KING COUNTY, Wash. — Please be advised: this story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.
For the second time in just two weeks, a woman was reportedly picked up off Seattle's Aurora Ave. and held captive against her will, according to authorities.
The first case, in mid-July, involved a woman who reportedly came to Seattle for MLB All-Star Week, and now, FBI Portland is revealing the shocking details of an arrest made after they believe a man kidnapped a woman off Aurora Ave., sexually assaulted her, drove her to Oregon and locked her inside a homemade cell in his garage.
Advocacy groups for at-risk women told KING 5 Wednesday that this terrifying ordeal is likely happening more often than we even realize.
In this latest case, the FBI said they have reason to believe the suspect, 29-year-old Negasi Zuberi, may have abused women in multiple states.
"According to the complaint, the woman fought for her life, beating the doors and the walls of her cell with bloodied hands," said Stephanie Shark of FBI Portland.
Pictures released by the FBI show the homemade cinderblock cell.
"Through her perseverance, she broke free and waved down a passing motorist asking for their help to call 911," said Shark.
Zuberi is accused of building the cell in the garage of his Klamath Falls home that investigators believe he shared with his wife.
Local nonprofit leaders want the public to know that resources are available.
"If you don't have a way out, if you don't trust anybody, if you have no resources, you have no job, no education, no family, no anything, it doesn't matter. If you come to The Genesis Project, we will work on a pathway for you to get out," said Andy Conner, President and Founder of The Genesis Project Seattle. For 12 years, he's worked to offer hope for a new life to young women and girls involved in sex work with his nonprofit.
"It's dangerous, while they're being picked up. They don't know who they're going to get," said Conner. "Some of these guys are dark and have some serious, nefarious plans for these girls, once they pick them up. And not just, you know, doing what they're doing, prostitution and sex. They're doing other things. So this is a good example of that... These girls often have no family support, no ties with anybody. So when they go missing, unless somebody is looking for them, they're gone."
Conner, who spent decades as a King County Sheriff's official, said there is often more than meets the eye on Aurora Ave.
"The majority of these gals are being either coerced or being forced to do it," he said.
Sara Clinton, who is the Safe Place Program coordinator for the nonprofit Friends of Youth, said they can help anybody who is in a crisis.
"Sometimes it's actually other young people, recruiting other young people for the sex work," said Clinton. "Any situation where they feel unsafe, we can intervene."
There are currently more than 2,100 "safe place sites" embedded into the communities in King County, including in all libraries, Metro buses, and even in select organizations and businesses. A yellow diamond sticker reading "safe place" is the indicator.
"Staff in there is trained to know what to do if a youth were to walk in," said Clinton.
Friends of Youth can connect anyone stuck in a cycle of abuse or vulnerability with a way out.
According to Clinton, there are three ways survivors can reach Safe Place: first, by calling the Safe Place hotline at 1 (800) 422-TEEN (8336), secondly, by texting SAFE and current location to 4HELP (44357), and lastly, by approaching a physical Safe Place site. More information can be found here.
Meanwhile, with this latest interstate kidnapping case, if you have any information or believe you may have been a victim of Zuberi, you're asked to contact the FBI.
If you'd like to help the local nonprofit groups in their missions of supporting vulnerable women, both The Genesis Project Seattle and Friends of Youth are seeking donations and volunteers.