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Man charged with kidnapping allegedly left special needs woman to die in Las Vegas desert

Court documents allege that John Chapman of Pennsylvania tied Jaime Feden to a sign post in Nevada, put tape over her face and left her to die.

A Pennsylvania man was arrested and charged Friday for the alleged cross-country kidnapping and killing of a special needs woman.

Image: John Chapman.
John Chapman.Handout

John Matthew Chapman, 39, was charged with kidnapping, obstruction and other crimes in the September disappearance of Jaime Rae Feden, 33, Bethel Park Police said in a statement.

The statement said authorities were still working to locate the body of Feden, who was reported missing on Thursday.

Chapman has not been charged with homicide, but Bethel Park Police Chief Timothy O'Connor confirmed to NBC News that he allegedly drove Feden from Pennsylvania to Las Vegas and promised her a desert photo shoot.

Image: Jaime Rae Feden.
Jaime Rae Feden.Bethel Park Police Department

Chapman then allegedly bound Feden to a sign post and duct taped her mouth and nose, suffocating her, the documents say.

He later reached out to Feden’s relatives through her Facebook messenger account, pretending to be her, the documents say.

The allegations were detailed in a criminal complaint obtained by NBC affiliate WPXI.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Chapman has a lawyer.

Chapman’s relatives told WXPI that they believed Chapman was traveling to Las Vegas on a work trip last month. His wife, Maureen, told the station that he confessed to her that he’d killed Feden.

Feden and Chapman met at a school for students with special needs and he often stayed at her home in Bethel Park, south of Pittsburgh, the station reported.