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Woman escapes kidnap attempt

A Duncan woman was left shaken but physically unharmed after an attempted abduction
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A Duncan woman was left shaken but physically unharmed after an attempted abduction near the intersection of Trunk and Marchmont Roads.

North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP alerted the public to the incident on the afternoon of Nov. 20, despite the attempted abduction occurring back on Sept. 12, between 7 and 9 p.m.

The late public notice comes, in part, because the 57-year-old woman didn’t report it to the police right away.

“It is always advisable to report incidents like this one to police as soon as possible, to assist in the identification and location of possible suspects and evidence,” detachment spokesperson Cpl. Krista Hobday said.

The victim has since sought out the assistance of the Cowichan Valley Victim Services unit to work through the ordeal.

Police believe the she was riding her bicycle when a square, dark-coloured van, either blue or black, with B.C. plates pulled up alongside her.

The door opened and the vehicle’s male passenger tried to pull her inside.

He was unsuccessful and the older-model van, which had no windows or decals, but sported a chrome bumper, drove away.

The woman continued on to her home.

“Once she felt that she could talk to police, she did report that the van was being driven by a Caucasian man,” according to Hobday.

Other details about the driver are sparse but the woman said the passenger that tried to pull her into the van was also Caucasian.

He is described as having a plain black baseball hat, jeans and a plain dark sweater or hoodie.

His hair was very short and not visible under the hat.

Neither man spoke to her.

Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects.

Those with information as it relates to this or any other crime are encouraged to call the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).



Sarah Simpson

About the Author: Sarah Simpson

I started my time with Black Press Media as an intern, before joining the Citizen in the summer of 2004.
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