Woman Kidnapped from Mistletoe Lane, Found by Folks Searching for Perfect Christmas Tree

Wow, this is an oddly seasonal story of Christmastime crime. And it’s just amazing how this victim was found, before she died of exposure in the snow.

A 25-year-old woman, whose identity is being withheld by police, was kidnapped from the area of Mistletoe Lane and Victor Avenue in Redding, CA., and found one day later in a remote area of woods called Eskimo Hill. A group of people just happened to be searching for the perfect Christmas tree there. What are the odds?

Even though it was only a night and partial day lost and alone, the woman was suffering from exposure when the group found her and called 911. She was able to ID her attackers and told authorities she had been taken by two acquaintances: Johanna Knighten, 33, and Fred Sanderson, 44.

According to the woman, the couple accused her of stealing their drugs. They abducted her, drove her out to the forest in a white van, and Sanderson physically assaulted her after she was made to undress. She was left in the snowy, rainy woods with nothing to wear but a pair of shorts. To survive, she found shelter in a burned-out tree and drank water from a mud puddle.

Police quickly found Knighten driving the van in the downtown Redding area. She was arrested and booked on suspicion of kidnapping, attempted murder and conspiracy, authorities said. Police are still searching for Sanderson.

This woman is very lucky those folks didn’t just go to their local Christmas tree lot! Can you imagine how scary that must have been? Hopefully the cops will catch Sanderson soon, and bring both attackers to justice (or at the very least, get them on Santa’s “naughty” list).