Missouri woman tells police she was held captive in wooden box

SEDALIA, Mo. – A central Missouri woman told police that her boyfriend held her captive in their home, sometimes confining her in a wooden box.

Authorities were searching Friday for James Barton Horn Jr., 47.

Sedalia police Chief John DeGonia said in a news conference Friday that a “hysterical” woman called police Thursday night after escaping a home she shared with Horn.

She told police the suspect routinely locked her inside the box. He says officers found a box in the home that matched the woman’s description.

DeGonia said the man and woman’s relationship began as consensual but eventually the man became controlling.

The Sedalia Democrat reports the victim is being kept at an undisclosed location and is recovering.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Missouri woman tells police she was held captive in wooden box."