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Woman winds up in trunk of car after answering Craigslist ad

Posted at 6:02 PM, May 15, 2015
and last updated 2015-05-15 18:02:08-04
Daniel Louis Symons

Daniel Louis Symons

Shiawassee County, MI — State Road in Shiawassee County was the backdrop for a woman’s worst nightmare.

That nightmare started on Craigslist when the 22-year old answered an ad from a man seeking a submissive partner, WNEM.

The two decided to meet up near his Chesaning area home, but when she got there, she quickly realized this was not the man in the picture she’d seen.

Michigan State Police Lieutenant David Kaiser said once their meet-up wasn’t going well, she wanted to go home. However, the suspect, Daniel Louis Symons, had other ideas. Police said he bound her and forced her into his car before driving off.

She didn’t go without a fight, and police said that may have helped save her life.

She began kicking the back of his seat, causing him to swerve. Thinking the driver was drunk, Michigan State Police pulled Symons over.

Upon approach, they found the young woman screaming for help in the backseat of the car with a bag over her head, duct tape over her mouth and zip ties around her wrists.

MSP arrested Symons who has been charged with kidnapping and assault by strangulation. Kaiser said the woman did not seek medical treatment. He also urged anyone who engages in Craigslist deals to do so in a public place or even the lobby of a state police post.