Kidnapped Utah college student rescued by police
LOA, Utah Dec 22, 2021
A missing 19-year-old college student was rescued by police officers and is safe almost a week after she was last seen.
Police do have a man in custody, and he has been arrested in the case, police in Utah said on Sunday.
Madelyn Allen, a Snow College student, was reported missing Wednesday after she was last seen leaving her dorm Monday night.
According to police reports, Allen walked away from her apartment at 9:22 p.m., on December 13. Someone who saw her said she looked like she was going out to meet someone. Video footage showed Allen wearing a skirt, a white coat she frequently wore, and flats.
Around 7:20 a.m. on December 14, a text message was sent from her phone to one of her parents saying “I Love You!”
The text caused her parents to be concerned and head to Verizon to find out details on the location of the phone. Verizon notified them that the 7:20 a.m. text was sent from Loa, Utah which is 87 miles from Ephraim where she was last seen.
Police obtained data that indicated that Allen’s phone was in Loa at 12:06 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. on December 14. There is no further data after 7:20 a.m.
On December 18, investigators found in Allen’s Verizon records more cell phone pings in Loa.
During the search, law enforcement arrived at a home on Main Street. As they approached the house, they saw through a basement window a person with light-colored hair and a small build in the basement.
A 39-year-old man identified as Brent Neil Brown answered the door and said no one else was in the home. He also would not allow a consensual search of his home without the owner of the home’s (his parents’) permission. The owner was contacted, and a consensual search was granted.
Officers quickly found a Snow College ID belonging to Allen in plain view. A gun was also located in an open suitcase that contained clothes that appear to belong to her as well.
Brown was detained by officers and was found in possession of three knives. Brown faces charges including aggravated kidnapping and rape, according to court documents. He and Allen met online; documents show.
Officers found Allen alive in what is described as a coal storage area of the home. She was completely covered in coal.
Authorities say Allen was taken to a local hospital for an examination before reuniting with her family.
Brown told police that he saw a news report about Allen having been reported missing. He says he then proceeded to dispose of her phone in a trash can at a local store and tell Allen he sent the phone to Arizona.
Brown allegedly kept her at his home for five days and had her wallet with personal information about her family, including an address. Allen stated that Brown threatened her saying if she left or told anyone about him, he would come after her family and sister.
“The ordeal that she has been through is dangerous and traumatic.” said Jacob Allen, a family spokesperson, “the experience and details and effects of which we’ve only begun to understand. She is a fighter. She is now a survivor.”
