10/21/2022
Police arrested Chae An, 53, who is facing charges for attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, and felony harassment. An was denied bail in a Thurston County courtroom Wednesday as he faces multiple felonies related to the kidnapping and attempted murder of his estranged wife.
A victim advocate read a statement from the woman in court, in which she said, “Please no bail, I am really afraid for my life, I just want to emphasize that I fear him so much, and he will kill me again if he’s out.”
Court records state on Sunday, 911 dispatchers heard a woman screaming on the call, and it sounded like she’d been gagged and could not talk.
The couple’s daughter and a family friend both also got an emergency text message from the victim saying there was an emergency at the house on the 3800 block of Rossberg Street SE.
According to court documents, the victim told police her husband came over to discuss their divorce at their home, and he attacked her in her bedroom. She was able to use her Apple watch to dial 911 and send an emergency alert to her emergency contacts.
Surveillance video from multiple neighbors shows An driving his van into the garage seemingly in a hurry, then shutting the garage before opening it again, then leaving.
One neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, said officers arrived just minutes later.
“We heard police shouting, so we just kind of looked to see what was going on,” they said, “We saw them going through their home, announcing if anyone was in the home.”
The victim also told deputies An bound her with duct tape, stabbed her multiple times, and was digging a hole in the forest, covering her in dirt, when she saw an opportunity to escape.
Court records state: “She wiggled her body and was able to get the tape off her arms and legs then take it off her eyes.”
Then she saw her opportunity to escape while it appeared her husband was in the van, so she got out of the hole and ran through the woods.
Surveillance video shared by another neighbor shows the moment she finally found a home on Stedman Road SE where neighbors were able to call for help. Responding deputies reported the victim told them, “My husband is trying to kill me,” and there was “duct tape still wrapped around her neck, lower face, and ankles,” extensive bruising on her limbs and her head, and she was covered her dirt.
“You don’t want to speculate the worst, but she was in a very dire situation, and we were just praying for her; I think all of us were,” the woman’s neighbor said.
Responding officers checked the area for signs of An, but he wasn’t found until hours later when someone walking a nearby trail spotted his vehicle and notified police.
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