NEAR COUGAR, Wash. - A 19-year-old woman said she woke up in the forest with her ankles and wrists bound and her Jeep stolen late Sunday night. Now police are trying to figure out exactly how it happened.
Heather Prouty, of Woodland, Wash., told investigators that she was driving eastbound on Forest Service 90 Rd. near Cougar late Sunday night and became tired, so she pulled over in her Jeep Cherokee and went to sleep. When she woke up, she said her ankles and wrists were bound and her Jeep was missing.
Prouty eventually freed herself, flagged down help, and reported the incident, according to Sgt. Monty Buettner, with the the Skamania County Sheriff's Office. She was later treated and released from Southwest Washington Medical Center for undisclosed injuries.
Investigators with the sheriff's office later located Prouty's Jeep near the area in the Pinchot Gifford National Forest where she had last seen it. The sheriff's office also said there were no signs that Prouty was abused in any way, and they don't have any suspect identification information.
Buettner said the case was still under investigation. Anyone with any information that may help police was urged to call the Skamania Co. Sheriff's Office at 509-427-9490.
