Utah mom, son rescued after Facebook post

By JENNIFER DOBNER | AP – Mon, Dec 26, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah woman used Facebook to seek help after she and her 17-month-old son were held hostage at a residence for nearly five days, police said.

Police Sgt. Jon Arnold said the woman hid in a closet with a laptop to post her plea for help on the social networking website, saying she and her son would be "dead by morning" if they were not rescued.

The post prompted someone to call police, who went to the home to check on the woman's welfare.

"Facebook was her only outlet that she had at the home," Arnold said. "It just happened that she was able to use it."

Police arrested Troy Reed Critchfield, 33, and booked him into jail Saturday for investigation of aggravated kidnapping, forcible sodomy, aggravated assault, domestic violence, child abuse, animal cruelty and other charges.

Salt Lake County Jail records show Critchfield initially refused to let police in the house.

The papers say the woman shook her head to indicate "No," when officers asked if she was OK.

After police separated the couple, the woman told officers she and her child had not been allowed to leave the home and that she repeatedly had been hit, choked and sexually abused over a period of nearly five days. Jail records show the woman also claimed Critchfield had taken her cell phone and the phone of a disabled child also in the home.

"She claims that any time she went to go to a door, he physically assaulted her," Arnold told The Associated Press on Monday.

The woman had bruises and other physical injuries consistent with allegations, but refused to go to a hospital for treatment, he said.

She also told officers that Critchfield grabbed the boy's arms and treated him roughly, while also refusing to let her feed the family dog, jail papers state.

Critchfield remained in jail on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.

Utah State Court records show that in December 2010 Critchfield pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault and obstruction of justice charges in connection with a domestic violence incident.

A judge sentenced Critchfield to a prison term of five years, but suspended the punishment for a 120-day jail term and three years of probation.

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Facebook status update saves woman, baby’s life after they are taken captive

A Utah woman and her 17-month-old baby boy were rescued from a man who had held them captive for days after she sneaked into a closet and posted a plea for help on Facebook, according to reports.

"Hello...is anyone out there? I am having a serious problem and me and (my son) will be dead by morning," she wrote.

Erica Carver, who had never met the victim outside of the social networking site, told WHDH-TV that she spotted the update and called her husband, who knew the victim. They eventually tracked down the woman's address and called police.

"Her posts were never jokes," Carver said. "And I thought, 'This is Christmas and this has to be real!' I mean, even if it's not, you gotta follow through on it."

After they arrived on the scene, police arrested the victim’s ex-boyfriend, Tony Reed Critchfield, 33, for investigation on charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, domestic violence, child abuse, forcible sodomy, animal cruelty and other counts. He was jailed in lieu of $251,665 bond.

The Salt Lake City Tribune reported Critchfield had held the woman and her baby captive for four or five days, beat and choked the woman, threw the baby and hadn't fed the dog at all.

"She claims that any time she went to go to a door, he physically assaulted her," Police Sgt. Jon Arnold told The Associated Press on Monday.

The victim and Critchfield have a son together, court papers showed.

Critchfield had been convicted of felony assault against the victim last December and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and three years’ probation.

Carver said she's just glad she checked the social media network when she did.

"Facebook you usually get on and gossip, and stupid little cartoons and this and that. And this was something serious that saved someone's life," she told the TV station. "And I'm a Grinch. Big Grinch. I hate Christmas. But it was Christmas Eve and she was safe. And it made me feel really good."
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Why is it these crazies all look alike????