Missing Ohio woman found in hidden pit under neighbor's shed

A 30-year-old woman was found being held captive under a neighbor's backyard shed in Ohio. The woman was found alive in a 3 1/2 feet deep hole with wood over the top of it.

"When they woke me up at 4 in the morning to say they found her, I thought the next sentence was going to be, 'She's dead.,'" admits Blanchester Police Chief Scott Reinbolt.

According to police, the woman's neighbor 45-year-old Dennis Dunn kidnapped the victim after sending her harassing phone calls. Police say Dunn has a history with mental illness. 

The woman's mother reported her missing around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

"At about 4 a.m., officers were called after neighbors heard cries coming from a shed behind the house," Reinbolt says. A responding officer found the woman, crouching in a pit about 2 feet wide by 2 feet long and about 3 1/2 feet deep with wood over the top of it. Heavy objects, including lawn equipment, had been placed on the wood, preventing the woman from getting out.

The woman appeared to be having a seizure and was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released, police said. She didn't appear to have been injured.

Police stayed outside Dunn's darkened house while waiting for a search warrant and called a tactical team after neighbors said Dunn might have an assault rifle. But while officers were waiting, Dunn came to the front door "nonchalantly" about 8 a.m. and was arrested without incident, Reinbolt said.

"I don't think he grasped the severity of the situation," the chief said.

Earlier this month he was charged with disorderly conduct and marijuana possession after he repeatedly called police saying he was hearing voices, and thought people were trying to get in his home.

Dunn is now facing a list of charges, including kidnapping.

Blanchester, Ohio is about 40 miles northeast of Cincinnati.

The Associated Press contributed to this report