A severely disabled Kent woman spent nine days inside a vehicle in a tow yard after the vehicle had been towed from a Kent gas station with her inside.

“We are extremely relieved that we were able to locate and rescue the victim,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said in a Feb. 22 statement. “If not for the efforts of our officers and the support of King County sheriffs and fire, this incident would likely have ended in tragedy.”

An officer took a missing person report on Feb. 14 from a woman who said her 28-year-old severely disabled sister had not been seen since Feb. 5 when her mother, a 45-year-old Kent resident, parked her vehicle at a gas station and walked off, leaving her disabled daughter inside, according to the Feb. 22 police statement.

Officers determined the vehicle had been privately towed at the request of gas station personnel to a lot in Burien. Police contacted the tow company, who then located the woman inside the vehicle. She had been inside the car for nine days alone during near freezing temperatures.

Officers immediately requested medical aid. Deputes from the King County Sheriff’s Office and King County Fire personnel responded to the tow yard and found the woman in serious medical condition. Paramedics transported her to a local hospital for treatment.

Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Article Source: Kent Reporter