According to police in South Carolina, an Alberta woman being held against her will in a trailer home jumped through a plate glass window to escape as officers surrounded the location Wednesday night.
Police said the woman, described only as being between the age of 18 and 25, was flown by a man to Atlanta last week, for what she believed was a modelling job. According to NBC News, the woman was taken to a home in Pickens, S.C., where she was held captive for five days and reportedly sexually assaulted.
Alberta RCMP said Friday they were contacted by the woman’s family on Wednesday.
They said the woman talked with the accused over social media before eventually agreeing to fly to Atlanta, Ga. on May 18. Police said she agreed to take the trip after the accused posed as a photographer, promising thousands of dollars for her to come model.
She met the accused in Atlanta and then they went to South Carolina together, where Mounties said she was held against her will.
RCMP were present for a phone conversation the woman had with her family on May 24. They then passed on the woman’s cellphone number and other clues gathered during that call to police in Pickens County.
Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark told local media the woman was rescued from the man’s trailer home that same day, after authorities tracked them via social media and cellphone. The woman was treated in hospital and released.
Alberta RCMP said its victim services unit is offering support to the woman and her family as they recover.
RCMP said no more information about the victim will be released, in order to protect her identity.
The South Carolina trailer home where an Alberta woman was reportedly held captive for five days and sexually assaulted.A Calgary cybersafety expert advises people to research any stranger they plan to meet.
“It’s absolutely chilling and completely unnerving and will be life-altering for this young girl,” cybersafety expert Kathy MacDonald said Friday.
“You have to be diligent and you have to be skeptical. There’s nothing wrong with doing your own investigation on people you’ll meet — names, photos — and find out who you’re going to meet before you actually meet them.”
Thirty-nine-year-old Fred Russell Urey of Norris, S.C. is charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct.
With files from News Talk 770’s Tony King and Brenda Neufeld, The Associated Press, The Canadian Press and NBC News