WESTLOCK COUNTY – Four youth have been charged in connection to an incident earlier this month where a woman was found beaten, stabbed and left for dead near Long Island Lake earlier this month.
Alberta RCMP confirmed on Sept. 25 that the youth were chared. They face numerous charges including attempted murder, robbery, threats to cause death, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, and failing to comply with release orders.
They had appearances scheduled in Westlock Court of Justice on Sept. 25 by CCTV from Edmonton youth remand. Instead, their matters were adjourned to Oct. 23, and they were remanded in custody.
The youth can't be identified in accordance with the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Three eyewitnesses had recounted to Town and Country Today the “horror movie” that unfolded the night of Sept. 7 after the woman emerged from the side of the road covered in blood, alleging she had been stabbed and left in a ditch.
Mitchell was out riding his quad just after 9 p.m. when the woman appeared on the road yelling for help.
“She started running at us with her hands all bloody hollering, 'help me, help me, I need help,'” said Mitchell who was camping on Crown land in the area with several other people.
Mitchell said “she just dropped on her knees. I’m not kidding. It’s like something you see on Netflix. It was unbelievable."
Carly, another eyewitness, agreed and said, “It was like something out of a horror movie.”
Mitchell said it looked like she had been stabbed numerous times.
“The back of her neck had a laceration, and it was open this much, you could almost put your hand in it,” he said as he gestured with his hand to illustrate the width of several inches.
“She had a huge gash on her head. She had a bunch of puncture wounds on her back. Her clothes were shredded. She was mangled. She was brutalized. It was horrible."
The group of campers called 911 and took the woman to the nearby RV resort.
Kashton said he called 911 at 9:11 p.m., adding that they struggled to get cell service at the remote location.
Kyle said he was on the phone with 911 for almost 40 minutes that night.
Mitchell said because of the type of work he does, both he and his friends had first-aid kits on them.
“We got our first-aid kits out and everyone kind of helped out all together. There were probably five to six people with hands on her there. There was one person who said she was a nurse but she came after the fact.”
The medical first responders had a difficult time finding the location.
“They couldn’t find the campsite because it’s pitch black out here,” said Mitch. “So I was sprinting back down the road with a light trying to direct them in the right area.”
He said the woman was in and out of consciousness and they were trying to keep her awake.