A North Carolina man allegedly kidnapped a woman and told her he wanted to murder and mutilate her "for the thrill" – as he eerily expressed an interest in cannibalism.
Hunter Chase Nance, 24, allegedly exchanged numbers with a woman at a gas station and later picked her up and took her to his home in China Grove – about 35 miles northeast of Charlotte, according to local WBTV.
But when they got to his house, he allegedly locked the door and attacked her with a knife, the Rowan County Sheriff's Office said. Nance allegedly said he was interested in cannibalism and threatened to mutilate the woman's dead body and display it to people driving by.
Neighbors reportedly called 911 when they saw the woman staggering down the street after she escaped from Nance's house, according to police.
The incident left residents of the small town shocked.
"It’s unbelievable," Paula Fullbright, Nance's next-door neighbor, told the local outlet.
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"I mean obviously it could have ended up worse," Fullbright said. "Thank God the girl was strong enough to fight him off and get away."
"Honestly, I’ve had thoughts go across my mind, ‘What if he tried to break in my house and get one of my daughters?’ That’s terrible that I even have that thought," the neighbor added. "I wish I hadn’t, but that is the reality of it right now."
Richard Dawson, another neighbor, told the outlet that the incident sparked fear in the community.
"You don’t know who you’re living next to anymore," he said.
Nance is facing charges of false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon and first-degree kidnapping,
He is being held under a $600,000 bond.
