Inset: Thomas A. Welch (Moultrie County Jail). Background: Area in Kirksville, Illinois, where Welch”s girlfriend allegedly jumped out of a vehicle to escape him (WCIA).
An unsettling incident in Illinois has led to a man being charged with multiple serious offenses after a violent altercation with his girlfriend resulted in a severe injury. The victim sustained a deep cut on her forehead, so severe that it exposed her skull, during her desperate attempt to escape.
Thomas A. Welch, aged 31, is now facing charges including attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery, and kidnapping. According to records obtained by WCIA, a CBS affiliate, deputies from the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched around 1 a.m. on December 31. They responded to a report of a woman, drenched in blood, seeking refuge at a house in Kirksville after fleeing from Welch, her boyfriend.
The woman recounted to officers that the ordeal began approximately an hour earlier while she was in a vehicle with Welch and another passenger, 33-year-old Cody Kimery, in the Mattoon area. An argument erupted between her and Welch, during which he allegedly threatened her life. The situation escalated when Welch allegedly stopped the car and struck her on the head with an object, inflicting the grievous wound.
Despite her pleas to leave the vehicle, Welch, who was behind the wheel, along with Kimery, reportedly prevented her from getting out. The affidavit indicates that they forcibly kept her inside the car.
In a desperate bid to escape, the woman eventually leaped from the moving vehicle, which was traveling at about 20 mph, and sought safety at a nearby residence.
Neighbor Jeremiah Seaman vividly described the harrowing scene to WCIA, saying, “I see this girl walking out of the mist, coming out and walking in the mist. And she was covered head to toe in blood.” This chilling account underscores the severity of the attack and the victim’s desperate attempt to save herself.
Seaman called 911 and cops arrived to help the victim. She was taken to the hospital where she received staples to close the wound on her head, the affidavit reportedly said.
Deputies later tracked down Welch and his vehicle, which had a dashcam inside. It allegedly captured Welch and the other man forcing the woman to stay in the vehicle as she repeatedly begged to get out.
“I’m going to have to kill her bro,” Welch allegedly said to Kimery.
Kimery faces a charge of unlawful restraint.
Cops arrested Welch last week. He remains at the Moultrie County Jail without bond.
