A woman in western Pennsylvania who said she was being held against her will for months was found by authorities after leaving notes in two public bathrooms asking for help.
The man she accused was arrested and charged with sexual assault before being released on a $500 bail a few days later.
Police found the first note stuck to the mirror of a women’s bathroom on July 8 at a Walmart in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, less than 10 miles away from Pittsburgh. On the note, a woman said she was being sexually assaulted and held against her will by 38-year-old Corey Brewer, according to ABC News. In the note, she provided the address where she was staying and warned that Brewer was armed with a knife.
Police went to the address and heard movement in the house, but did not enter because they didn’t have a warrant. When officers called Brewer on July 9, he told authorities the two were vacationing in New York City, according to WPXI.
Another note was then found on Saturday at a women’s restroom at the Fallingwater museum in the western part of the state. That note stated the woman had been held hostage since May 1 and “heard the police knocking at the residence, that the abuse hasn’t stopped, and please don’t give up,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News.
Police said one of the notes read, “If I don’t make it, tell my family I love them,” according to CBS Pittsburgh.
After surveillance cameras at the museum identified Brewer and the woman, police obtained a search warrant for the address where Brewer was later arrested, and the woman taken to a local hospital, according to WTAE.
ABC News reported that the woman told police Brewer has sexually assaulted her in addition to punching and strangling her multiple times. He also threatened to kill her and her children if she attempted to escape.
The outlet also said the victim’s ex told police Brewer had been in a relationship with the woman, and in August 2020, she filed a protective order against Brewer that expired soon after.
Brewer was released from jail a few days later after posting $500 bail, according to court records. The 38-year-old is being charged with making terroristic threats, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, unlawful restraint, strangulation and simple assault. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 22.
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