A tropical family getaway took a horrifying turn after a stranger reportedly abducted and sexually assaulted an 80-year-old mother with Alzheimer’s at a Bahamas resort.
CTV News reports that David Ahrens, the son of the victim, said the suspect forcibly brought the woman into his hotel room after she got separated from her family inside an elevator at the Warwick Hotel last month.
Ahrens told CTV News that his sister tried to grab ahold of the victim, but the elevator doors closed before she could reach her. Police began searching for the woman and later found her near the elevator, holding her underwear.
“Of course my mother was frightened and while we don’t need to go into a ton of detail, but what I will say, and it is horrendous, that she was holding her own underwear in her hand at that point in the elevator,” Ahrens said.
After a hospital examination and a rape kit, officials confirmed that the victim had been sexually assaulted.
Investigators pulled security footage at the hotel, which showed a man grabbing the victim as she resisted and tried to pull away from him. Police subsequently arrested a 61-year-old Nova Scotia man and charged him with rape.
DailyMail reports that the suspect has been identified as Gordon Wilkie.
“Our concern is the combination of Alzheimer’s plus this incident of being sexually assaulted and rape, you know, that’s playing with her mind. So we’re just worried it’s playing in her subconscious and it’s just making things worse at the moment,” Ahrens continued.
Officials issued an advisory, cautioning against travel to the Bahamas and urging an “exercise increased caution” due to safety concerns. The warning comes in the wake of 18 murders in January, primarily attributed to gang violence.
Meanwhile, Ahrens is sharing his mother’s story in hopes that it doesn’t happen to someone else.
“Understand where that person is and how they need to be protected. Ask the front desk what are their security protocols. Ask them where they find security should something happen and what they’ll do in certain situations. Don’t be shy.”
Wilkie remains behind bars without bail. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
