News

May 20, 2023

Kidnapped woman escapes cell in Oregon; FBI looking for more victims

A woman who escaped a cinderblock cell in a man's garage in Klamath Falls, Oregon, was abducted hundreds of miles away last month in Seattle, and now authorities are looking for more potential victims

A woman who escaped a cinderblock cell in a man's garage in Klamath Falls, Oregon, was abducted hundreds of miles away last month in Seattle, and now authorities are looking for more potential victims across multiple states.

The man, 29-year-old Negasi Zuberi of Klamath Falls, posed as an undercover police officer and kidnapped the woman in the early hours July 15, then shackled, sexually assaulted her and locked her up, according to court records.

He was arrested and federally charged with interstate kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Lichvarcik said at a news conference Wednesday.

Authorities said Zuberi has been linked to sexual assaults in at least four more states, and they are searching for more possible victims. He has lived in multiple states since 2016, possibly including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama and Nevada, the FBI said.

The victim in Klamath Falls, who wasn't identified, "briefly slept and awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape," according to a criminal complaint.

The "makeshift" cell was made of cinderblocks and a metal door that had been installed backward so it couldn't be opened from the inside, the complaint said. There was also an exterior door, and the cell had been built to be soundproof, Klamath Falls police said in a news release.

She banged against the door, bloodying and bruising her hands, until she managed to open it, the FBI in Portland said Wednesday. According to Klamath Falls Police Captain Rob Reynolds, the victim was able to break welds on the door, rip a metal screen off it and crawl out. She had lacerations on her knuckles from punching the door and walls, Reynolds said.

She then retrieved a gun that belonged to Zuberi and escaped. She climbed over a fence and flagged down a driver who called 911.

"The woman fought for her life, beating the doors and the walls of this cell with bloodied hands," Stephanie Shark, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Portland field office, said Wednesday. "The victim’s focus, actions and her will to survive triggered a law enforcement response that may have actually saved many other women from a similar nightmare.

"The victim is strong and courageous and right now she is physically OK," Shark said, adding that she was being offered resources.

Zuberi had solicited the victim to engage in prostitution before telling her he was an undercover officer, the criminal complaint said. He drove her about seven hours and 450 miles away, officials said Wednesday.

"Sadly, we believe there are more victims," Shark said.

The FBI said investigators believe Zuberi has used different methods to "gain control" of victims, including drugging their drinks, impersonating law enforcement officers and soliciting sex workers before "violently sexually assaulting them." Klamath Falls police said the victim reported that Zuberi had "police patches, a taser, and other law enforcement equipment."

"Some of the encounters may have been filmed to make it appear as if the assault was consensual," the FBI in Portland said in a news release. "The victims are threatened with retaliation if they notify the police."

He was arrested in Reno, Nevada, in a Walmart parking lot where he was with his wife and one of his children.

In his house, authorities seized notes that were handwritten and included a sketch of an underground structure with "foam insulation" and "waterproof concrete," according to the criminal complaints. One of the notes featured the title "Operation Take Over" and a to-do list:

The home where Zuberi held the woman in the garage is owned by Klamath Falls Mayor Carol Westfall and her husband, Kevin Westfall, according to court records. They evicted him after his arrest.

The Westfalls said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY on Wednesday that they are "shocked and dismayed."

"We applaud the actions of the woman who helped capture this person and prevent him from committing further atrocities," they said.

An attorney listed as representing Zuberi in court records didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. Zuberi is also known by the names Justin Joshua Hyche, Sakima Zuberi and Justin Kouassi, court records show.

He's expected to appear in court in the coming weeks after being returned to Oregon, Lichvarcik said.