(Feb 2020) So sad to have found yet another example of how it is important to be prepared. So glad Vanessa survived and so proud that she put up a heroic fight and kept screaming the whole way through. May no one else ever have to go through this. Please have a look at the resources made available by Gracie University. They have a fantastic program called “Women Empowered” that you can take online. More info at www.gracieuniversity.com.

From Vanessa’s Facebook page: WARNING:GRAPHIC

As some of you may have heard I was involved in a horrific incident yesterday morning, so I thought I would take some time to share what happened to me to help create awareness to all of my friends and family. At about 7:15am Wednesday, I was walking my dog Berreta alone on our regular loop on the Platte River Trail, a short walk from my home. A man passed by me that I had recognized briefly from the day prior when I was walking with Billie. He didn’t make eye contact with me and I got a very strange vibe. Somehow he made it on the other side of the loop, meaning he must’ve cut through the woods somewhere knowing where I was headed. The dog and I passed him and I said excuse me. About 30 seconds later I noticed him very close behind me. I saw he had a rope in his hands and at that point he was too close to try and put any distance between us. He strangled me from behind and drug me into the woods about 15 feet off the trail where he removed almost all of my clothes. He continued to choke me using his hands, the rope, and with a bandana of some sort. I fought like hell and screamed my brains out, even my sweet dog tried to fight him and bite him as much as she could. He threatened to kill me, I believe to get me to stop screaming. I thought that this could be the end but I was not about to give up fighting for my life. He hog tied me from my neck to my wrists, then to my ankles and told me he was going to let me go but he needed to find his glasses first. He searched for them multiple times and couldn’t find them, I begged him to let me help but he said he couldn’t trust me. I somehow managed to sit up and was able to reach the knot around my ankles and free myself.I had no choice at that point but to run for my life as fast as I could, unfortunately without my dog. I made it to the bike path almost completely naked screaming for help. I’m so thankful there were people around that ultimately were able to protect me. A man on a bike chased him down and was able to restrain him until police arrived. HE IS IN CUSTODY. He is a registered sex offender and has multiple warrants out for his arrest, the detectives are very confident he won’t be seeing light of day for a very very long time, if not ever. Later I was able to find Berreta, so she is also safe at home. This was the worst day of my life but I knew I had to fight, it simply wasn’t my time to die. I love you all for all of the support and am feeling better today. I still feel like I got hit by a freight train but I am lucky to be in good hands today with my family and friends. I should be released from the hospital a little later today and would love any and all visitors, just let me know. I am also accepting Noodles and Company Mac n Cheese I am putting this post up to remind each and every one of you, please be aware of your surroundings at all times. Even if you have been on your local path, your grocery store parking lot, or anywhere 100 times, danger can exist anywhere. I am lucky to be alive, so please have a plan in place to protect yourself from whatever may be out there. Be safe out there, lots of love from me! Vanessa Ursini, Survivor