Woman Found Dead After Abusive Husband Who Kidnapped Her Was Released From Jail, Police Say

A Pennsylvania woman whose abusive husband had recently been jailed for holding her hostage was found dead in a barn this week after he abducted her again.

Tierne Ewing, 48, was discovered Tuesday night with a gunshot wound in her head in the West Finley Township barn; her husband, Kevin Ewing, 47, was found in the same barn with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Kevin Ewing had previously been arrested for holding his wife hostage for almost two weeks starting in late June. Tierne Ewing told police he beat and pistol-whipped her, spat on her, tied her hands with wire and branded her legs with a piece of hot metal, the Associated Press reported. She escaped on July 8 after her husband sent her to a bank to withdraw money.

Kevin Ewing was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint, but he posted $100,000 bond and was released on July 11. A prosecutor had asked the judge to keep him in jail due to the grave nature of the charges, but the judge instead ordered Ewing to wear an electronic ankle bracelet and placed him under house arrest.

Ewing cut off his ankle bracelet and left it at home when he went to abduct his wife on Tuesday, according to the AP.

Police searching for the couple found Tierne dead and Kevin wounded in the barn Tuesday night. Kevin Ewing, who was hospitalized, was charged with kidnapping, terroristic threats, weapons charges and other crimes, the Post-Gazette reported.

Tierne Ewing had a protection-from-abuse order against her husband, police said, and her father told the AP she was “scared to death” of him.

“He threatened her all the time, and he beat her up several times,” Richard Kopko said. “July wasn’t the worst. She’s been beat so bad before.”