Five days after she went missing, a 19-year-old college student from Utah was discovered alive in the basement coal room of a 39-year-old man's home.
Madelyn Allen, 19, was found naked and coated with coal in a cellar after going missing last week when she went to see a man she met in an internet chatroom.
Brent Brown, 39, has been charged with rape and kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of Madelyn Allen, a Snow College student in Ephraim, Utah.
Allen was reunited with her family five days after she vanished from campus during a dramatic rescue on Saturday, Dec. 18.
According to court filings, she was discovered south of the city in Wayne County at the residence of a guy who is now being arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice, aggravated kidnapping, rape, and object rape. He hasn't been charged with anything yet.
"We don't have a lot of information about him," Snow College Police Chief Derek Walk told reporters on Sunday, Dec. 19. Last night was our first meeting with him. We don't know how long his relationship with him has been or how much she knows about him."
Madelyn Allen was last seen leaving her dorm at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, at around 9.22 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 13.
He went on to say, "This is an ongoing investigation." "There are some things we're still looking at and trying to figure out."
Ms Allen met the man in a group conversation on the messaging app KIK, and they agreed that he would pick her up on December 13, according to a probable cause document submitted on Sunday in the 6th District Court in Manti.
Ms Allen is seen leaving her dorm on Monday night, according to surveillance footage from Snow College. When she didn't return the next day, her roommates reported her missing. Ms Allen's interaction with the 39-year-old male allegedly turned violent and nonconsensual during the next few days, according to court documents. He allegedly grabbed her phone and only allowed her to contact her family once to say "I love you" on December 14th. Her family was disturbed by the communication, prompting them to alert law authorities.
He also tied her up while he was at work, threw away her phone when he learned that law enforcement was looking for her, took her money, and "threatened her, saying that if she left or told anybody about him, he would come after her family and sister," according to court documents.
Mr Brown admitted to authorities that he tied up Ms Allen to prevent her from fleeing, as well as stealing her phone and threatening her family, according to KSL-TV, but he said it was all part of a sexual role-play scenario. Ms Allen, though, was being detained against her will, according to officials.
Ms Allen told police that she didn't want to have sex with Mr Brown but didn't leave because he had threatened her family and knew where they lived, according to the affidavit.
Mr Brown allegedly told her that he had mailed her phone to the southern border and that the cops had given up hunting for her.
The search involved authorities from the municipal, state, and federal levels. Ms Allen was found in Loa, a tiny hamlet south of Ephraim, by police using cellular towers.
Police scoured the community of 500 people and discovered an individual with light hair and a petite build in the basement of a Main Street home.
Brent Neil Brown, 39, was eventually recognized as the man who opened the door and informed police he was alone in the house. He refused to let authorities search the house without the owners' permission – his parents. They were contacted and granted consent for the search of their residence.
Ms Allen's Snow College ID, a revolver in an open bag, and clothes that appeared to belong to Ms Allen were discovered by officers. When the woman's identification was discovered, Mr Brown was arrested. According to ABC4, when he was searched, authorities discovered he was in possession of three knives.
According to court documents, Ms Allen was discovered naked and covered in coal in the basement coal storage room. According to DailyMail.com, Mr Brown then claimed it was all part of an abduction role-play.
Ms Allen was discovered on Saturday, according to Snow College and her parents.
"When we answered the phone, [the police chief] said, 'I have her.'" According to The Salt Lake Tribune, her father Jonathan Allen remarked, "We dropped to our knees." "We were overjoyed and grateful." We couldn't put into words how we felt as we embraced each other."
After being taken to the hospital for a checkup, Ms Allen was reunited with her family.
