A Washington mom with two children is alive and well due to her quick thinking, and her husband pleaded not guilty last week to kidnapping her and trying to murder her.
The victim was spotted doing Halloween shopping. Her husband, Chae Kyong An, faces charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and assault in the first degree, among others.
Young An, 42, was able to escape being buried alive by her husband on October 16. He bound her in duct tape and dragged her from their home and into a secluded area in the woods. She was gagged and her feet and hands weren’t free, but she was able to alert police via her Apple Watch. She also sent emergency messages to her children and friend, signifying that she needed help.
When the police responded to the home, they didn’t find the couple. The husband had stabbed her in the woods and threw her into a shallow grave to bury her. He broke her Apple Watch, and brought it back to the house, which police later found.
Court documents report that the couple was getting a contentious divorce. Young An had a restraining order against her husband, but it had been rescinded by a judge shortly before the attack.
The couple did not reside in the same house, but sometimes Chae Kyong An would come by to do his laundry. It wasn’t unusual for Young An to see his car in the driveway on that Sunday after she returned from church with her kids.
The victim later told the cops that she and her husband had been fighting, and her husband told her he would kill her rather than give her any of his retirement money. He wasn’t kidding.
Young An told police that her husband took her into the woods, stabbed her and tried to bury her. Her threw dirt over her and covered the grave with tree branches.
After it got dark, she managed to get out of the hole and ran toward a house where she asked the owner for help. The resident called 911 and a deputy from the Thurston County Sheriff’s office found her hiding in a shed at around 1 am on October 17.
Husband Chae Kyong An was found hiding in the woods after six hours later and was arrested.
He is being held without bail and his next court appearance will be on November 16.
