A North Carolina man accused of randomly kidnapping and knifing a girl told investigators he wanted to mutilate his victim and dump her body roadside for drivers to see, officials with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
The victim, whose age was not released, managed to escape her attacker’s home and got help when concerned citizens saw her walking on a road. It happened on Wednesday, authorities say, in the China Grove area, which is about 45 minutes northeast of Charlotte on Interstate 85.
The suspect, 24-year-old Hunter Chase Nance, later told investigators of his interest in cannibalism, according to a Rowan County’s Sheriff’s Office statement.
Nance also told investigators about a list of people he intends to kill when he’s released from jail, sheriff’s Detective Lt. Ryan Barkley said.
“This is a very strange case, and I can honestly say it’s only the second time I’ve ever been uncomfortable in an interview with a suspect,” Barkley said in an email with details of the attack.
‘Gory details’ in China Grove attack
The victim told authorities she’d been attacked by a stranger who approached her earlier in the day at a local gas station, sheriff’s officials said. They exchanged phone numbers, and she later agreed to let the man pick her up and take her to his home, according to the sheriff’s office statement.
After entering the home, the man locked the door and attacked her with a knife, she told investigators.
“The victim fought back and was able to get the knife away from Nance, suffering from cuts on her hands before escaping the residence,” according to the sheriff’s office statement. “Concerned citizens called to report an injured woman walking on the roadway, prompting a response from deputies and paramedics.”
In talking with investigators, Nance “described gory details of his plans that … were spoiled when (the victim) fought back and got away.” The girl, authorities say, escaped the home after being attacked and had injuries on her hands from the knife.
Rowan County kidnapping case
Deputies arrested Nance at his home on Peaceful Lane, outside of China Grove, and charged him with false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon. He later was charged with first-degree kidnapping and was in the Rowan County jail on a $600,000 secured bond Friday.
The Rowan County District Attorney’s Office didn’t agree that an attempted murder charge applied in the case, so Barkley said he obtained the highest charge he could and is working with prosecutors to keep Nance in a “secure mental facility if not prison.”
Nance was convicted of injury to real property in Cabarrus County Criminal District Court in 2018, according to a search of court records by The Charlotte Observer. He was sentenced to 45 days of community punishment and six months probation for the misdemeanor crime, the records show.