Ohio tourists attacked after night out in Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A night out turned terrifying for two women visiting the city when they were suddenly attacked in what police are calling an attempted kidnapping near downtown.

Two women were on their way back to their Airbnb after a night out at a bar near Bay Street when they were attacked out of the blue. Although a report has been filed, authorities have yet to identify any suspects or make arrests.

Less than a mile stood between the night out in a new city, and their weekend Airbnb.

A police report filed on June 8 details an attack and attempted kidnapping of two women heading back to their rental on East Gwinnett Street from a bar just off of Bay Street.

According to the police report, the women were walking for about 20 minutes when they found themselves near East Duffy and Price Street when they saw a man come up from behind them and attack.

The report says a tall man came from behind grabbed one of the women and threw her to the ground, dragging her by her hair while the other woman started to fight back hitting him and screaming.

After the suspect released the woman, the two began running towards East Broad Street while the suspect took off in the opposite direction.

After police arrived on the scene, the woman who was directly attacked was taken to the hospital with a large gash on her legs and what appeared to be a handprint on her throat.

WTOC has made contact with the women who have chosen to speak out about the situation. Although, details of the night seems to be slightly different from the police report the ending result remains.

No arrests. No suspects.

According to the women involved, the night took a turn before the assault happened as they noticed the man they believe attacked them earlier in the night prior to the incident.

Aubrey Warpool and Makenzie Cave say they were heading back to their Airbnb on East Gwinnett Lane, where they were going to meet up with their third friend, Elle Wilmoth.

Their rental was in an area they say they have never stayed in. Although they say they’ve visited Savannah several times before.

Warpool and Cave said they were heading back for the night when they began to get an odd feeling after seeing a man hiding behind the bushes.

That’s when the two claim they began to walk not only beside each other, but with arms interlocked. They say after spotting the man they began to pick up the pace in fear, almost as if they knew what would come next.

In their rush to get back, they said they overshot the location by only 2 blocks.

They claim the attack happened along East Bolton Street, a few blocks away from where police outlined.

The details of the attack through their eyes happened similarly, the man came from behind and attempted to drag one of the women, Makenzie Cave by her hair and necklace.

The attack left Cave with visible bruises, and what she says is temporary nerve damage on her legs from being dragged.

Although back in Ohio now, Cave says she still gets an uneasy feeling walking around her own city.

“I live in this community, so I feel relatively safe, but my apartment is, like, on a gravel side road too, so I do get, like, scared,” she said.

One detail from the attack that the women were shocked to see was not in the police report was the attacker’s lack of pants.

The women say that when they received the reports and saw our story it was clear the detail was missed.

“It was labeled as an aggravated assault or kidnapping attempt,” Ell Wilmoth, the third woman on the trip who was not attacked but saw the aftermath said. “But he was pants less and pulling her shorts.”

The women claim the attacker was pulling so hard that he ripped Caves pants and underwear as she tried to get away.

They fear that the attacker had much more sinister plans if successful.

WTOC has requested the body cam footage of the interaction from that night, but due to the ongoing investigation, the request was denied.

Madison Alvarez, who lives near the area where the attack happened, says she was shocked.

“I go downtown, I go to the bars, I have walked, I walked that before,” said Alvarez. “I always thought it was a safe area… I guess obviously it’s not, at night at least… I walk my dog at night, that’s scary.”

And she isn’t alone, Savannah prides itself in being a walkable city, and with Airbnb’s lining the downtown area its left people who life here like Alvarez and those visiting wondering if this could happen to them next.

The description of the attacker is vague but he was believed to be a tall slender man around 5 ’10 -6 ft tall, with dark skin and wearing a grey hoodie with the hood around his face. The pair also said he had a deep voice.

The women all agree that this attack has not hindered their idea of coming back to the city but they do fear that if this claim is not taken seriously, it may happen again.

If anyone has any information about this incident contact the Savannah Police Department.