Murder, kidnapping suspect dead after hostage situation in West Virginia

Jordan Mead
·2 min read
3

CEREDO, W.Va. (WOWK) — A man wanted for murder and several alleged kidnappings is dead, and the three hostages he took at a West Virginia gas station early Sunday morning are all safe, according to Kenova Police Chief Bob Sullivan.

Sullivan said David Maynard took the hostages at a gas station in Ceredo around 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10.

The West Virginia State Police said a state trooper went to the gas station and saw Maynard behind the counter. Maynard then allegedly pointed a pistol at the trooper, which started the hostage situation.

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Sullivan told News 2’s sister station, WOWK, that a hostage negotiator with the West Virginia State Police Special Response Team talked with Maynard for an hour and a half. At one point, it was believed one of the hostage victims had been shot. However, that was not the case.

The situation ended when Maynard came to the door of the gas station with only one hostage still inside. Maynard was shot by authorities and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police were able to rescue the hostage, who they said was the clerk.

Two other hostages — who were customers, according to officials — had previously been let go by Maynard.

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Sullivan said none of the three hostages had visible injuries.

On Friday, Sept. 8, police in Ironton, Ohio, had asked the public to be on the lookout for Maynard after a woman was found tied up in a home, along with a man who had been shot and killed. The man was Maynard’s stepfather, authorities said, and the woman was unharmed.

During the late night hours on Saturday, Sept. 9, someone spotted Maynard roughly 13 miles away in the Kenova area of West Virginia, so a shelter-in-place was put into effect as police looked for him. Shortly afterward, the hostage situation began.

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Maynard was also suspected of kidnapping two women in two different cars in Kentucky, authorities said Saturday. One woman and vehicle have been located as of early Sunday, but police are still searching for the second woman and vehicle.

Authorities have not yet released a motive in any of the incidents.

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