Antione Dobine was chatting with a neighbor about the need to board up and repair vacant buildings on his Far South Side block Saturday evening when he heard banging on the window of an abandoned home.
via: Revolt
He says he went closer to the building and when he heard a woman yell “Help,” he called the police.
Dobine went live on Facebook to document the shocking incident as it unfolded. Reports say his post has since garnered more than 800,000 views. When police arrived on the scene, they found a 36-year-old woman in the abandoned home in the 11900 block of Eggleston Avenue in West Pullman.
“She was handcuffed and chained and said she had been in there for a week. She said [her captor] sexually assaulted her twice,” Dobine said of the victim.
Officials said the woman was found around 5:30 p.m. that evening and was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital where she is in good condition.
Yesterday (May 23), Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan spoke at a press conference announcing that the woman’s case is currently under investigation and that no one is in custody.
“We’re working with our victim, obviously a lot of trauma there, and we’re doing our best to move forward with the investigation,” Deenihan said.
The woman is said to be from the neighborhood and authorities have placed her in a hotel for the time being.
Dobine has lived in West Pullman since 1973 and says the place where the 36-year-old was found has been vacant for decades. He recalled that a woman who used to live there sold treats to the neighborhood kids calling the home “our candy store back when we were younger.”
The West Pullman resident also discussed his disapproval of the neglected neighborhood. “The banks that own these properties and the landlords that own these properties need to come to an agreement with the rest of the community,” Dobine said. “If you’re not going to sell it to us, then allow us to rent it, fix it up and put it to use.”
