A New Hampshire resident, Nathaniel Kay, 42, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of kidnapping, criminal restraint, simple assault, and second-degree assault, according to the Belmont Police Department. Kay was taken into custody on October 15, with his victims identified as his 82-year-old father and 77-year-old mother.
The alleged incidents took place at a residence on Cotton Hill Road in the small town of Belmont, approximately 40 miles north of Manchester. The events reportedly unfolded over the course of two days, with the most severe occurring on the day of Kay’s arrest.
On the morning of October 15, firefighters were dispatched to the scene following a 911 call reporting a fall. The caller, identified as one of the victims, claimed that two individuals had fallen down the stairs. The caller was uncertain about the condition of the other victim, prompting the firefighters to alert law enforcement.
Upon arrival, officers were informed of the allegations against Kay. The victims claimed that the attacks had lasted for approximately 12 hours, only ending a few hours prior to the emergency call. Kay is accused of physically assaulting his parents, restraining them with a clothesline, and dragging them into the garage where the violence continued. He then allegedly brought them back into the house and continued the assault.
According to the victims, they were eventually able to convince Kay to let them call for an ambulance due to the severity of one parent’s condition. However, they were instructed to attribute the injuries to a fall down the stairs.
Officers at the scene reported visible bruising on one victim’s eye and blood throughout the house. Additional evidence of the assault was found in the form of blood stains on a pair of pants. Kay’s father later told police that his son had strangled him with a rope.
Belmont Police Chief Stephen Akerstom commented on the unusual nature of the case, noting that it was uncommon for such incidents to span over 12 hours. Both parents were hospitalized following the incident, with the mother treated for a brain bleed and the father for a broken nose and ribs. Kay was initially arrested on domestic violence charges, which were later upgraded to more serious offenses.
Kay is currently being held in preventive detention and has waived a probable cause hearing. The case is set to move to the Belknap County Superior Court, though no court date has been set.