DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida woman is recovering in the hospital after she was found naked and stuck in a storm drain, WPLG-TV reported.
That woman was reported missing nearly three weeks ago from a different county.
Recommended Videos
[TRENDING: That’s not lint: Family finds snake in dryer | So Florida: Gator swims with shark | SpaceX rocket launch]
“This was by far one of the most bizarre incidents that our officers have responded to,” said Delray Beach police spokesman Ted White.
Images show Delray Beach police and firefighters surrounding a storm drain near the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Southwest 11th Avenue early Tuesday after someone heard what sounded like a woman’s voice down below.
“A passerby heard something coming from the storm drain,” said Dani Moschella, of Delray Beach Fire Rescue. “She heard a woman yelling.”
When first responders arrived, they discovered a woman trapped 8 feet below the road.
“They did in fact, to their surprise, find a woman stuck in that storm drain,” Moschella said.
Delray Beach Fire’s Special Operations Team was able to remove the storm grate, lower down a ladder and hoist the woman up.
“She was unable to stand up,” Moschella said. “She didn’t have any clothes on. She was very dirty. She had some superficial wounds. Her knees were all scraped up.”
Authorities aren’t sure how the woman got into the storm drain or how long she was down there.
“It appears she may have been in that storm drain for at least a couple of days, perhaps longer,” White said.
The woman was taken to Delray Medical Center to be treated for her injuries.
While police said there are still many unanswered questions, they are just fortunate a woman found in an area, no place any human should be, was found alive.
“To think of a person down there for any amount of time, it is terrifying,” Moschella said.
Delray Beach police believe the woman may have disappeared March 3 but don’t suspect foul play.
“From the police department standpoint, we don’t believe there was any type of crime committed,” White said. “It doesn’t feel like she was taken against her will. It appears this was done by her own free will.”