South Bend Special Victims Unit Searching For Man That Brutally Assaulted Girlfriend, Threatened To Kill Her And Her Baby

Members of the South Bend, Indiana, Special Victims Unit are on the search for a man that brutally assaulted his girlfriend and then threatened to kill her baby in their home on Crumstown Highway.

The man, 39-year-old Douglas Eric Wood, was identified as the assailant and is considered to be armed and dangerous, according to WSBT News 22. Despite being armed, some reports claim that he is not dangerous to the general public, but he should not be approached and anyone that sees him should call the police immediately.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening in Wood’s home. The victim, who has remained unnamed by the media, was at home with Woods and her infant when the assault took place. The cause of the assault has not been reported at this time. Wood confined the victim in his home and assaulted her, causing serious injury to her in the process. The extent of her injuries have not been publicly revealed, but it has been determined she received broken bones, bruises, and other unspeakable harm induced upon her. At one point during the assault, Wood threatened to kill the victim and her infant. He also threatened to kill himself after they were dead, according to 95.3 MNC.

According to reports, the infant was not injured, despite being threatened.

At one point, when the assault finally subsided, the victim was able to escape from the house with her infant, call 911, and report the assault with the help of a nearby utility worker. She was taken to the hospital shortly after to be checked over and her wounds treated. The victim claims that Wood stole her car, her cell phone, her purse, and all her money before he left the scene.

Police and the Special Victims Unit in South Bend are still looking for Wood.

Wood has a history of violence in South Bend, and the Special Victims Unit is taking the incident seriously, hoping to get him off the streets before he harms anyone else. They received a search warrant for his home, hoping to find him hunkered down inside, but he was not there when they arrived.

“The Special Victims Unit began its investigation after securing a search warrant for the house and garage and based on the information from the victim and known history of the suspect, it was decided to get help from the SWAT team.”

Friends that were concerned that the victim could not be located on Thursday night attempted to contact her via phone and text during the evening and the next day. Some received texts back saying she was okay. It was later determined that it was Wood who responded to the text messages, and not the victim.

It is thought that Wood will be found in the victim’s 1990 green Honda Acura. The vehicle can be identified by the bungee cord that is holding the hood down. It is thought that Wood may be in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, area with family.

Anyone that encounters Wood out in public are urged not to approach him regarding the case. Instead, they are urged to call 911 immediately to report his location. In addition, anyone with information regarding his location can contact Detective Leda with the South Bend Police department at 574-876-6487.

The South Bend area has spread the incident and various news articles across social media in hopes to find Wood and ensure he is taken off the streets so he cannot harm anyone else. It is unknown if he planned on going through with killing himself, the victim, and her infant, or if it was just a threat to show his dominance. However, the police are considering each threat a serious matter while they search for his location.

[Image via Gguy/Shutterstock]