Washington Teens Accused Of Kidnapping Elderly Woman
Three Washington teens are accused of kidnapping an elderly woman and locking her in the trunk of her own car. The Dreamin’ Demon reports that one of the three teenagers accused of participating in the crime is the great-grandson of the 86-year-old victim.
The victim in this shocking incident, Hazel Abel, was able to free herself from the trunk of her own car after the three teens allegedly drove from Kennewick, Washington, to Multnomah County, Oregon. She told authorities that her great-grandson, along with two of his friends, forcefully kidnapped her and locked her in the trunk of her own car before she was transported to the next state.
KEPRTV News reports that the teens drove to a Walmart store in Oregon after kidnapping the woman, and went inside, leaving her in the trunk. It was there that the elderly woman was able to free herself from the trunk of her car. She went into the store to get help, having the authorities called on the three teens.
All three teenagers — ages 14, 15 and 16-years-old — have been charged with a laundry list of crimes: kidnapping, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and reckless endangerment. The young people could end up being felons before they’re even legal adults if convicted of their crimes. Meanwhile, no motives or explanations have been provided regarding why these teenagers allegedly kidnapped and stuffed an 86-year-old woman into the trunk of her own car.
This is not the first time an elderly person has been treated in this manner by members of their own family. Earlier this year a man who had been visiting his elderly mother at a Vorhees, New Jersey, nursing home took matters into his own hands and ended her life. He also reportedly committed suicide after shooting the woman dead in the assisted-living facility where she resided.
A similar incident took place just this week in Cypress, Texas, when a man shot and killed his wife before ending his own life. The son of the deceased couple told reporters that the murder-suicide was a mercy killing. John and Linda Howell had been married for 55 years before the signs of age began to take their toll on the woman, who suffered from pancreatic cancer among other ailments.
Last year, a 19-year-old girl was reportedly accused of murdering her own grandmother — 67-year-old Lillian Morris. The murder took place just three days before Christmas, in a shocking crime that her loved ones continue to mourn.
All of these examples of elders falling victim to the violence of their loved ones are illustrative of the worst cases. However, Hazel Abel is definitely lucky to have not been killed by the three teenagers that kidnapped her and locked her in the trunk of her own car. The woman is not injured, and is reportedly doing fine after going through the ordeal she experienced. However, it is not being reported how she intends to deal with her great-grandson in the future — such as whether or not he will be allowed to even have contact with her.
Being the victim of a violent crime like a kidnapping is definitely a situation that this 86-year-old woman should not have had to endure. Nonetheless, she is a truly courageous woman to break herself free from the trunk to turn the teens in to police after being carried across state lines. Hopefully future reports share a motive for why the teens allegedly did this.
[Photo: Car trunk photo via Shutterstock]
