Two men visiting the Scottsdale area from Oregon found a 94-year-old woman who had been abducted from her home and bound in the trunk of her car, according to a 911 call released Wednesday.
The caller said he and his brother-in-law were driving through a parking lot at Scottsdale Fashion Square, looking for the tourist information center, when they spotted someone sitting in the trunk of a sedan.
“There’s a gal here that was sitting in her trunk and I just checked on her to see what the deal was and she said she’s been abducted,” the caller said.
“She has duct tape around her neck and a zip tie on her arm and she’s sitting her in the trunk of her car.”
The caller explained that he found the woman in a parking lot outside Dillard’s near 68th Street and Camelback Road.
“I’m sorry – did you say she’s in the trunk?” the 911 dispatcher asked.
“Yes. That’s why I stopped here to see if she needed some help. I don’t see people sitting in their trunks too often,” the caller replied.
Scottsdale police say the woman spent about six hours in the trunk before she freed herself. The caller said it appears she pulled the emergency release latch inside the trunk.
3TV/CBS 5 reached the caller at his home in Oregon. He said he and his brother-in-law did what anyone would do and said they wanted to stay out of the spotlight.
On Tuesday, Scottsdale police arrested Ian Michael Nielsen, 25, in connection with the woman’s kidnapping.
