Relatives of an 80-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer’s are speaking out about her ordeal of sexual assault in the Bahamas as they seek justice in the case.
The victim, who is from Canada, was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas on January 28.
Another Canadian, Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was arrested and charged with rape in the case.
“We are shocked and horrified by this incident,” the victim’s son, David Ahrens, said in a statement. mail on LinkedIn, sharing her mother’s smiling photo but asking that her name be withheld.
This follows a travel advisory from the US State Department warning of a rise in murders in the Bahamas, and recent allegations by two Kentucky mothers who say they were raped by staff at Pirate’s beach resort Cove in Grand Bahama.
“We have publicly warned other travelers abroad to be very careful with their vulnerable loved ones and advised that your hotel cannot act in an emergency like this,” Ahrens wrote.
Canadian real estate agent David Arhens speaks out to reveal that his 80-year-old mother (with him above) was kidnapped and raped at the Warwick resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas.
The victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas (above) on January 28.
Wilkie is being held without bail in the Bahamas and his lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Friday morning.
According to Ahrens, who has launched a GoFundMe campaign To help cover medical expenses, his mother and sister were on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack occurred.
Ahrens said her sister and mother briefly met Wilkie at a dinner in Warwick, but did not know him, and that the man boarded the same elevator as them when they returned to their rooms.
Her sister then became separated from her mother as she exited the elevator and the doors closed before her mother could exit.
“My mother was always in contact with my sister who was traveling with her and the attacker was very brazen in a literal second and stole her from an elevator after my sister got off,” Ahrens wrote on LinkedIn.
Ahrens says her sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but she claims hotel staff did not respond to her pleas for help.
“They pleaded with the hotel to call the police, check the security cameras and the guest registry as they knew the suspect was from Nova Scotia, but the hotel repeatedly refused for 30 minutes.” Ahrens told the local news site. Kawarta 411.
“The hotel is really in the spotlight and we will probably take legal action against them,” he added.
According to Ahrens, his mother (above) and sister were on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack occurred.
Ahrens says her sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but she claims hotel staff did not respond to her pleas for help.
Warwick Paradise Islands Bahamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ultimately, a U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agent on assignment in the Bahamas helped local police make an arrest.
Special Agent Tom Justice, who normally resides in Charlotte, joined the search for Ahrens’ mother, going floor by floor shouting her name.
After nearly 40 minutes, Justice learned that Bahamian police were in the lobby, so he went to the elevator to greet them, Ahrens said. WSOC-TV.
“The doors open and there’s my mother with this attacker,” Ahrens told the outlet.
‘He pinned the guy down in the elevator… They went down the elevator and into the lobby. “She took it out and the police took over,” she added. “My mother was holding her underwear.”
A hospital evaluation confirmed that the 80-year-old woman had been raped.
Ultimately, a U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agent who was in the Bahamas on assignment helped local police make an arrest.
‘My mother understood what happened. She gave a very detailed statement,” Ahrens told Kawartha 411.
“They took her to the hospital and did a rape kit which, of course, came back positive. The Bahamian police have been exceptional in making sure this guy was prosecuted very, very quickly,” she added.
Wilkie was arrested and accused of raping the vulnerable woman in his hotel room.
The Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte field office issued a statement confirming the incident and praising Agent Justice.
“HSI management is aware of the actions SA Justice took while on temporary duty and is proud of the way it went above and beyond to protect the well-being of others,” the statement said.
“His actions are consistent with the highest standards of this agency.”
Wilkie made his first court appearance in the case on Feb. 2, but did not have to enter a plea, according to the Guardian of Nassau.
He was denied bail but may apply for bail consideration at the Supreme Court.
He is scheduled to appear on May 29 for the filing of a voluntary indictment, which will expedite the case to the Supreme Court for trial.