A Louisiana mother was dramatically rescued by her own family members after being abducted by her child’s father and held captive in an abandoned house.
29-year-old Bethany Arceneaux, a mother from Duson, Louisiana, was abducted by the father of her child, Scott Thomas, as she arrived at her son’s daycare center. The kidnapping transpired in broad daylight, with her two-year-old son bearing witness from the backseat of her car; fortunately, the young boy was unharmed during the incident.
Shortly after the abduction, Arceneaux’s family received information suggesting that she was being held hostage in an abandoned house nearby the daycare. With law enforcement yet to respond to the crisis, her relatives resolved to take matters into their own hands and rescue her from the dire situation.
Upon reaching the forsaken house, half a dozen family members mustered the courage to break down the door, where they discovered Arceneaux, bloodied but alive. Thomas, however, was also present, prepared to battle for continued control over the young mother. A violent firefight ensued between Arceneaux’s family and Thomas, ultimately resulting in his death.
With Thomas out of the picture, her family was able to care for Arceneaux, who had suffered multiple stab wounds inflicted by her captor during the abduction. They promptly transported her to a nearby hospital, where she received treatment for her injuries, and was later reported to be in stable condition.
Despite her physical recovery, the psychological scars Arceneaux bears from the ordeal may never truly fade. Her brother, Ryan Arceneaux, who was part of the rescue effort along with another sibling, Kaylyn Alfred, recounted the events, likening them to a movie unfolding.
“She’s shook up, she’s sliced up, but she’s alright,” said Ryan. “We found her. We went and got her in that house. We kicked doors down. It was like a movie unfolding.”
Arceneaux had previously sought and obtained a court order to keep Thomas away from her and her son, as he had threatened her life on multiple occasions. However, Thomas violated the order, resulting in his arrest on August 8.
He faced charges of aggravated assault and inciting an aggravated fight with a Louisiana officer. In her complaint to the police, Arceneaux revealed that Thomas had held a knife to her neck several times.
The courageous actions of her family saved Arceneaux from potential death. Police spokesperson Capt. Kip Judice told KATC:
“I can just imagine how chaotic that confrontation was. The person who acted in defense of Ms. Arceneaux is a relative, a close relative to her. So I can imagine his emotions were probably high, and everyone’s levels were very escalated.”
Source: AWM
