Husband arrested after missing Pennsylvania woman found in Maysville

WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) – A woman reported missing in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was found in Kentucky, and her husband has been charged with kidnapping.

Authorities said 29-year-old Shawn Prince of Scottdale, Pennsylvania, was charged with kidnapping after his wife Lydia was reported missing.

According to Scottdale police, the Maysville Police Department in Kentucky was able to track down Lydia and take Shawn into custody.

On Oct. 3, officers were alerted to a vehicle believed to be operated by Prince being caught on a roadside camera in Morehead, Kentucky. Officers began calling every agency possible to try to determine the direction of travel, possible destinations, and to alert Kentucky and Tennessee officers to potential locations they might be heading. They also contacted every hotel in the area in an attempt to find their whereabouts.

Through intense investigation, police were able to find that the Prince’s vehicle was last seen in the parking lot of a hotel in Maysville. They then notified Maysville police and Kentucky State Police, who were able to obtain a search warrant based on the information from the Scottdale police.

Shawn Prince was taken into custody and is awaiting extradition back to Westmoreland County. Lydia is safe and able to return to her family, police said.

Arrest records obtained by FOX 56 News showed he was arrested at the Quality Inn on U.S. Highway 62. Officers located narcotics and paraphernalia inside both the hotel room and the vehicle.

According to the Westmoreland County district attorney, Shawn Prince allegedly held Lydia at gunpoint and forced her into the woods before forcing her to drive to Kentucky. The family said they had not heard from Lydia since a previous domestic abuse incident.

The DA noted that Shawn allegedly threatened to slice the throat of a child if Lydia didn’t comply.

In Kentucky, Shawn was charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), third-degree possession of an unspecified controlled substance, and buy/possession of drug paraphernalia.

He’s scheduled to be arraigned at 10 a.m. on Oct. 6 in connection with the drug case.

Camille Hantla contributed to this story.