A divorce drama in the US almost ended fatally. But during the kidnapping by her husband, the victim was able to make an emergency call.

When the emergency call came in, the officials initially had little to do with it. There were noises, muffled screams. They decided to send a patrol to the address provided anyway. “It was a ‘unknown emergency call’ trip,” an officer later told the press. The full extent only became clear later – then a charge of attempted murder was brought.

The caller, Young A., was surprised at home by her husband Chae A., various US media report, citing an indictment. The two are currently in the separation phase. A heated argument eventually broke out over money, during which Chae violently attacked his estranged wife. When the 911 call came through, she was lying on the kitchen floor – bound with tape and gagged.

Home emergency call

The fact that she was still able to make an emergency call was thanks to the Apple Watch on her wrist. Probably to hide his presence, Chae had left the house to drive his van into the garage, only to be caught by neighbors’ security cameras. Despite the gag, his victim was able to call out to police, and when officers asked her if she was still in danger, a very muffled “yes” can be heard on the recordings of the call, according to Fox News. The police responded and dispatched a patrol car.

When he arrives at the house a few minutes later, it is already deserted. Chae had loaded his tied up wife into the van, and additional footage from the neighborhood even shows his car passing the oncoming police car. However, he had previously discovered her desperate emergency call. The reaction was brutal: he smashed the watch on her wrist with a hammer blow, and as it fell, a second blow hit her arm, the prosecution said. But the call continued, and officers caught the man’s angry voice and the sound of the beating. When the police officer entered the room minutes later and found the broken Apple Watch on the floor, the call was still active.

Buried alive

For Young, however, the nightmare was far from over, and the worst was still to come. According to her statement, Chae drove her to a forest a few kilometers away. There, still bound, he threw her into a hastily dug hole in the ground. He began burying them with dirt and parts of a dead tree. Then he stabbed her in the chest.

But Young survived. She is said to have spent hours buried like this. She could hardly breathe. Only after the sun had set did she manage to free herself from the shackles in the hole, which was only about two feet deep. After wandering through the woods for half an hour, she followed a light that led her to a nearby house. The residents called the police. Officials eventually found Young completely distraught, hiding behind a shed. Only when she recognized the arrivals as police officers did she suddenly run towards them, screaming for help, according to the police report. “My husband is trying to kill me,” she yelled at the police officers.

The police found her kidnapper just a few hours later. He stayed nearby in his car. The grave described by the victim was found, as were the duct tape restraints. They still had glass fragments from the destroyed Apple Watch on them. Charges of assault, kidnapping and attempted murder have now been issued against Chae A. He denies the allegations.

Sources: Police Report, Fox News