It was a scene right out of a horror movie for an Amherstburg woman.
A few weeks ago, Judy Dyck was driving down Concession Rd. 4 N near Alma St. around 5:45am when she spotted something crawling out of a ditch and approaching her car.
As she got closer, she realized it was a woman.
Dyck told listeners on AM800's The Morning Drive, the woman looked distraught — she had a hand on the side of her hip, she had one hand in the air and her hair was completely covering her face.
"She was a mess but there was no blood anywhere however," says Dyck.
It was a jarring moment.
"I was terrified because I had no idea why this woman was in the ditch at 5:45am in the morning," says Dyck. "There had been no cars nearby, there aren't too many houses near mine and there is a bunch of fields however with long grass."
Concession 4 near Alma in Amherstburg (via Google Maps)
The Amherstburg Police Service says it has thoroughly investigated the report.
Constable Shawn McCurdy tells AM800 News, police received a call at 5:50am on August 4 that a woman had crawled out of ditch in the area of Concession Rd. 4 N and Alma St. While police didn't immediately find anyone, McCurdy says officers believe they've identified the woman in question and have closed the case.
"We weren't initially able to locate anybody, but through investigation we believe we identified the person that was there. There's no public safety concern whatsoever — it was an isolated incident," says McCurdy.
Dyck took to Facebook and since then, she says more than 20 people have told her, they have seen the woman as well.
However, McCurdy says despite talk around town, people crawling out of ditches is not a regular occurrence in Amherstburg.
"You know, rumours going on out there that we received several calls in relation to this type of incident — we have not," says McCurdy. "This is the only call that we've received and we ask the public to always contact us if they see suspicious activity."
McCurdy says the woman in question is believed to be 30-year-old Amherstburg resident.
"She's okay," says McCurdy. "Without getting into any detail in regards to this personal matter. You know, possible some mental health issues and stuff like that — it's been dealt with."
McCurdy says the case is settled and no charges are pending.
— with files from Teresinha Medeiros and Ricardo Veneza