She was covered in dirt, still had duct tape around her neck, face and ankles and had stab wounds on her breasts when police found her

A Washington man stands accused of kidnapping and stabbing his estranged wife before burying her alive -- after she made a dramatic escape from capture last week.

On Sunday, October 16, the Lacey Police Department issued a media release for help locating a kidnap victim and suspect -- 42-year-old Young An and her estranged husband, 53-year-old Chae An, respectively -- claiming she had been "taken from her home."

Police were first dispatched to Young's home around 1pm that same day following a 9-1-1 call in which "a female was heard screaming" and "sounded 'gagged," per court documents obtained by Fox News. When authorities arrived on the scene, however, it was empty "with signs of a disturbance." The couple's children also arrived on the scene and said their parents were going through a divorce and spotted their father's van in the driveway that day. He usually came to the house to do laundry, however, so it didn't raise any alarms.

After looking at surveillance footage from the home and area nearby, the bulletin was put out for both Young and Chae An. Hours later, around 1am on Monday, October 17, Young reappeared outside a random home and was "hiding behind the shed of the property" when police responded to a 9-1-1 call from its residents.

"When Young realized the deputy was law enforcement, she sprinted at them, screaming and crying for help. She grabbed onto the deputy and frantically said, 'My husband is going to kill me,'"  read the declaration of probable cause doc signed by the DA. "My husband is still out in the woods somewhere," she is also said to have screamed.

Per police, Young was covered in dirt, still had duct tape around her neck, face and ankles, with "extensive bruising" to her legs, arms and head. Chae was arrested near his vehicle six hours later.

Later that day, Young also gave a full statement to police, in which she described in detail what allegedly happened.

According to her account, the two argued over "their divorce and money" and, after she asked him to leave, he "attacked her," punching her in the head before throwing her to the ground. He then allegedly duct taped her hands behind her back, as well as taped her eyes, thighs and ankles. When he left the room briefly, she made the call 9-1-1 with her Apple watch -- but when he later realized she had it on, he allegedly destroyed it with a hammer.

She said he then took her by van to the woods, where he "stabbed her breasts with a sharp object" and could be heard digging, before he put her into the ground and placed "a heavy tree" on top of her. Dirt was then placed on top of her as well, with Young saying she believed she was "in the ground for a few hours" as he told her "she was going to die." She eventually wriggled free of the tape on her arms, legs and eyes, however, and moved the tree off her to get out of the hole.

Her husband's van was still nearby and she observed its lights were on and the windows "were steaming." She, however, made a run for it, spotted the nearby house and asked them to call police. Authorities later found the location Young described, saying they discovered "a hole consistent with a grave-type design," in which they found duct tape and hair consistent with the victim's.

Young later told police her husband "would often tell her he would kill her when he was angry" but she "never thought he would." She also claimed Chae "told her he would rather kill her than give her his retirement money."

Chae is currently being held without bail and faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree domestic violence kidnapping, second-degree assault, first-degree robbery and harassment/threat to kill. His arraignment is set for November 1.

Per Law&Crime, Chae's public defender suggested his client -- a veteran -- might have "some service-related mental health conditions that will end up being addressed probably later on."  A victim's advocate, meanwhile, read a statement in court from Young pleading for the judge to deny bail -- saying she was "really afraid for my life" and "I fear him so much and he will kill me again if he is out."

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Title: Woman Who Was Buried Alive Says Husband Stabbed Her And Left Her For Dead Over Divorce: Police
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/10/25/young-an-buried-alive-husband-police-say/
Published Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2022 20:13:21 +0000

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