PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Nearly two weeks after being brutally assaulted at Point Defiance Park by a stranger, the victim spoke out.
“All I could think as I lay on the ground trying to fight him off was this can’t be how I die,” said the victim, who only wanted to go by Jane. “There’s so much I still haven’t done.”
The attack happened on Feb. 10 at about 1 p.m. while the woman walked the trails alone. She said it’s something she does often.
Jane bravely stood in front of news cameras to tell her horrific story. She said she was on that trail alone when she heard footsteps behind her, then her attacker pounced and she found herself fighting for her life.
“That’s when he made it verbally explicit that he intended to kill me and he told me to tilt my neck back so he could end my pain,” said Jane.
Jane still had bruises and slashes on her face almost two weeks after the random attack.
“My eyes were clouded with blood pouring down my face as I tried to fight back and run,” said Jane.
She said her attacker pinned her to the ground and pulled out a knife.
“I fought with what I had, biting him once but also biting the knife at some point,” said Jane. “Kept crying out how much I wanted to live.”
“How I didn’t want to die out there,” she continued.
The witness who heard Jane’s cries came to her rescue and pulled the man off of her. She laid out her extensive injuries.
“As for injuries, I suffered multiple lacerations and scaring to the hands, neck, and face. some that make it hard to believe I have the use of both my eyes and ears,” she said. “I’m recovering from pneumothorax [collapsed lung] from a deep stab wound in the shoulder muscle and from being thrown to the ground but I still struggle with breathing normally.”
“My left arm and side are so much weaker than they were before and I can’t pick anything up without help,” she continued.
She said her emotional wounds are even deeper.
“I can’t believe I’ve been able to see my friends and family again these past few weeks and they aren’t actively planning my funeral right now,” she said. “My mental health feels anything but stable.”
“I used to be a trusting person but now anytime see a man walking alone, even if I’m safe inside my house I freeze,” she continued. “I can’t stand the sound of footsteps behind me, even if I know who it is.”
The suspect took off towards Owens Beach before disappearing into the woods. Tacoma Police and K-9′s combed the 760-acre park. Metro Parks Tacoma closed the entrances to Point Defiance Park on the day of the stabbing but didn’t evacuate the park.
They address in the below statement the stabbing and also explain why the park was open the day after:
Immediately after the incident, we decided to close the park and restrict access to additional people coming in. The decision was made to not evacuate as on-scene law enforcement indicated it could create further safety concerns. The decision to reopen the following day was made after increased security and Tacoma police patrols were put in place.
“The lack of security at Point Defiance and the fact that the park was still open the next day to the public when he was still out there is shocking to me,” said Jane.
Tacoma Detective Jennifer Quilio said, “We think that the risk is incredibly real that the person who did this would do it again...we feel there’s a significant risk to the public at this time while this person is outstanding.”
Tacoma police are asking anyone who knows the suspect or may have seen something on Feb. 10, to give them a call.
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