One lady’s vacation — after which some — was turned the other way up this week when a scammer posing as a vacation toy drive donor attacked and kidnapped her.
Erin Quinn, a volunteer for the native vacation toy drive in her southern California neighborhood, didn’t suppose a lot of it when she obtained a textual content message from an unknown quantity claiming to be from an outdated lady who wished to donate presents, KTLA reported.
Quinn accepted, and the swindler – who known as herself Connie in messages – gave her an tackle to select up the donations.
On Wednesday, when Quinn arrived on the dwelling and commenced to stroll as much as the home, she obtained one other message saying that somebody would deliver the toys out to her automotive.
However when Quinn bought again to her automobile, somebody was already inside ready for her – and that’s when issues spiraled uncontrolled.
A lady sitting in her backseat yanked Quinn’s hair and shocked her with a Taser, then ordered her to begin driving.
About 25 minutes in, Quinn – who had been hit with the Taser round 30 instances as much as that time – crashed the automobile.
The 2 ladies bought out of the automotive and commenced to tussle. In combating off her assailant, Quinn bit a part of her finger off, in response to KTLA.
“I kicked her as hard as I could,” Quinn advised the outlet.
“She tried to put her fingers in my mouth, maybe in an attempt to rip my mouth open, and in a complete panic, I bit part of a portion of her finger off in self-defense because I didn’t know what else to do.”
Quinn stated it was at that second that she acknowledged her attacker – her ex-housekeeper, Olga Mendez, disguised in a blonde wig.
Quinn was solely in a position to get away when a bystander – who she known as her “hero” – rushed over to assist, though “several construction workers around the area [had] witnessed what was going on, videotaped, and did nothing,” she lamented.
Quinn suffered bruises on her legs, taser burns on her head, clumps of her hair ripped out and damaged nails.
Native authorities have but to arrest any suspects – however Quinn is satisfied that it was her outdated housekeeper, who could have been plotting to take her throughout the border.
“I strongly believe that her plan was to kidnap me and take me to Mexico for either ransom or sale,” Quinn defined.
“I am completely terrified. I don’t know why she would do this.”
“All I was trying to do was help with the Christmas toy drive and thought I’d be able to stop by really quick to pick up these presents before I started my workday,” Quinn stated, including that her “entire world has been turned upside down” following the terrifying ordeal.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Quinn arrange by her shut good friend has raised $1,890 of its $8,000 aim to this point.
