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Woman Chained to Floor of Home Rescued After Neighbors Heard Her Screaming Through Window
Jonna Wilson told media outlets that she shares a baby with Moises May, the man arrested for kidnapping and other charges for allegedly chaining her to the floor of a home.
A woman was found shackled and chained to the floor of a Louisville, Kentucky home when police responded to a concerned call from neighbors about someone screaming for help after kicking out a window.
Warning: This story contains descriptions and images that are disturbing.
Officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department arrived at the two-story house in the neighborhood of Park Hill at around 7 p.m. on August 16, and heard and saw a "female in distress" through a second-story window, according to a Facebook post from the department.
"The officers attempted to make forced entry through the main door of the house however, it was barricaded," the Louisville Metro Police Department stated. "Eventually, officers obtained a ladder and ascended to the 2nd floor window. Inside, they discovered an adult female, chained to the floor. The woman had a chain around her neck, which was secured by a MasterLock, and that chain was bolted to the floor with screws."
A video that accompanies the police department's Tuesday Facebook post shows cops arriving on the scene and frantically trying to find a way in, including trying to kick the main door in and also trying a side door.
A voice is heard in the police body-camera footage asking which window the woman kicked out, as an officer on camera points to a second-story window. After getting ahold of a ladder, an officer is seen climbing up to the second floor and through the window, into the room where the woman is chained up.
The cop asks where the key is to the lock on a chain around her neck, and is seen tugging on the chain that binds her to the floor. Police are then seen using a small axe to break the chain free from the floor.
"Officers found a hatchet inside the home and began going to work on the chain," the Louisville Metro Police Department stated. "Eventually, officers ... rescued the woman from the structure."
"Thank you so much," the woman says through sobs, while still in the room. She's then seen sitting in front of the home as EMS and fire department officials treat her and cut off the chain that's still around her neck.
Two days after the incident, police arrested suspect Moises May, 36, on multiple charges, including kidnapping, wanton endangerment, assault, terroristic threatening, and harassment. The victim, Jonna Wilson, has since done media interviews and identified May as her estranged boyfriend, telling Louisville TV station WDRB that the two have a 1-year-old daughter together.
The Louisville Metro Police Department stated that its "Domestic Violence Unit has been working non-stop on this case."
Wilson, 37, tearfully recounted her horrific ordeal in two WDRB interviews last week. “I said, ‘This is my only time; if I don’t get free now, I’m gonna be dead,'" she said. "So I got close enough to the window to kick it out and call for help.”
According to Wilson, May asked her to come by to clean the house and offered to pay, but then allegedly chained her up instead. “As soon as he locked that lock, I knew it was over. He took my phone,” she told the station. “Every door was screwed shut. The fire department couldn’t even knock down the doors, that’s how bad it was screwed, every window was bolted, every exit, there is no exit in the house.”
An arrest citation obtained by Law & Crime states that May and Wilson were allegedly arguing when he held her down on the floor and cut off most of her hair with a machete. The police report stated that he “slapped the victim around” and allegedly threatened to kill her before leaving her locked up for hours.
May allegedly took her phone and forced her to remove some of her clothing. According to the police report, he said, “You’re gonna get it tonight. I told you the next time you leave and don’t come home, I’d kill you.”
In the comments section of the video and statement put out by the Louisville Metro Police Department on Facebook, the department added, "Shout out (again) to that block for SEEING SOMETHING AND SAYING SOMETHING! Y'all saved a life that day!"
According to NBC affiliate WAVE 3, May pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and his bond was set at $100,000. His next court appearance is set for August 28.
