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Arizona woman details trailer kidnapping escape
A survivor breaks her silence after her ex-boyfriend was captured by California authorities. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has the details.
YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. - A FOX 10 exclusive takes a look at a story of survival as a woman sits down to share her experience enduring years of domestic violence that she says nearly cost her life.
Her ex-boyfriend, Jason Marchesano, is in custody and accused of kidnapping her and restraining her in a trailer in a rural part of Yavapai County.
The case involved a nationwide warrant and agencies from multiple states working together to make an arrest.
Jason Marchesano (Yavapai Silent Witness)
What they're saying:
"The first two years we were together, it was perfectly fine," she said.
Marchesano's ex, who is keeping her identity hidden due to ongoing court proceedings, says their relationship was initially normal until she started to learn about secrets he was keeping.
"That's when the aggression came out. It's like, 'OK, well, now that she already knows, I don't have to hide it anymore,'" she remembered feeling.
She says the physical abuse escalated. Marchesano was arrested in 2023, and later found guilty, of aggravated assault using restraints. But when he was released on probation, the woman says leaving the relationship was hard.
‘I kept saying I was sorry to myself’
She explains that Marchesano knew how to manipulate her.
"He would use things that he knew that I felt deeply about so he'd make me feel bad for him and me, I always wanna help, or I always wanna be there for someone. So he would manufacture a crisis to make me feel bad and for me to want to help him, and then I would slowly get stuck in that again," she said.
In October 2025, the woman told investigators Marchesano strangled and restrained her, tying her up with bedsheets inside a trailer on a property in Paulden.
"I kept saying I was sorry to myself for letting it happen again, and then I said sorry to my son because I thought he was gonna lose his mom," she said.
A woman comes forward to detail her experience with years of domestic manipulation and physical abuse, culminating in a multi-state law enforcement response to capture the man she says is responsible.
Dig deeper:
She was able to escape and alerted authorities, who reported bruising on her body consistent with her account. Investigators say a search warrant for the trailer turned up bedding and the woman's ID.
A nationwide search for Marchesano began.
"That was terrifying for a while because every once in a while I'd think I'd see him somewhere or something would happen, and I'd be like, well he probably has something to do with it. I didn't go anywhere for a long time. My dad didn't want me going anywhere for a long time, if I did go somewhere, like 'check in all the time,' ‘let me know when you get there.’ Nobody hears from me, then everybody panics," she said.
'I'm still here'
This past May, authorities in California arrested Marchesano at LEGOLAND in Carlsbad. The woman says news of the arrest helped her move forward with her life. Now, she is speaking out to give a voice for others who experience domestic violence and to take back some of her own power.
"I feel like sometimes it's not taken as seriously as it should be. I know a few times I was told to stop being so dramatic, or ‘you need to grow up.’ Just saying it out loud and saying this really did happen, and I'm still here, and I'm living my life and look where his is at now," she said.
Arizona man accused of attempted murder, kidnapping arrested at Legoland in California
A 46-year-old Arizona man accused of tying up his girlfriend with bed sheets and attacking her inside a trailer was arrested at Legoland in southern California.
What's next:
Marchesano is in custody in Yavapai County, facing charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault.
A third charge, for attempted second-degree murder, has been dismissed without prejudice, meaning the prosecution could file that claim again later. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Aug. 31.
What you can do:
If you believe you are a victim of domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text START to 88788. A live online chat is also available.
Arizona Department of Economic Security - Domestic Violence Services
City of Phoenix Domestic Violence Resources