Dyersburg, Tenn.–The U.S. Marshal Service is now assisting Dyersburg Police in the search for the man accused of kidnapping and holding a woman captive in a closet for two months.
Brenton Bell, age 30, of Dyersburg, was identified by the victim as the suspect. Bell and the victim were in a relationship, and according to the victim it turned physically abusive and led to her being held captive. Bell is wanted for aggravated kidnapping. He is described as being a black male, 30 years of age, approximately 5’5, weighing 150 lbs. Anyone with information as to where Bell may be located is urged to call the Dyersburg Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 288-7679, or Crime Stoppers at 285-TIPS.
The victim was treated and released from West Tennessee Healthcare Dyersburg. DPD contacted a WRAP Advocate to provide additional domestic violence services to the victim.
Dyersburg Police Chief Steve Isbell said on Saturday, March 11, around 1:30 p.m., Dyersburg police responded to a possible domestic complaint on Schaffer Street. Officers were informed that a man working in the area was approached by a female who reported that she had been kidnapped weeks earlier, and had just escaped.
According to the press release, “Officers arrived to find the victim hiding under a new construction home in the area. The 40-year-old victim had facial cuts and was reported to be very thin, weighing under 100 pounds. The victim reported that, for approximately two months, she was forced to stay in a closet that was locked by some type of locking device with a cable and was only allowed out of the closet for an hour a day. The victim was provided very limited food and no bathroom facilities. Officers and detectives were able to locate the vacant house on Ayers Street where the victim was being held. Evidence found included human waste inside the residence as described by the victim.”