Guilford

Woman Rescued After Being Held Captive in Guilford Home for 18 Hours: Police

Police have identified the man who died.

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Police rescued a woman after a relative held her captive in a Guilford home for nearly 18 hours and they found the subject of the investigation dead inside the home, officials said Thursday morning.

The incident started around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and ended Thursday morning.

Fire officials were dispatched to a fire on Route 80 Wednesday after a 911 call at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday reporting a structure fire and they encountered a man who had two guns, police said.

The house that was on fire belonged to family of the man, according to police.

Officials said he then fled to another family member's home on Fitch Hill Road and someone in the house called authorities and said the man was there with a gun.

A shelter in place was issued for Fitch Hill Road in Guilford Thursday morning and has been lifted, police said.

Crisis negotiators and SWAT responded to the scene. For hours, regional crisis negotiators attempted to reach the man who was inside with a family member.

Early Thursday morning, police heard a woman yelling in distress, conducted a hostage rescue operation and rescued her from the house. She did not appear to be injured and was taken to the hospital to be evaluated, police said.

Inside the home, police found a man dead on the second floor. He had what police called an apparent gunshot wound. The medical examiner will determine the cause of the man's death, but police said they believe it was self-inflicted. They said no officers involved fired any weapons.

Investigators have not released information on the relationship between the man and the woman but said it was a close relationship.

Police have identified the man who died as Keith Neal, 51, of Guilford.

School officials said Melissa Jones Elementary and Baldwin Middle School would have a regular school day but would forgo any outdoor activities until the situation was resolved. They said all doors will remain locked as always.

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