Kidnapped: Missing teen swims across lake to escape month-long captivity in Minnesota - TomoNews

CARLOS , MINNESOTA — A Minnesota teen has finally been reunited with her family after enduring 29 harrowing days of sexual and physical abuse. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports that 15-year-old Jasmine Block disappeared on August 8, after family acquaintance Thomas Barker tricked her into coming with him to help with a family situation. At his home, Barker and housemate Joshua Holby allegedly restrained Block with zip ties before assaulting and threatening her with weapons. A third man, Steven Powers, got involved two weeks into the teen’s abduction, after he stopped by the men’s home. The three men repeatedly assaulted the teen sexually and physically, and also reportedly tried to kill her on multiple occasions. Following a close call with police, the teen was moved to an abandoned house in rural western Minnesota. It was from here that she escaped, after the men went to get pizza and left her alone for the first time in a month. She knocked on several homes in the area before swimming across a nearby lake to get help. She lost her pants and shoes during the swim, but was luckily found by a farmer, who recognized her as a missing girl and helped her call the police. Barker, Holby, and Powers have all been arrested, and are currently being held in jail for kidnapping, false imprisonment, and assault.