South Carolina authorities have arrested the suspect in the abduction of a 14-year-old girl who was rescued yesterday. Vinson Filyaw, 37, (R) was arrested early today as he walked along a South Carolina interstate. He is being charged initially with kidnapping, possession of an incendiary device and impersonating an officer.
According to investigators, Filyaw kidnapped Elizabeth Shoaf (L) on September 6th- while she was walking home from her bus stop. Investigators said he threatened her using homemade grenades and a flare gun as he pretended to be a law enforcement officer. He then hid the girl in an underground bunker.
Officers say that bunker contained supplies and weapons, and was about 15 feet deep and 20 feet long. It was dug into a wooded area, and was covered with a makeshift door and leaves.
According to investigators, Filyaw told the girl that he had booby-trapped the place, and she would get hurt if she left. On Wednesday, the victim was able to send a text message while the man was sleeping, telling her family that she was in a hole and could hear trucks. That information helped investigators narrow their search location. The girl was discovered early Saturday morning, and has since been treated and released from the hospital.
Filyaw had been on the run from officers since the spring, when he was charged with criminal sexual conduct against a 12-year-old girl. Investigators think he escaped from officers coming to arrest him at his home by slipping out of a hole in his bedroom and into an underground tunnel.
More Info/Sources:WISTC- Columbia, SC ~ WLTX- Columbia, SC
UPDATE: 9/6/06- Nearly two months after a house-hunting couple found the body of Sarah Anne Walker in a model home, McKinney, Texas officials said they have a suspect in custody. McKinney Police Capt. Randy Roland said they arrested 25-year-old Kosoul Chanthakoummane (L) in connection with Walker's death.
Roland confirmed Chanthakoummane is the person described in a sketch drawing. Roland said officers arrested Chanthakoummane at 11 p.m. yesterday at his home in North Dallas. He said he could not release the address of the suspect since the investigation is still ongoing at this time. Roland said police received a tip on Chanthakoummane after they released a sketch drawing of him. McKinney Police officers said earlier that the person in the sketch was a "person of interest." Roland said investigators were still questioning Chanthakoummane around midnight Tuesday and that he could not release any details on his role or any evidence they have against him in regards to Walker's murder because it was "too early in the case." Roland said Chanthakoummane faces a charge of felony capital murder and a $1 million bond.
This is not the first arrest for Chanthakoummane. According to this WCNC article: In 1997, Chanthakoummane was arrested and convicted with violent kidnapping and robbery charges in Union County, NC. He was only 16 years old at the time. Investigators in Union County, North Carolina said he and another teen stole a car and led police on a chase through Weddington, NC. The boys later kidnapped two elderly women at gunpoint and stole their car. Chanthakoummane was convicted of second-degree kidnapping. Police suspected all three of the teens of being members of an Asian gang because of their tattoos. Chanthakoummane served eight years in prison for the crime and was released last February. He then moved to Texas to be closer to family.
--------------------------- Forty-year-old realtor Sarah Anne Walker (R) was found dead in a model home on Saturday, July 8th. She was found lying face down in the kitchen of a model home where she worked as a real estate sales representative for D.R. Horton. Dr. William Rohr, Collin County, TX medical examiner, said Walker was stabbed 27 times with a sharp bladed instrument with wounds on her upper body, arms and hands and suffered some blunt force trauma.
According to this article published by The McKinney Courier-Gazette, McKinney, Texas Police Capt. Randy Roland said investigators have been following up on a number of leads and interviewing numerous people from Walker's life. He estimated that police have followed up on approximately 250 leads and conducted interviews with 50-100 people."I guess she (Walker) knew a lot of people," Roland said. "We've done a lot of interviews."
He said they have collected evidence from the scene that is being processed by a state crime lab, but he could not divulge the nature of the items or the evidence. The only pieces of evidence or clues that police have made known to the public so far are that whoever committed the murder stole a gold Rolex Datejust watch and a silver ring off Walker's body that she purchased the evening before she died.
It looks like the police have a DNA sample of the killer. Police have said they believe the killer was cut during the attack since they found some blood at the scene that didn't belong to Walker. Roland said they believe the killer was cut because of the way some of the blood dripped on the surface of the area. Roland said they are still awaiting test results from the state crime lab."We haven't got our lab results back to tell us what we have," Roland said. "We're behind other very important murders as well."
South Carolina authorities have arrested the suspect in the abduction of a 14-year-old girl who was rescued yesterday. Vinson Filyaw, 37, (R) was arrested early today as he walked along a South Carolina interstate. He is being charged initially with kidnapping, possession of an incendiary device and impersonating an officer.
According to investigators, Filyaw kidnapped Elizabeth Shoaf (L) on September 6th- while she was walking home from her bus stop. Investigators said he threatened her using homemade grenades and a flare gun as he pretended to be a law enforcement officer. He then hid the girl in an underground bunker. 
According to investigators, Filyaw told the girl that he had booby-trapped the place, and she would get hurt if she left. On Wednesday, the victim was able to send a text message while the man was sleeping, telling her family that she was in a hole and could hear trucks. That information helped investigators narrow their search location. The girl was discovered early Saturday morning, and has since been treated and released from the hospital.
