19-year-old miraculously escapes her kidnappers
22 September 2016
22 September 2016
springsadvertiser.co.za
Jodi van Heerden (19) jumped from a black SUV travelling on Wit Road, towards Lodeyko on Thursday afternoon after being assaulted and kidnapped from her house in Grace Avenue, Selection Park.
She returned home after visiting a bank at 11am in Selcourt, to transfer money, when she was allegedly surprised by her kidnappers.
Her father Barend van Heerden says when she arrived home a black SUV with tinted windows followed her onto the premises.
‘The suspects pushed her into the house and into her bedroom where she was assaulted and pushed into her cupboard,” says van Heerden.
He believes the suspects followed his daughter home from the bank.
She managed to call her sister (aged unknown) and allegedly screamed for help.
Van Heerden says his daughter was taken from the house, pushed into the SUV and the suspects drove off with her towards Wit Road.
“She jumped from the vehicle, ran across an open field and into a day care centre, where she collapsed,” he says.
A woman from the centre called van Heerden to inform him that his daughter was safe.
“We are relieved that she is safe, but my daughter is severely traumatised,” he says.
He says she was due to go on an overseas trip next week, but they don’t know yet what is going to happen.
EMPD officer Louis Els and the police were still at the scene at 6pm.
Van Heerden says he is grateful to Barries Barnard and the members from Hi5Kids Recovery Unit for their support and he is proud of the police and EMPD for their quick response.
Barnard says the house was ransacked and the suspects took the woman’s purse, tablet and a laptop.
