GRENADA, Miss. — New information has been released after an Army veteran accused of kidnapping his estranged wife before shooting himself in a standoff with police that shut down Interstate 55 for several hours.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said 38-year-old Christopher Paul Dulas of Hattiesburg kidnapped his wife Angelica last Thursday.
According to the Hattiesburg American, it all started when a neighbor received a text message from Dulas saying his wife had been hurt and needed to go to the hospital. He asked the neighbor to look after his kids. When they did not return the next morning, he called police.
Investigators said they initially believed the couple was simply missing, but quickly realized that wasn’t the case when they discovered a letter written by Dulas. In the note, the suspect reportedly admitted to taking his wife.
Authorities said they eventually received a tip that led them to the DeSoto National Forest where the woman was safely rescued Sunday evening.
Dulas drove away in a truck pulling a recreational vehicle. He lost control of the vehicle as deputies fired at it on an Interstate 55 entrance ramp.
The ensuing standoff ended when Dulas shot himself.
I-55 was shut down in both directions around 4 p.m. Sunday and was re-opened around 8:15 p.m.
According to The Clarion- Ledger, Dulas was a training officer with the 177th Armored Brigade, First Army Division East at Camp Shelby. The 18-year veteran served two tours of duty overseas and was awarded a total of 13 medals for his service.
He had never been in trouble with the law prior to the kidnapping.
The couple had two children ages four and two.
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