Woman escapes Nashville home where suspect held her captive in basement for days, police say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A man accused of keeping a woman in the basement of a Nashville home for three days has been taken into custody, authorities said. 

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said the woman visited the home on Tuesday, Feb. 27, allegedly to check on a friend, identified as 53-year-old Liddon Crutcher. During the visit, the woman told officers, Crutcher became agitated and forced her into the basement of the home.

The door to the basement was locked with a deadbolt, police said.

When the woman was allowed to leave the basement, Crutcher would block the front door to prevent her from leaving the home, authorities said.

In an arrest report, the woman told officers that she was not allowed to eat or drink throughout the ordeal.

Then, on Friday, Crutcher allegedly entered the basement and told the victim “he was going to kill her,” police said. 

The victim and Crutcher then got into a fight, during which Crutcher attempted to hit her in the head with a hammer, the woman told police, but the hammer instead landed on her foot. Crutcher then ordered his dog to bite the woman, injuring her, according to an arrest report.

The victim told officers she was finally able to leave after waking other residents inside the home. She then ran to a neighbor’s home to call police.

Crutcher was booked into Metro Jail on Sunday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and resisting arrest. He remained jailed on a $75,000 bond, records from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office show.