to kill me,” she screamed, according to a probable cause statement obtained by NBC News.
“She still had duct tape wrapped around her neck, lower face and ankles,” the document said, according to NBC. “There were extensive bruises on her legs, arms and head, and her clothes and hair were covered in dirt.”
Deputies were called to the scene after the woman was banging on a local resident’s door and begging for help.
The woman told detectives that her husband kidnapped her from her home and took her to the woods. She said she was able to escape and walked 20 to 30 minutes through the woods to the house, where she called for help.
The woman was taken to an area hospital for non-life threatening treatment.
According to the Lacey Police Department, the woman had a domestic violence protection order against her husband, Chae Kyung An, 53. He was arrested several hours later after a hiker spotted his van on a trail.
According to the Thurston County Correction Facility inmate database, he is charged with kidnapping, domestic violence and attempted murder and is being held without bond.
Police obtained video footage from the woman’s neighbors that showed her husband pulling his van into her garage and then driving away soon after.
The woman told police she was taken somewhere inside the van and then placed on the ground outside. According to the probable cause statement, the woman said she heard her husband digging.
The woman claims he then stabbed her in the chest and threw her to the ground with a heavy tree on top of her, NBC reported. She said she was able to keep the dirt off her face by spinning around and after what she guessed was hours, was able to remove the tape and escape. She said the van was still parked nearby with its lights on when she fled the grave.
Police said they were also called to her home to an “unknown issue” before she was abducted. A dispatcher said they could hear muffled screams and sounds of a struggle.
The woman later told police she was able to call 911 with her Apple Watch after he taped her hands and eyes.
Need help? In the US, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for National Domestic Violence Hotline.