A woman in Washington state managed to escape after allegedly being bound, stabbed and buried alive by her estranged husband.
Thurston county police officers were dispatched to a home around 1am local time on Monday, where they found a distressed woman hiding behind a shed screaming, “My husband is trying to kill me,” reported NBC News, citing a court document.
The woman had been tied up with duct tape around her neck, legs and ankles, noted the court filing. “There was extensive bruising to her legs, arms and head and her clothing and hair were covered in dirt,” it said.
Chae Kyong An, 53, was arrested later that morning after police found him in his van near a local hiking trail, reported the Olympian.
Kyong An faces numerous recommended charges, including attempted first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. He is being held without bail.
According to the court filing, Kyong An attacked his wife while the two were discussing their impending divorce and money.
The woman told police that her husband bound her with duct tape and kidnapped her in the family’s van. She said she was able to send out emergency notifications to her close contacts from her Apple watch and managed to contact 911 but couldn’t communicate further as her mouth was covered.
Kyong An later smashed the watch with a hammer, then drove her to a local wooded area and began digging a hole before stabbing her multiple times in the chest, she told police. He then allegedly dragged her into the hole and covered it with a tree.
“After being put into the ground she could hear her husband walking around the hole and dirt being put on top of her,” the filing said.
The woman estimated to police that she had been buried for several hours. She said she managed to remove some of the duct tape from her hands and was able to escape the hole. She ran for almost 30 minutes until she found a house, where the residents called 911.
