On 15 July 2023 an unnamed woman escaped from a tiny soundproofed cell where she had been held captive after being kidnapped earlier that day. She had used her “survival instinct” to free herself from the 5ft-by-10ft breeze block cell, which was hidden in a garage in Klamath Falls, Oregon, repeatedly punching the metal door until the welds broke. “She was then able to peel down the metal screen to the point where there was a small opening in the centre of the screen door, and she was able to squeeze through it,” Klamath Falls Police Captain Rob Reynolds later told the press.

After escaping, she scaled a 6ft fence before flagging down a passing motorist, who called 911. Her alleged kidnapper, 29-year-old Negasi Zuberi – who once appeared on Judge Judy – was inside the house with his wife and two young children when the escape happened. The woman was able to give police enough information to identify Zuberi as the suspect the following day. “It was impressive, especially because she is not from this area and doesn’t know anything about our town,” Captain Reynolds said. “She didn’t have anything to write with. I’m assuming she did it by memory.” Zuberi was later arrested after a stand-off at a Reno store with his wife and children. He has been charged with kidnapping and remanded in custody. A trial is scheduled for October, with Zuberi pleading not guilty.

The woman alleges that Zuberi approached her in Seattle, 450 miles away. Posing as an undercover police officer, he pointed a Taser at her and put her in handcuffs and leg irons before forcing her into his SUV. He allegedly sexually assaulted her throughout the seven-and-a-half-hour journey. When they reached his home, he drove the vehicle into the garage, forced her into the cell with only a bottle of water and a blanket and told her to sleep. “When she woke up, she realised she was in harm’s way and knew she needed to get out,” said Captain Reynolds.

During a search of Zuberi’s rented home, where he had been living for around six months, investigators are reported to have found a notepad with sketches of what they believe was an underground bunker made from concrete blocks and foam insulation. Captain Reynolds said, “That led us to believe this was pre-planned.” Police also believe Zuberi has “a history of violence” against women and are looking into other potential victims. He is thought to have several aliases and moved frequently, having lived in ten different states in the past eight years. He even appeared on TV show Judge Judy using an alias, where he sued the mother of his children for throwing a bottle at him. “We do have indications that he has a history of violence and that violence has targeted women,” said FBI Portland’s Stephanie Shark. “And each time, it seems to escalate.” Incredibly, though, Zuberi’s makeshift dungeon isn’t the only hell hole that has been discovered recently.

14-YEAR NIGHTMARE
After being imprisoned in a damp, cockroach-infested cell in Russia for 14 years, Ekaterina Belyankina finally escaped last August. Her opportunity for freedom came after her alleged captor Vladimir Cheskidov, 51, had an alcohol-induced psychotic episode and forgot to lock her into the basement dungeon at his home in Smolino. The momentary lapse gave her the chance to run into the village, where she found her sister, who had been searching for her.

Known as Katya, Ekaterina – now 33 – claims her ordeal began in 2009, when she was 19, after Cheskidov offered her a drink at a railway station. “Then he invited me home, and it all started there,” she said. She alleges that while held against her will, he made her act as if they were in a relationship. Katya was kept in the squalid basement cell, with bars on the windows and a padlocked door, and was only allowed out to cook, clean, care for Cheskidov’s mother, and play chess and have sex with her captor. He “severely beat” and tortured her, as well as threatening her with a knife. When he wasn’t around, he forced her to lie on the floor in the crucifixion position, locked into a homemade wooden head and neck noose with her arms and legs tethered to metal brackets and her mouth taped. “She told of how a man held her, tied her up, taped her hands, sealed her mouth with tape. She said that he always had a knife, and any step to the left or to the right led to punishment,” Katya’s sister said. Muzzles, sex toys and pornography were also found in the house.

Despite Cheskidov’s claims they had a “loving and consensual” relationship, he faces charges of rape and kidnapping. His 72-year-old mother Valentina, who has been charged with being complicit in the kidnapping, refuted claims that her son had mistreated Katya. “She lived like a queen… No one kept her,” she said. “Katya lived [with us] of her own free will. We have the doors open. All women are drawn to him. He is a non-drinker, non-smoker and positive. A workaholic.”

Cheskidov could also be facing a murder charge after human bones – thought to be those of another woman he kidnapped – were found in a cellar in the property. “There was another girl there [when Katya first arrived]. He introduced her as his wife. But then, I don’t know what kind of conflict they had, but he plunged a knife right into her head [in 2011],” Katya’s sister said. “He told Katya, ‘If you behave the same way, you will get the same. Then he dismembered her and she helped him. [The] remains, arms and legs, were packed in a barrel.” Cheskidov remains in custody while police continue their investigation.

HELL IN SUBURBIA
For more than a decade, locals in the sleepy French town of Forbach had no idea one of their neighbours was being kept in a “torture room” by her husband. The 53-year-old woman, named only as Alicia W, was finally freed from her 12-year nightmare in August 2023, when police found her in a flat in the French-German border town.

The woman’s hell ended on 7 August after she got hold of a mobile phone and called German police, accusing her 55-year-old partner of holding her hostage since 2011. After a search for her, police were denied entry by the man – named as Thorsten S – and they had to force their way into the apartment. They found the semi-naked female trapped in one room, allegedly fenced off with metal wire. She was said to be in poor health, with a shaved head and multiple injuries, including signs of broken fingers and legs, and was undernourished. Her husband, who’s believed to have kept a record of his actions, including the times he fed her, was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and torture.

Neighbours said they heard screams coming from the flat, but when they asked the man, who they described as “very polite and nice”, he told them his wife had cancer and was in pain. “I never saw the lady, I don’t think she ever left the house,” one said. Another local said she last saw the woman “maybe ten years ago” and thought “she had died or moved out”, while another neighbour added, “We never saw the woman. He told us she had cancer and was screaming because of the pain.” However, it’s reported that prosecutors have questioned her “inconsistent” claims, deepening the mystery. Prosecutor Olivier Glady said that initial examinations had not found fractures or bruises on her. “The situation of captivity that she keeps complaining about does not exist,” Glady said 

PHOTOS: GETTY