A woman kidnapped earlier this week from Michael Bloomberg's ranch in Colorado has been safely located in Wyoming and her alleged captor arrested.
The 46-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint Wednesday morning at the Bloomberg Ranch in Rio Blanco County, where she worked, according authorities. The ranch is owned by the former Mayor of New York and business mogul Michael Bloomberg.
Suspect Joseph Beecher, 48, of Craig, Colorado, allegedly forced her to leave the property in her vehicle just before noon, the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
He forced entry into the private ranch by ramming his vehicle through the main gate, according to the Wyoming criminal complaint, obtained by NBC News.
The victim said she heard someone behind her ask who she was and turned around to find "an unknown male with what she described as a black ‘machine gun’ pointed at her face,” according to the complaint.
The man threatened to "shoot [her] f——— face off,” she claimed in the complaint. She said she followed his commands to follow him for fear of her life.
He allegedly asked her where the billionaire Bloomberg’s adult daughters, Emma and Georgina, were and claimed he wanted to “make an international scene” with him or his daughters, Associated Press reported citing court documents.
Authorities were initially called to the area about a vehicle crash. The probe later changed to a kidnapping as more information was gathered and a statewide endangered missing alert was issued for the kidnapped victim.
Beecher and the woman did not know each other, nor did he have any connection to the Bloomberg family, the sheriff's office said. It’s not clear why Beecher traveled to the ranch.
Officials said the Bloombergs were not present at the ranch at the time and were cooperating with investigators.
After allegedly kidnapping the victim, Beecher allegedly took her to the Denver metro area, making several stops there, then to Wyoming, the sheriff's office said.
The investigation, aided by local, state and federal authorities, determined Beecher took her to the Stagecoach Motel in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
A SWAT team with the Cheyenne Police Department went to the hotel and arrested Beecher without incident and safely located the woman early Thursday.
The Sheriff’s Office said she has since been reunited with family.
Officers observed an AR-15 rifle and multiple magazines in the motel room, according to the complaint.
Earlier on Wednesday Beecher was identified as the possible suspect in a burglary in Craig, Colorado, according to the complaint and the kidnap victim said Beecher "told her about a burglary he had committed."
Beecher is now in Laramie County Jail in Wyoming, where he’s being held without bail.
He was charged with kidnapping in federal court Thursday. The Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office says he faces multiple state charges including kidnapping and felony menacing, as well as further charges in Wyoming.
Lawyer information for Beecher was not immediately available.
“We’re deeply grateful to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Wyoming law enforcement, the F.B.I. and other individuals for their swift and heroic action in this case in ensuring that no lives were lost and that the victim has been rescued and safely returned to her family," Michael Bloomberg spokesman Ty Trippet said.
Beecher's initial court appearance is set for Feb. 8.
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