Elderly woman was found locked in back of a moving truck. The driver was her son, Alabama cops say

When police found Elizabeth Allen, 68, locked in the cargo hold of a truck early Tuesday in Alabama they had been responding to a possible kidnapping, authorities said.

Dothan, Alabama, police officers arrived at a truck stop around 1 a.m. and found a Penske moving truck parked in the back of the parking lot, authorities said, AL.com reported. They also located the victim’s son, Jeffery Seay, 43, who was the driver, police said.

Seay was questioned at the police department about the incident, WSFA reported, and authorities determined that Allen hadn’t been kidnapped. Seay was still arrested, but on charges of elderly abuse, the news station reported.

Police say Seay, a former Birmingham resident, is homeless and was living with Allen in the cab of the truck until they could find another place to stay, the Dothan Eagle reported.

But Seay and his mother got into a fight, police said. The altercation escalated into Seay locking the woman in the back of the vehicle, Lt. Lynn Watkins told the newspaper.

Seay eventually gave his mother her cellphone, and that’s when she told a friend what was happening, authorities said. Allen’s friend then called the police, the Eagle reported.

Paramedics treated Allen for dehydration, AL.com said. The woman also suffered a swollen eye and injuries to her left leg, Watkins told the Eagle. None of her injuries were considered life-threatening, WFSA said.

Police say Seay could face more charges, WFSA reported. The incident remains under investigation.

This story was originally published May 15, 2018 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Elderly woman was found locked in back of a moving truck. The driver was her son, Alabama cops say."