An Ohio woman has been accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and torture of a 26-year-old man, allegedly enlisting five men she is in a polyamorous relationship with to carry out the attack.
Martina Jones, 28, along with her partners—Aaron Bradshaw, 49; Austin Bradshaw, 23; David Cessna, 26; Michael Esqueda, 28; and Chance Johnston, 27—has been arrested and faces multiple charges.
Authorities believe the victim was abducted on March 14 and held against his will at a Red Roof Inn in Maumee, Ohio, for over a week. During his captivity, he was allegedly beaten with a baseball bat, forced to stand for long periods, and only allowed to eat and drink once daily. It is reported that he managed to sleep for only about 10 hours over the entire week.
“He was essentially tortured and assaulted throughout that week,” stated Maumee Chief of Police Josh Sprow. “His injuries included fractures resulting from blows with a baseball bat, punches, elbows, and being stomped on while on the ground.”
Sprow also mentioned that the suspects occasionally allowed the victim to leave, which ultimately led to the police becoming aware of the situation. On March 21, the victim was permitted to go to a Speedway convenience store, where he contacted someone who then reached out to his mother.
His mother quickly arrived at the Red Roof Inn to assist him, and Maumee police were alerted to the situation. Following a surveillance operation, authorities arrested all six suspects at the hotel.
The victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive, though he suffered multiple injuries across his body.
It remains unclear whether the victim had any prior connection to the suspects or if the crime was random. The charging documents did not specify what led to the alleged kidnapping or a potential motive.
Police chief Sprow indicated that preliminary investigations suggested that Jones was the mastermind behind the kidnapping and assault, as she allegedly directed the male suspects to beat and assault the victim. Investigators have confirmed that she is romantically involved with the five men and has children with them.
“It’s clearly a bizarre situation to have multiple adult men involved in a relationship with a woman, culminating in this felonious assault and kidnapping,” Sprow remarked. “This is definitely not typical in our city.”
The police chief noted that the group was planning to flee the area, but officers intervened before they could escape.
On Monday, the suspects appeared in court in Toledo, where a judge set their bond at $200,000 each. On Thursday, all six were indicted by a grand jury, facing charges of one count of kidnapping, three counts of felonious assault, and two counts of tampering with evidence.
