Chilling Notes Recovered From Accused Oregon Cinder Block Cell Kidnapper’s Home

Handwritten notes seeming to allude to kidnapping instructions and victim selection were allegedly recovered at the home of the man accused of abducting a Washington woman and holding her captive in a cinder block cell.

Negasi Zuberi has been charged with interstate kidnapping in connection with the incident, authorities announced Wednesday.

Zuberi, 29, allegedly traveled from Klamath Falls, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, July 15 and kidnapped a woman after engaging in prostitution, the criminal complaint states.

The woman, referred to as Victim 1 in the documents, was allegedly restrained with handcuffs and leg irons in the backseat of his vehicle. 

She was then allegedly taken to his Klamath Falls home where authorities said she was forced into a makeshift cell in the suspect’s garage.

A few hours later, authorities said Victim 1 managed to escape after she beat “the doors and the walls of this cell with bloodied hands,” FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Shark said during a press conference Wednesday. 

The victim was able to wave down a passing motorist and call 911.

Police responded to Zuberi’s home and discovered the cinder block cell the victim described, including a note allegedly written by the suspect, inscribed “Operation Takeover,” the complaint stated.

Written below were two bullet points that read, “Leave phone at home,” and “Make sure they don’t have a bunch of ppl [people] in their life. You don’t want any type of investigation.”

A hand-drawn diagram of a makeshift cell was also recovered, scribbled with the words, “dig a hole straight down 100 ft,” along with a list of items, including “concrete block, rubber coat, foam insulation, and waterproof concrete.”

Authorities believe Zuberi may have additional victims and are investigating if he may have gained access to them by drugging their drinks and impersonating a law enforcement officer.

So far, he has been tied to four sexual assaults in other states.

Zuberi previously lived in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, Alabama and Florida and operated under the aliases Sakima Zuberi, Justin Hyche, and Justin Kouassi, said authorities.