The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call Monday night at approximately 6 p.m. after a female resident was reported missing, officials said.
According to the police report, the victim contacted her sister telling her that she was being held hostage and needed help. Her family called deputies, who met them at the victim’s apartment in Northgate Lakes, an off-campus student-housing facility.
“She texted her sister ‘help me,’ but her sister thought it was a joke,” said one of the victim’s roommates, who are not being identified to protect the victim’s identity. “Then (her sister) called (the victim), but the phone was away from (the victim), and all (her sister) heard was (the victim) screaming and crying saying ‘let me go.’”
Seminole County’s public information officer Kim Cannaday said the victim was released unharmed later that night.
“A female resident (at Northgate Lakes) reported to deputies that she was taken against her will in the parking lot by two male suspects,” Cannaday said. “She reported that she was then driven to the Orlando area where she was released unharmed several hours later.”
The victim, a Valencia College student, told deputies one of the men was armed with a gun.
SCSO officials said that investigators are still looking into the case, but believe it was not random and was an isolated incident. The police report states that the case may have been marijuana related.
Knight News is continuing to follow this story, so keep checking back for updates.
