A terrifying doorbell video showing a woman screaming as she was dragged away from a Wichita home early Sunday morning sparked an intense search, a viral online plea for help, and now, an arrest.
Police say the woman, 35, has been found alive and that her alleged abductor, believed to be her boyfriend, is in custody.
The Wichita Police Department announced Tuesday that the woman contacted authorities that afternoon, allowing officers to quickly locate and speak with her.
Detectives say she lives in the same neighborhood where the chilling footage was recorded.
Investigators are now treating the incident as a possible domestic violence case.
According to police, a 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the case. The woman did not appear to have suffered significant injuries.
Authorities said the incident took place around 2 a.m. Sunday but was not reported until approximately 7:45 p.m. that evening.
The video, captured by a homeowner’s doorbell camera, shows a woman rushing toward a front door, screaming for help before being seized from behind.
The man drags her out of the camera’s view as her cries fade into the darkness.
The homeowner, who recorded the encounter, told KSN News that she did not know the woman or why she appeared at her doorstep.
Neighbors described hearing a blood-curdling scream that left the entire block uneasy.
“The community, we’re all concerned,” said resident Shawntrice Beard. “I stay really close.”
“I stay right down the street, I’ve been staying here for approximately over a year now, and like I said, it’s alarming to see this transpire and take place definitely in our community,” she added. “Things do happen, but not like this.”
Beard added that she hopes authorities will leave no detail unexplored. “I know that if it happened to me, I would want the community actively trying to pursue and see what’s going on,” she commented.
“I don’t want it to be something unnoticed or just go unscathed without being investigated fully,” Beard added. “We’re a community and we have to stick together.”
Another neighbor, Angelica Verduzco, said she was horrified by the idea that such a violent encounter could happen so close to home.
“It’s sad and ugly because one doesn’t know what they’re doing to the kidnapped woman,” she said.
Verduzco, who recently returned from visiting family in a part of Mexico where kidnappings are common, said the video stirred new fears.
“It’s dangerous. That’s the truth. But, always, I believe there have always been kidnappings,” she said in Spanish.
Police released still images and the video to the public on Monday, asking for help identifying the individuals seen in the footage.
“At this time, we have not been able to identify the female and male seen in the video,” the department wrote in a social media post.
“Exploring all options, we’ve reached out to our regional and federal law enforcement partners for additional assistance.”
The department also announced a $2,000 Crime Stoppers reward for information that could help identify those involved.
Officers scoured the area twice, combed through missing person reports dating back to October 1, reviewed license plate reader data, and checked disturbance calls from the vicinity.
At a Tuesday news conference, Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said the department’s main concern was “the safety and welfare of the woman seen in that video.”
Hours later, around 3 p.m., investigators received a call from a woman claiming to be the person in the footage.
She told officers she was safe, and they immediately met with her to verify her identity.
“We want to thank the public for sharing the video and still images that generated additional attention about this incident,” police said in a statement.
“We do believe it led the female to call us saying she was the person we were looking for.”
Police reassured residents that there was no ongoing threat to the community.
Later that evening, officers with the Domestic Intervention and Violence Reduction Team located and arrested a 22-year-old man linked to the case.
The suspect was booked into Sedgwick County Jail on charges of aggravated battery by strangulation, two counts of domestic simple battery, and criminal restraint.
“The facts of this case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney for formal charging consideration,” police said.
The incident, which began as a potential abduction, has renewed discussion about domestic violence awareness and intervention in the Wichita area.
Meanwhile, a bizarre case in Florida has drawn attention for very different reasons.
Authorities there say a 17-year-old boy staged his own kidnapping last month, triggering a statewide AMBER Alert and a massive search before he was found alive and unharmed.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched on September 25 after the teen texted his family claiming he had been shot.
When officers arrived, they discovered his truck with a bullet hole through the windshield, suspected blood on the glass, and drag marks nearby.
Technicians also found his broken cellphone and bicycle tracks leading away from the scene.
Investigators later determined the teen had deliberately fired into his vehicle and shot himself in the leg before fleeing on a bicycle with camping supplies he had purchased at Walmart.
He was later located in Williston, Florida, with both the gun and bicycle still in his possession.
“He attempted to continue the ruse and had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg, which shattered his femur and required medical treatment,” the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives said the teenager had previously talked about running away and that searches of his laptop revealed research on collecting blood without pain and information on Mexican cartels.
He now faces charges of presenting false evidence, making a false report of a crime, shooting into a conveyance, and possession of a firearm by a minor.
