A woman was thrashed, taped and buried alive by her estranged husband, and was rescued as she had managed to call 911 with her Apple watch. The woman from Washington state was allegedly buried alive in the woods by her estranged husband, and managed to escape to safety from the shallow grave, authorities said.
Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy located a frantic woman hiding behind the shed in a home’s front yard shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday, according to a declaration of probable cause filed in the county’s superior court on Wednesday.
“My husband is trying to kill me,” the woman screamed, according to the court document.
“She had duct tape still wrapped around her neck, lower face and ankles,” the filing said.
“There was extensive bruising to her legs, arms and head and her clothing and hair were covered in dirt.”
The woman’s husband, accused Chae Kyong An, 53, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree assault, according to court documents.
He was booked into the county jail on Tuesday, and during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, a judge granted the prosecutor’s request to hold him without bail, according to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Kyong An has not been formally charged yet, prosecutors said and his attorney could not be reached for comment Thursday, reported NBC News.
Police in Lacey, about 60 miles southwest of Seattle, reached the woman’s home after receiving a 911 call of a woman “screaming” who sounded “gagged,” according to the probable cause document.
The woman later told police she was attacked while was talking to her husband about their ongoing divorce and money.
Kyong An tied his wife’s hands behind her back with duct tape, and duct-taped her eyes, thighs and ankles, the court document said. She told investigators she managed to call 911 with her Apple watch and sent an emergency notification when he left the bedroom.
He then dragged her into the garage and broke her Apple watch with a hammer, the report said.