Police: Captive woman found crying in pit in neighbor’s shed

BLANCHESTER, OHIO » A man with mental health problems kidnapped a neighbor who had reported receiving harassing phone calls from him and kept her trapped in a small pit in his backyard shed, where her cries for help alerted others and led to her rescue, police said.

Police in Blanchester, about 40 miles northeast of Cincinnati, said the owner of the shed, Dennis Dunn, was arrested Wednesday morning and was jailed. They said Dunn has a history of mental health issues.

The woman’s mother initially reported her missing about 2 a.m. and called police about 4 a.m. to report cries from a shed behind Dunn’s house, police said. A responding officer arrived to find the woman in the shed, crouching in a pit about 2 feet wide by 2 feet long and about 3 ½ feet deep wide with wood over the top of it.

Police Chief Scott Reinbolt said heavy objects, including lawn equipment, had been placed on the wood, preventing the woman from getting out.

The woman appeared to be having a seizure and was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released, police said.

“She didn’t appear to have any obvious signs of physical trauma,” Reinbolt said.

Police stayed outside Dunn’s darkened house while waiting for a search warrant and called a tactical team after neighbors said Dunn might have an assault rifle. But while officers were waiting, Dunn came to the front door “nonchalantly” about 8 a.m. and was arrested without incident, Reinbolt said.