SEDALIA, Mo., May 1 (UPI) -- Missouri police on Friday were searching for a man suspected of keeping a woman locked up in a wooden box off and on for four months.
Authorities are searching central Missouri for James Barton Horn, 47, who is accused of assaulting his girlfriend and keeping her inside a box since January.
The woman told police she escaped from a Sedalia residence where she said Horn had her captive. After executing a search warrant, police said they found a wooden box that could have held a person.
"We actively have officers out looking for this subject," said Sedalia Police Chief John DeGonia. "Later in the evening, we got tips where he was at. It was south of town in the county. We responded, we called (Missouri State) Highway Patrol and the (Pettis) County (Sheriff's Office) for help and sent some officers out there. When we got there we found his vehicle, but he was not there. He is still (at large). We got another tip this morning, and we have teams out looking for him and we will continue to do that until we locate him."
DeGonia said the woman, whose name wasn't reported, appeared to be physically OK.
The woman had not been reported missing because she said she was still allowed out of the house and to see her family members in a controlled manner, police said.
Horn has a history of kidnapping, raping and torturing three women, KCTV-TV in Kansas City, Mo., reported.
