Woman says she clawed her way out of a shallow grave after her husband stabbed her and buried her alive

A Washington state woman told police that she clawed her way out of a shallow grave after her husband kidnapped her, stabbed her, and buried her alive.

The harrowing incident unfolded on Monday at about 1 a.m. when police responded to a call of a frantic woman outside a person's home in Lacey, near Seattle.

The Thurston County Sheriff's Department said it found the woman hiding in a shed in the front yard of the home.

“My husband is trying to kill me,” the woman screamed, according to a court filing.

Police said she had duct tape wrapped around her neck, face, and ankles and had extensive bruising to her legs, arms, and head. Her clothing and hair were also covered in dirt.

Investigators say she told them that her estranged husband, 53-year-old Chae Kyong An, attacked her in her home as they were discussing their divorce and having a disagreement over money. She said he bound her with duct tape, but she was able to call 911 on her Apple watch when he left the room.

She went on to say that her husband drove her somewhere where she was placed on the ground, and she could hear him digging. She claims that he stabbed her in the chest and dragged her into a hole.

“After being put into the ground she could hear her husband walking around the hole and dirt being put on top of her," the filing said.

She said she wriggled around to keep dirt off of her face and was able to wriggle free from the duct tape after it got dark. She ran for about 30 minutes before finding a home where she could hide.

She told investigators that Kyong An had threatened her life previously, saying that he'd “rather kill her than give her his retirement money."

Police said they were able to find the hole she described and found duct tape on the ground near the hole, which appeared to be freshly dug. They also have surveillance tape showing Kyong An driving away from his wife's home in a van.

Several hours after his wife was rescued, Kyong An was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, and first-degree assault. He is being held without bail.

Here's a local news video about the incident:

Lacey man accused of burying his wife alive, she luckily escaped | FOX 13 Seattlewww.youtube.com