GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 35-year-old woman was reunited Monday evening with her mother and other family members after she was kidnapped and then rescued from a motel room in Taylor County.
Melissa Infinger, a mother of four, was picked up by a cousin and then brought to her mother's apartment in Gainesville after the harrowing ordeal. When they pulled up, Infinger got out of the car and immediately hugged her mother before they went inside.
Taylor County deputies located Infinger Monday morning after authorities said she was abducted by her ex-boyfriend, James Busbee, and held inside the motel room until she was rescued.
Deputies said they learned at 9 a.m. that the vehicle Infinger and Busbee were believed to be in was parked at the Steinhatchee River Inn. The Bradford County Sheriff's Office contacted the Taylor County Sheriff's Office, which confirmed that the couple had rented the room.
According to the Bradford County Sheriff's Office, when deputies entered, Busbee armed himself with a 9 mm handgun as Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett removed Infinger from the room.
Infinger wasn’t ready to talk on camera, so she allowed her cousin who picked her up, Sarah Gutherie, to speak on her behalf.
"James was at the back of the room and she was at the front of the room," Gutherie told News4Jax. "So he grabbed her first and drug her out and then an entry team went in."
After a brief standoff, deputies said, Busbee shot himself in the head. Deputies said he was flown to an area hospital, where he died.
Gutherie said her cousin told her that Busbee said, "He just wanted two more days with her and that he was going to kill himself."
Investigators said Busbee kidnapped Infinger at gunpoint about 5 a.m. Saturday from her Bradford County home.
"He came into her home while she was sleeping," Gutherie said. "She knew she needed to buy time and she knew she needed to make things appear not right."
She did so by sending a friend a cryptic text message.
"I got a message from her stating she wouldn't be able to join me and my son to take her son shopping, which was something we never talked about," said the friend, who asked not be identified.
That message raised concern that Infinger was possibly in danger, triggering the search for her.
During the trip back to Infinger's mother's home, Gutherie said, Infinger started checking Facebook when she came across an interesting news article.
“She saw the headline, 'Woman from Bradford County found safe and alive,'" Gutherie said. "And she broke down and said, 'I’m that woman.' And I said, 'You’re that woman.'"
As Infinger's family members rejoiced in her return, they expressed sorrow for Busbee's two young children, a son and a daughter, whom he leaves behind.
“I pray for them and I pray God will give them strength and peace and that they can move on," said Erin Clyburn, Infinger's mother.
Clyburn and Infinger's aunt, Leah Gutherie, said they hate knowing Busbee's children will grow up without their father and they feel bad for the rest of his family.
“We offer our family condolences to his children and his family," Guthrie said. "We’re very sorry this had to end this way.”
In the meantime, Infinger’s family members said they’re going to give her the support she needs to put this horrific experience behind her.
The family said this could have all been avoided when Infinger filed an injunction against Busbee in Bradford County. According to the family, the injunction was rejected.