By Andy Sevilla.
Several law enforcement agencies remain on the hunt for three men suspected in the kidnapping of a woman and her four-year-old child in San Marcos last week. The woman was also sexually assaulted, strangled and left unconscious before waking up and calling police, according to authorities.
The suspects in the case remain at large and police have not yet been able to positively identify them, only releasing physical descriptions and potential nicknames to the public.
Before the alleged attack the woman was driving on the east end of McKie Street approaching the southbound I-35 access road near a heavily vegetated low-water crossing, her car was then bumped in the rear by another vehicle just before noon on Nov. 6, according to San Marcos Police (SMPD) Commander Penny Dunn.
While the woman was checking for damage to her vehicle one of the suspects forced her into the back seat of her car while another suspect jumped in her driver’s seat and drove away, Dunn said. A third man followed behind them in an older model, maroon colored GMC truck with peeling paint, according to a police description.
With her head covered, the woman was taken to an unknown location where she was sexually assaulted, strangled and eventually lost consciousness, Dunn said. The victim’s child was not harmed.
The woman later woke up finding herself and her child in her car parked on the side of a roadway outside of San Marcos. Disoriented, the woman drove to her home and called authorities.
Kyle Police (KPD) Chief Jeff Barnett said the 9-1-1 call came to his department “and officers and EMS were dispatched to the victim’s home, where the woman was found with several non-life threatening injuries and transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Barnett said his department is assisting SMPD in investigating the case and following up with leads on the suspects.
“Our department and several other agencies are working full time on this investigation,” San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams said. “We want to reassure the public that every effort is being made to identify and arrest these offenders.”
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office, KPD, Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab, Austin Regional Intelligence Center (ARIC) and the Texas Department of Pardons, Paroles and Probation are assisting SMPD with the investigation.
“Our officers on patrol are keeping a close lookout and we have sent out bulletins throughout Texas that we are searching for these suspects,” Williams said.
Police are asking anyone with any information on the case or the suspects to call the San Marcos Criminal Investigations Department at (512) 753-2300. Authorities also recommend the public be cautious and call police if you observe suspicious activity.
Police say if you are involved in a minor accident and believe it may lead to a similar attack to call 9-1-1 and advise authorities of your location. They recommend finding a very visible, populated place to stop or drive to a police or fire station. Police also suggest noting as many details as possible of the other vehicle and its occupants, but remain in the car and lock the doors until help arrives.
