Family members of an 80-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer's are speaking out about her nightmarish sexual assault in the Bahamas and demanding justice for the case.
The Canadian-born victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas on January 28.
Another Canadian, 61-year-old Gordon Wilkie of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was arrested in the case and charged with rape.
“We are in shock and horrified by this incident,” the victim’s son, David Ahrens, said in a post on LinkedIn. He shared his mother's smiling photo but requested that her name be kept secret.
It follows a U.S. State Department travel warning of a rise in murders in the Bahamas and recent allegations from two Kentucky mothers who say they were raped by staff at the Pirate's Cove beach resort on Grand Bahama.
“We have gone public to warn other travelers abroad to be very careful with their vulnerable loved ones and to warn that your hotel may not respond in such an emergency,” Ahrens wrote.
Canadian real estate agent David Arhens comes forward to reveal that his 80-year-old mother (upstairs with him) was kidnapped and raped at the Warwick Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas
The victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas (above) on January 28
Wilkie is being held without bail in the Bahamas and his lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from on Friday morning.
According to Ahrens, who has started a GoFundMe campaign to cover medical costs, his mother and sister were on a short vacation in the Bahamas at the time of the attack.
Ahrens said his sister and mother met Wilkie briefly at dinner at the Warwick but otherwise did not know him, and that the man boarded the same elevator as them when they returned to their rooms.
His sister was then separated from her mother as she exited the elevator and the doors closed before her mother could get out.
“My mother was always in contact with my sister who traveled with her, and the attacker was very bold in every sense of the word and stole her from an elevator after my sister got off,” Ahrens wrote on LinkedIn.
Ahrens says his sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately initiated a search, but claims hotel staff did not respond to their calls for help.
“They pleaded with the hotel to call the police, check the security cameras and check the guest list, knowing the suspect was from Nova Scotia, but the hotel repeatedly refused for 30 minutes,” Ahrens told the local News site Kawartha 411.
“The hotel is really in the crosshairs and we will probably take legal action against them,” he added.
According to Ahrens, his mother (above) and sister were on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack occurred
Ahrens says his sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately initiated a search, but claims hotel staff did not respond to their calls for help
The Warwick Paradise Islands Bahamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ultimately, a U.S. Homeland Security agent on assignment in the Bahamas helped local police make the arrest.
Special Agent Tom Justice, normally based in Charlotte, joined in the search for Ahrens' mother, going floor by floor and calling her name.
After nearly 40 minutes, the judge learned that Bahamian police were in the lobby and went to the elevator to meet them, Ahrens told WSOC-TV.
“The doors open and there is my mother with this attacker,” Ahrens told the outlet.
“He held the guy in the elevator… Down the elevator they went into the lobby.” “He pulled him out, the police took over,” he added. “My mother was holding her underwear.”
A hospital examination confirmed that the 80-year-old woman had been raped.
Ultimately, a U.S. Homeland Security agent on assignment in the Bahamas helped local police make the arrest
“My mother understood what happened. “She gave a very detailed statement,” Ahrens told Kawartha 411.
“They took her to the hospital and did a rape test, which of course came back positive. “The Bahamian police did an excellent job of ensuring that this guy was prosecuted very, very quickly,” he added.
Wilkie was arrested and accused of raping the vulnerable woman in his hotel room.
The Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte field office issued a statement confirming the incident and praising Agent Justice.
“HSI management is aware of the actions SA Justice took during his temporary service and is proud of the way he went above and beyond to protect the well-being of others,” the statement said.
“His actions meet the highest standards of this agency.”
According to the Nassau Guardian, Wilkie made his first court appearance in the case on February 2, but was not required to enter a plea.
He has been refused bail but can apply to the Supreme Court to consider bail.
He is scheduled to appear on May 29 to present a voluntary indictment that will expedite the case to the Supreme Court for trial.