Connie and Larry Van Ostein were rescued alive from a hidden basement bunker after being kidnapped by a masked intruder.
The Disappearance
The elderly couple went missing after an intruder broke into their home armed with a sledgehammer, taser, handcuffs, gun, and duct tape. Using a voice distorter, the attacker subdued the couple and transported them to a rental property in Janesville, located about 25 minutes away.
The Discovery inside the Bunker
Deputies investigating the family home and rental properties of a suspect named Chad Skipper noticed abnormal floorboards at the Janesville location. Beneath the floor, they found a hidden room with a live security screen displaying the Van Osteens shackled to a wall, blindfolded, and forced to stand in a concrete space.
There were no stairs, only a ladder against the wall and a steel-lined door hidden in a closet. Inside the bunker, which was equipped with hidden cameras and microphones, the couple was found weakened from a lack of food and sleep, suffering from bruising and hypothermia, but alive. Upon realizing they were saved, they embraced the deputies.
