BUMBLE BEAST: Texas man Zachary Mills kidnapped and tortured woman he met on dating app for 5 days
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: A 21-year-old Texas man was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a woman he met on a dating app on Christmas Eve and holding her hostage for five days. During the time suspect Zachary Mills reportedly tortured and sexually assaulted the victim before she managed to escape.
Zachary Mills met the woman on the dating app Bumble and drove her to his apartment in Spring. The woman told investigators that Mills became furious after she refused to have sex with him. The suspect is accused of biting the victim, punching her and beating her repeatedly with a screwdriver handle. After that Mills also deprived her of food and water while he sexually assaulted her “multiple times leading to serious bodily injury,” police said in a press release, according to New York Post.
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On December 29, the woman was finally able to escape Mill's apartment after he left for his father's house. She sought help from a good Samaritan neighbor and was taken to a local hospital for treatment for her injuries, police said. “The victim in this case had severe injuries to her face, orbital sockets, lower extremities; thankfully, we were able to get her to the hospital very quickly,” Harris County Constable Precinct 4 Capt Jonathan Zitzmann told KHOU.
The following day, authorities executed a search warrant at the apartment and arrested Mills at a gas station across the street on December 30. Mills was charged with first-degree aggravated kidnapping. An investigation is undergoing and subsequently, additional charges may be filed, Constable Mark Herman said. "Right now, Mr Mills is presumed innocent. Until then, we will review discovery, strategize and prepare a defense," Chris Denuna, Mills' defense attorney, said. He added that his client has “not seen anything in the allegations that make them credible.”
Mills was released from jail on a $50,000 bond and is under house arrest. According to his bond conditions, the suspect is on 24-hour house arrest and can only leave to go to court, get groceries, and meet with his lawyer, reported ABC News. He is also prohibited from being within 200 feet of where the victim works or lives. Mills' next court appearance is on Friday, January 6.
