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the time we found a naked lady on the side of the road

corndogcaravan

THAT TIME WE FOUND A NAKED LADY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD


It’s the first week of March, 2021. We are in the Ocala National Forest. We stayed with this really sweet couple who we met through our BOONDOCKERS WELCOME membership. We left their house on the way to Santos Bike Trail. There is a great path there, and we wanted to just relax and ride our bikes.

On our way, I thought I saw something on the side of the road. I asked Ray, “is that a dead deer, or a body?” He was certain it was a body. Another car had pulled over and the 2 men looks a little uncertain. We quickly pulled over! I jumped out, and asked the men if it was a body. They said yes, and that it was a woman.

I dialed 911. The dispatcher was asking me so many questions that I couldn’t answer. He told me I’d have to go to the body and roll her over. She was on her side in the fetal position. I was about 8 feet away. Ray and the other men were trying to direct traffic, and try to provide a shield to give this woman privacy. She was unconscious and naked. Something traumatic had obviously happened to her, and we wanted to protect her from gawking rubber-neckers.

I handed the phone to Ray and hauled myself over the guardrail that separated the road from the forest. I was shaking. I’ve never been in this type of situation. I gently rolled her over. Ray went and got one of our large beach towels from the van, and the dispatcher said we could cover her. Thankfully she was breathing, but she was completely out! I began doing sternum rubs on her, repeatedly, asking her to please wake up. Meanwhile, checking her over to look for scrapes, bruises, any visible signs of trauma. Nothing. She was so clean. Her feet were dirty, but her nails were manicured, and no nails broken. Her jewelry intact, and her hair was still neatly in a ponytail. She was around my age. This was not an abducted teen. This was a grown woman, and something horrible happened to her. I didn’t cry, but I had a huge lump in my throat. As I did sternum rubs, I told her she was not alone. I told her that help was coming. I prayed that the Lord would begin healing her from what had happened to her. Whatever it was that brought her to this place!

Shortly after the Fire Department and EMT showed up. And when I tell you that they jumped the guardrail, picked her up and put her in the ambulance and drove away…It happened that fast. No one asked us questions, no assessment was made on her at the scene. It was seriously, scoop and go! I walked over to a fireman who was finishing directing traffic. I asked where the police were, and if we needed to stay to give a report. He said “No, they aren’t coming.”

WHAT!?!?!?!? Ray and I, and the other 2 men were stunned. How can this be? I was fully convinced that this woman had been AT THE VERY LEAST RAPED!!!! Surely they would do a rape kit on her at the hospital. THIS IS WHERE I BEGAN TO CRY! My heart was broken, completely broken. I couldn’t imagine what this woman had been through.

We got in the van and headed to Walmart, we needed a couple things before we went on our bike ride. So much for a calm and lazy day.

As we got into the van from Walmart, I noticed I had multiple missed calls from an Ocala area code number. I thought, it must be about this lady. I called the number back, and it was a deputy doing following up. Before I knew what was coming out of my mouth I asked “WHERE WERE YOU?! Why weren’t you there? He explained that the first responders to the scene called them off. But at the hospital when the lady came to, she said that she had been abducted that morning while walking down a main street in Ocala, she was then knocked out, raped and dumped in the Ocala National Forest, where we found her! This deputy was now investigating an Attempted Murder Case. He wanted to know exactly where we found the body. As I was trying to explain that to him, Ray remembered that we have a dash camera and that we may have this whole thing on video. WE DID!!!!

Right outside of the Santos Bike Trailhead, there is a Police Substation. We drove over there and asked to speak to someone. We to talked the guy in charge there. He and Ray got on the phone with the deputy in the field, and were able to give him the exact location. Of course the police kept a copy of our video for future use. We spent about 5 hours at the police station that day. We were shocked when the officer we were working with said that most people wouldn’t do what we did. They wouldn’t stop and help, nor would they spend the day helping investigators. OH!!! I forgot something. While we were at the scene, and I was tending to the lady, Ray saw a pickup truck drive by multiple times. He got the tag number of that guy and gave it to the police as well. Good for Ray being mindful of what was happening on the street.

So that was that. We gave the police everything we had. The story had hit the news, and the police were on the lookout for suspects, but had no leads.

Ray and I discussed this situation for weeks. Her timeline didn’t add up (the police had given us lots of info…at least what they had and could share with us) we even called the officer we had given all the info to and shared our thoughts and concerns…not that he really wanted to hear from civilians.

I cried and prayed for her for weeks!!!! Her capital “T” trauma had created a lower case “t” trauma for me. I wouldn’t go for a walk by myself for weeks. I went to sleep crying, woke up crying. It was just horrific.

Fast forward to September. We’re in Colorado visiting friends, and we get an email from the police officer we were working with basically the following message:

I know you folks were invested in this case. Please know that it was a complete hoax. If we wanted more information we were free to call him! HELL YEAH we called him.

The story changed multiple times, and there were a few different players of this scheme. Bottom line, her visa/green card, whatever was expiring. Apparently, there is a law or something that states that if something traumatic happens to you while in the U.S. then you can stay. She decided to take advantage of this loophole and staged the abduction, rape and dump. She had sex that morning with her partner, who was supposed to be part of the scheme. He backed out and said he wanted no part of it. Well it’s his DNA that showed up and when confronted by the police he became a cooperating witness and the scheme then fell apart.

My sadness became anger!!! Her action is another reason women are not believed when they are actually raped! They put a warrant out for her arrest, and her mug shot is on the Marion County Sheriff Office Facebook page.

It’s sad she felt that was her only option, and it’s sad that now more women won’t be believed.

I don’t know this woman’s status today. I don’t know if she was deported or what. But her face and that days events are forever etched into our memories.

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1 Comment


Susan Johnston
Susan Johnston
Oct 18, 2022

I’m saddened to hear the conclusion to your good deeds. in my heart, I want to believe the best in everyone, and would have done exactly as you did! I will continue to reach out to those less fortunate than me and hope only the pure respond!

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