A police department in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, is being criticized for allegedly dismissing claims of Black women being abducted before a Black woman escaped a suspect’s basement.
Timothy M. Haslett, 39, was arrested on Oct. 7 after the 22-year-old woman escaped from his home after being sexually assaulted, according to ABC affiliate KMBC 9.
Haslett was charged by the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office with first-degree rape or attempted rape, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault but has pled not guilty.
The victim was reportedly taken to a hospital for treatment and is in stable condition.
KMBC 9 reported that court documents revealed that the victim had shown up in lingerie at the front door of a neighbor’s home, wearing a metal collar with a padlock and duct tape around her neck.
The victim had informed the neighbors that she had been held against her will in Haslett’s basement.
Last month, nonprofit media startup The Kansas City Defender posted a video on TikTok and Twitter to allege that a serial killer had been targeting young Black girls in the area after they reported a number of girls had gone missing.
But according to The Kansas City Star, a spokesperson from the Kansas City Police Department issued a statement that there was “no basis to support this rumor” and that the reports were “completely unfounded” after the video went viral on social media.
The victim reportedly told investigators that Haslett allegedly picked her up in September and then kept her in a small room in a basement he built.
She added that Haslett allegedly whipped her repeatedly and kept her restrained by her feet and ankles in the basement, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Excelsior Chief of Police Greg Dull told ABC News that the victim said she was able to escape when Haslett left to take his child to school, according to the court document.
In a statement to ABC News, the Kansas City Police Department spokesperson said that there had been no reports of missing persons or women specifically from the area of Prospect Avenue where the victim said she was taken from.
Haslett is currently being held on a $500,000 bond in a Clay County jail.