Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Manu Boyer, Lifetime’s ‘Buried Alive & Survived’ is a crime drama exploring the tale of how a loving mother finds herself amid the chaos following her ex-husband’s release from prison. It actually follows a woman named Alicia as she refutes her former partner’s continuous demands to reunite as a family, only to suddenly be trapped in a way no one could have ever imagined. However, she doesn’t let fear or panic take over her because she knows doing so would mean giving him time to find their children, so she dedicates herself and somehow manages to escape before it’s too late.
Buried Alive & Survived is Inspired by the Real Experiences of a Washington-Based Woman
While the characters of Alicia, her ex-husband Victor, and their son Malcolm do not exist in real life, they are heavily inspired by a family that was torn apart by eventual harassment and abuse. After all, ‘Buried Alive & Survived’ is a part of the Lifetime movie series ‘Ripped from the Headlines,’ wherein each production delves into some true events that took the nation by storm. This particular feature dramatizes the case of Young An, whose estranged husband, as well as the father of her children, Chae Kyong An, had attacked her during a fight stemming from discussions around their ongoing divorce.
According to records, it was on Sunday, October 16, 2022, when Young An let her ex into her Lacey home to discuss their divorce as well as finances, only for him to suddenly flip a switch. He used duct tape to tie her hands behind her back, close her eyes, and bind her thighs as well as ankles, making it clear that he planned on taking her away and killing her. Somehow, she managed to use her Apple Watch to dial 911, following which she screamed to the best of her abilities while gagged, but to no avail, as he found her and smashed her device. Authorities did respond to the call, yet it was already too late.
Young An Was Buried Alive Under a Tree and Dirt
Despite Young’s pleas for mercy at every moment, Chae dragged her to his van, pulled out of her garage, and sped out of the neighborhood until they reached a wooded area miles away. That’s where he pulled her out and put her right on the ground, after which all she heard was him digging in the dirt while she quietly sobbed and tried to free herself using friction. Little did she know he would subsequently stab her in the chest before placing her right into the shallow grave he had dug, just to then cover her up with dirt, put a heavy tree on top, and simply walk away. The movie showed Alice buried alive in a coffin, but Young was just buried in the ground, even after she had tried to urge her ex to think of their children.
As per reports, all Chae said to Young before attacking her was, “I don’t need anything. Today, I’m going to kill you,” so death and her children are all she thought about while in the ground. Fortunately, though, after 12 hours of being buried alive, she was somehow able to tear apart a lot of her duct tape bindings by squirming around and then muster up enough strength to dig herself out. She was actually careful to do so after she could tell it was already dark, so when she got herself free, she took the cover of night and ran away, even though Chae’s van was still parked nearby, albeit with steamed windows.
According to Young’s own account, she ran for around 30 minutes until she found a home, and the residents inside, fortunately, didn’t hesitate to help her or call 911. This was around 1 am. That’s when she was able to tell the police her entire story, asserting that although this was the first time her estranged husband Chae had attacked her, he had made threats to kill her over money before, too. The fact that she was covered in bruises and still had duct tape around her neck, face, as well as ankles, made it clear she’s been through trauma, and the discovery of the shallow grave with traces of duct tape inside further backed her claims.
Chae Kyong An is Currently Facing the Consequences of His Actions in a State Prison
With this, the surveillance footage from near Young’s home showing Chae’s speedy escape, as well as additional pieces of evidence, he was arrested and booked into a county jail on October 18, 2022. A day later, the 53-year-old was ordered to be held without bail before reportedly eventually being charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, and first-degree assault. In the end, though, in March 2024, he pleaded guilty to just one count of second-degree attempted murder, for which he was sentenced to more than 13 years on April 26, 2024.
During Chae’s sentencing, Young asked the judge to give him the maximum term possible because she and her kids were still grappling with fear as well as the emotional trauma he had given them. She wanted him to go away for a long time so that they could start afresh without any worries, which was agreed to by the defense in accordance with the agreed-upon plea deal. The defense had tried to raise an argument of mental illness, asserting Chae had ended up attacking his now ex-wife while “overmedicated and undertreated” for PTSD, but to no avail. So, today, at the age of 55, Chae reportedly remains incarcerated at a state correctional facility, where he is expected to remain until at least 2035.
Read More: You Can’t Take My Daughter: Is the Lifetime Movie a True Story?
