A high school teacher in Belleville, Ill., was arrested and charged with breaking the neck of a 17-year-old student and then leaving her to die in some woods, according to police.

Investigators said Samson Shelton, 26, who is a teacher at Columbia High School, tried to strangle Ashley Reeves and then left her to die.

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Shelton was with St. Clair County detectives when they found Reeves in a park in Belleville. She survived in the woods for 30 hours before she was found.

"They worked all night, never let up, and they found her and they saved her life," St. Clair County Sheriff Mearl Justus said. "It's that simple."

Police said Shelton apparently used his forearm to break Reeves' neck.

The report said Shelton has experience wrestling other people and was due to wrestle at the South Broadway Athletic Club on May 13.

On the club's Web site, it said Shelton's signature move is a diving head-butt from the top rope.

"We're shocked, our entire school community is shocked by this situation, by the charges being filed against Mr. Shelton," Freeburg Superintendent Andrew Lehman said.

Shelton faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the attack.

Ashley Reeves remains in serious condition. However her uncle died of a heart condition after learning of his niece's ordeal.

Police said the Shelton and Reeves apparently had a relationship, Local 6 News reported.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.