According to police, a lady escaped from a cinder block ‘dungeon’ in Oregon. The FBI believes that there are further victims in other states.
The FBI is seeking for potential victims in other states after a lady escaped from a makeshift “dungeon” made of cinder blocks in a man’s Oregon home. Negasi Zuberi
According to a news release from the FBI Portland Field Office, the man, 29-year-old Negasi Zuberi, was placed into federal custody on suspicion of cross-state kidnapping after a woman from Seattle fled from his house in Klamath Falls, Oregon. According to the FBI, the woman also claimed to have been sexually abused.
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According to the FBI, Zuberi, who has lived in at least ten states since 2016, has been tied to at least four violent assaults. According to the agency, investigators have reason to think there could be several other victims. Court Says: documents filed Wednesday, Zuberi was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oregon on one count of kidnapping and one count of transportation with intent to engage in sexual behavior.
Heather Fraley, Zuberi’s attorney, told us that she had no comment Wednesday afternoon.
According to the FBI, Zuberi traveled from his home in Klamath Falls to Seattle on July 15 and posed as an undercover police officer to solicit the services of a prostitute. According to the FBI, the woman claimed Zuberi used a Taser on her, placed her in handcuffs and leg irons, and then placed her in the back seat of his automobile.
“Zuberi told the victim she was under arrest,” the Klamath Falls Police Department said in a press statement. “The victim reported that Zuberi had a firearm, police patches, a taser, and other law enforcement equipment.”
According to the news release, he then drove back to his Klamath Falls home – more than 450 miles away – stopping on the route to sexually abuse her.
The woman saw a map application on the suspect’s cell phone that suggested they were 2 hours and 4 minutes away from their location. The victim “knew at that point that Zuberi was not a police officer and that she was being kidnapped,” according to the affidavit.
When he arrived at the house, he locked her in “a makeshift cell he had constructed in his garage” out of cinder blocks and a metal door that was sealed from the outside, according to the FBI.
According to the news release, the woman said officers she continuously knocked on the door until she was able to bust her way out of the jail.
“The victim said she knew Zuberi would kill her if she stayed in the room,” according to authorities. “The victim started punching the security screen door open.” And the victim was able to break the screen door’s welds and pull the metal screen material down. The victim then escaped by climbing through a small gap in the door.”
According to the FBI, the woman waved down a driver who dialed 911. According to Klamath Falls police, she was transferred to a local hospital, where detectives responded to a report of a rape victim.
But according to the affidavit, police later discovered “blood on the wooden fence” that the woman had climbed over during her escape. It was unclear how long the woman was held in the cell until she escaped.
Police claimed Zuberi was apprehended during a standoff in Reno, Nevada, when detectives tracked him down using cell phone technology. According to the affidavit, Zuberi was apprehended in a Walmart parking lot.
“Due to the real possibility that this was not Zuberi’s first crime of this nature, the FBI was requested,” police stated. Negasi Zuberi
According to the affidavit, police secured a search warrant on July 16. And discovered the improvised cell and other things, including the victim’s pocketbook, in Zuberi’s garage.
The home where Zuberi reportedly confined the woman is owned by Klamath Falls Mayor Carol Westfall and her husband, according to the local daily Herald and News. Westfall told the paper that they rented the house to Zuberi and his two children six months ago, but that there was no mention of a wife or housemates in the agreement.
“We had service people going there, and he would invite us in,” recalled Westfall. She said of Zuberi’s alleged actions, “It was incredibly brazen.”
“He came into this town,” the mayor remarked, “but it’s over for him.”
According to the FBI, the suspect targeted sex workers and housemates.
“We are fortunate that this brave woman escaped and alerted authorities,” said Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Shark in a press statement. “While she may have helped protect future victims, sadly, we have now linked Zuberi to several violent assaults in at least four states, and we believe there are many more.”
The FBI suspects Zuberi targeted sex workers or roommates between August 2016 and July 2023. California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama, and Nevada.
Authorities did not elaborate on how they connected the suspect to other crimes.
According to the FBI, Zuberi, who also goes by the names Sakima, Justin Hyche. And Justin Kouassi, used various methods to “gain control of his victims,” including putting drugs in their drinks, posing as a police officer. And soliciting the services of sex workers before “violently sexually assaulting them.”
“Some of the encounters may have been filmed to make it appear as if the assault was consensual,” according to the FBI. “The victims are threatened with retaliation if they notify the police.”
The agency is seeking for the public’s assistance in finding more potential victims and more information about Zuberi.
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