A woman described as “severely disabled” was left abandoned in a towed car in Washington state in freezing temperatures for nine days after her mother left her in the vehicle, police said.
The woman’s sister called police in Kent, near Seattle, on Feb. 14 saying her adult sister, whom she described as "severely disabled," had not been seen since earlier in the month, police said in a news release Tuesday.
The investigation found that the woman was last seen Feb. 5 when her mother, 45, parked her vehicle at a gas station in Kent and then walked off, with her daughter still in the car.
The car had been privately towed at the request of gas station personnel, police said.
Police contacted the tow company, which had moved the car to a lot in Burien. The tow company then checked the car and found the woman in the vehicle.
“She had been inside the car for nine days alone in the tow yard during near freezing weather,” Kent police said.
Police requested medical aid for the woman, whom the King County Sheriff’s Office and King County Fire found in “serious medical condition.”
She was transported to a hospital for treatment. Her condition is not known.
NBC affiliate KING of Seattle reported that the woman is 28 years old.
Bonafacio Pauza of Skyway Towing in Burien told the station that the business got a call about the missing woman from Kent police, who asked to search a vehicle they had towed nine days earlier. That call “saved her life,” Pauza said.
"We sent one of our drivers out, he unlocks the car and had to go through it. She was laying in the backseat and had a whole bunch of clothes and stuff on top of her,” Pauza said.
He said it is common for the company to tow vehicles without getting into them and that in this case, his driver looked into the windows but didn’t see anyone.
The investigation is ongoing. Kent police did not respond to a request for comment about whether any charges have been filed.
“We are extremely relieved that we were able to locate and rescue the victim," Police Chief Rafael Padilla said in a statement. "If not for the efforts of our Officers and the support of King County Sheriffs and Fire, this incident would likely have ended in tragedy."
