Woman Escapes Alleged Abduction Attempt

A Greenwood woman escaped from an attempted abduction early Wednesday morning, according to the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office.

The alleged incident happened just before 7 a.m. The victim told deputies she got into her car at her home on Burnville Road and was driving down Highway 96 when she felt something on her neck.

The woman said she turned around and saw a white man in the back seat of her vehicle. She claims the man held a knife to her neck and told her to drive to a cemetery just south of Highway 22, deputies say.

According to a report from the sheriff’s office, the suspect got out of the vehicle and told her to do the same. But the victim managed to shut her car door and drive off. “In the process of her getting out she was able to push him off,” said Major Kevin Nickson, “We’re finding out, just give him a shove, get back in the car, and drive off.”

She later called for help from a parking lot, deputies say.

No arrests have been made. The investigation is still ongoing.

The suspect is described as a white man with facial hair in his late 30s or early 40s. He’s about 5’8” to 5’9” and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and dark gloves, according to the victim.

Investigators say a different woman was attacked in the same area last year. They are still trying to figure out if the two cases are connected. “Some of the descriptions of what we’re getting from our victim here is very similar to those of that case,” said Major Nickson.

If you have any information on this incident, call the River Valley Crime Stoppers tip line at (479) 78-CRIME or the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office at (479) 783-1051.

According to the sheriff’s office, the woman was taken to Mercy Fort Smith by EMS to be treated for a laceration on her arm.