Kidnapped woman found naked inside U-Haul with stab wounds on each of her fingers
A Maryland man was arrested after authorities pulled him over Friday night and discovered a kidnapped woman inside his U-Haul. She had been stripped of her clothes and stabbed in each of her fingers.
The suspect, identified as Dennis Bell, is facing a whopping 33 traffic and criminal charges, including first-degree assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, fourth-degree sex offense, possession of suspected crack cocaine, and driving while impaired.
Police said Bell initially spotted his victim inside a convenience store in Washington D.C. Friday morning. She later told investigators that he “pushed her into the U-Haul truck and threatened her life if she did not comply with his demands,” according to a press release from Maryland State Police. The suspect then drove around most of the day with the victim seated on the floor board in the front seat.
The victim, who was not identified, said her kidnapper took her clothes and used a pocket knife to stab all of her fingers.
Around 9:45 p.m., troopers from the College Park Barrack received multiple calls about a U-Haul truck driving erratically and hitting several parked cars in Lanham, Maryland. Troopers were able to locate the truck on Route 450 and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Bell kept driving.
A brief chase ensued, ending only after Bell’s vehicle became disabled in a ditch. Police said he refused troopers’ requests to exit the truck, forcing them to gain entry through the passenger window. The woman was still sitting on the ground when she was discovered by officers, who provided her with a jacket before she was transported to a hospital.
Police said Bell was “uncooperative” and refused to identify himself. He was treated at a hospital before he was transported to the Upper Marlboro Department of Corrections.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing and authorities have asked anyone with information about the case to contact MDSP’s Criminal Enforcement Division.
