Cops: Missing Woman Found in Neighbor's Inescapable Pit

Suspect Dennis Dunn has mental health issues, say police
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 26, 2017 11:31 AM CDT
Cops: Missing Woman Found in Neighbor's Inescapable Pit
Dennis Dunn   (Clinton County Jail)

The pit in the backyard shed—about two feet wide by 3.5 feet deep—was impossible to escape, concealed by a wooden board with several heavy objects placed on top of it, according to police. But the 30-year-old woman's screams ensured help arrived, reports Cincinnati.com. Authorities say they responded to a call about cries coming from a shed in Blanchester, Ohio, around 4am Wednesday and discovered the woman, who lives in the home next door, hidden in a pit within, per WLWT. The woman, whose mother had reported her missing two hours earlier, was taken to a hospital in unknown condition while officers surrounded the home on the property. Four hours later, police say a man walked out the front door "like he was going for a stroll."

Authorities have since charged Dennis Dunn, 45, with kidnapping and say he also faces recent charges of disorderly conduct and drug possession. The Wilmington News Journal reports Dunn made multiple calls to police this month complaining that people were trying to break into his house and that he could hear voices. Authorities found no evidence of an intruder. Dunn was eventually taken to a hospital for psychiatric treatment after he was seen with a pistol in his yard, but he was released 24 hours later and exhibited no change in his behavior, says Blanchester's police chief. Prior to Wednesday's incident, he said the closure of mental health facilities in Ohio "has left individuals like Mr. Dunn without the care and treatment they need and deserve." (More kidnapping stories.)

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