Woman reportedly escapes after being held captive in Gig Harbor; suspect dead

A 27-year-old woman is recovering after she told police she was held captive and beaten for several days inside a Gig Harbor home.

In a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook, Chief Kelly Busey of the Gig Harbor Police Department said the woman told officers she was held against her will after a male suspect attacked her and eventually escaped.

Saturday morning, she ended up escaping to a home in the 10800 block of Sehmel Drive. She told residents an older man wouldn’t not let her leave the home they were in and when she tried to escape, he beat her. The woman had several deep cuts on her head.

More local news: Streetwear store in West Seattle victim of smash-and-grab robbery twice in 4 days

“She had lacerations to her head area, and she said she had escaped a nearby home where she had been held captive for we don’t know how many days,” Busey said. “When she tried to escape he beat her with a piece of furniture, probably a leg of a chair. Then she was able to escape.”

The woman told police the two had just met and didn’t know each other well. She had been picked up by the man in either King or Thurston County several days before escaping. She also admitted to officers that she was using drugs.

While the woman was transported to the hospital, Gig Harbor police got a search warrant for the nearby home that the woman described. Police said they entered the 66-year-old suspect’s home and found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There is also evidence he might have tried to light the house on fire.

More on crime: Standoff suspect killed in Bremerton was wanted for murder

Gig Harbor Police said there was no one else involved in the incident and an investigation is ongoing.