Bodycam video shows woman’s rescue from alleged serial kidnapper’s garage

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Graphic police bodycam footage showed the moment a young woman who was allegedly kidnapped, beaten and doused with gasoline was rescued by officers.

Chloe Jones, 23, was discovered with a badly bruised face in an attic compartment of a garage in Kenmore, Ohio, on 16 October, say authorities.

Serial kidnapper William Mozingo was arrested at the scene. He was charged with assault, unlawful restraint, kidnapping, abduction, parole violation and escape.

Footage shared by the Akron Police Department showed multiple officers and a K-9 unit surrounding the building, who then pulled Mr Mozingo out and handcuffed him.

Officers then entered the building and allowed Ms Jones to climb down from the concealed space via a ladder and sat her on a chair. According to her mother, she had been held for four days – during which time she was allegedly tortured “nonstop”.

Jessi Barham said that following the traumatic ordeal her daughter had spent three days in an intensive care unit (ICU) with multiple injuries including facial fractures, a broken arm and a brain bleed.

According to a GoFundMe fundraising page, Ms Jones was “tied up, doused with gasoline and threatened to be lit on fire.

“Chloe was beaten from head to toe with a baseball bat and fists. She was held at knifepoint dozens of times and threatened to have her throat slit. She was forced to urinate on herself as she wasn’t afforded bathroom breaks,” the post said.

“My daughter was choked multiple times all while being told if she passed out he would cut her throat. He wanted her awake and fully able to comprehend everything he was doing to her.

“My daughter is covered in massive bruises the size of my hand all over her body, and part of her face is paralyzed. The worst of it is the emotional damage that will far outlast the physical injuries.

“My daughter never thought she was getting out of that shed. She succumbed to accepting her death. She will never be the same, her life as she knew it is over.”

Ms Jones told Fox 8 the thought of her son kept her alive. "I thought about him every day. I just saw his face in my head every day," she said.

And Mozingo allegedly used that against her. She told the local news outlet he taunted her with the idea of never seeing her son again.

"It was terrifying," she said. "Being in fear of your life countless times, I can’t even count how many times he threatened my life."

Mozingo is reportedly a serial kidnapper, who had been convicted three times previously, before his alleged imprisonment of Ms Jones. On her GoFundMe page, Ms Barham said there was “no reason why this man should have been on the streets.

“I hold our justice system accountable. This is not acceptable,” she said. “I will not rest until there are actual changes made. I am going to scream from the rooftops until then.”