Missouri Man Charged In Connection With Missouri Woman Held Captive In Basement For Month
Feb. 15 2023, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
A Missouri woman found hidden in a basement was repeatedly sexually assaulted and a grand jury has indicted the suspect on nine new charges in connection with the disturbing case, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Around 7:45 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2022, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report from a woman who said she had been held against her will, whipped and sexually assaulted, as Front Page Detectives reported.
The woman claimed to police that her alleged captor picked her up in early September and took her to his home, where he kept her in a small room in the basement. She was eventually able to get free and run to a neighbor’s house for help when the suspect left the residence to take his child to school.
At the time of the escape, the victim was in latex lingerie and a metal collar outfitted with a padlock on the front that police removed and said restricted her breathing, the Kansas City Star reported.
Authorities took Timothy Haslett Jr., 40, into custody and initially charged him with rape, kidnapping, and assault, officials said.
On Feb. 14, Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced Haslett was indicted on nine new charges: one count of rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of second-degree assault, one count of kidnapping, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
The new charges against Haslett supersede the initial charges filed against him when he was arrested.
Court documents show the child endangerment charge is connected with claims unsecured weapons were accessible to the suspect's child.
Officers have followed up on more than 100 leads and spent more than 1,200 hours on the continuing investigation.
The prosecutor declined to comment on whether authorities are investigating the possibility there were other victims.
Haslett is being held on a $3 million bond in the Clay County Detention Center.
If found guilty of the charges against him, he could face up to five life sentences and another 36 years in prison, officials said.