Chattanooga police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials believe two people found hiding in a Chattanooga backyard today were victims of an apparent “coyote” ransom scam, according to a police spokesman.

Police were put onto the scheme when residents in a home in the 100 block of Morningside Drive spotted two people in their backyard apparently hiding, said Sgt. Jerri Weary, police spokeswoman. The residents reported seeing a third person with a gun nearby.

When police interviewed the two alleged abductees, they said that 15 days ago they paid a man to transport them from Valdosta, Ga., to Oklahoma City to search for work. But once they arrived in Oklahoma, they were kidnapped and told that their families would have to pay $15,000 for their freedom, Sgt. Weary said.

When being transferred from one vehicle to another in Chattanooga, the pair was able to break away and run to the home on Morningside Drive where they hid behind a house.

Police have apprehended one suspect. His name has not been released.

“Investigators from the Chattanooga Police Department and ICE are working together to get more information about the human trafficking scam,” Sgt. Weary said. “Because this is a crime that crosses several jurisdictions and state lines, charges can quickly add up.”