Florida woman rescued three weeks after being reported missing is found naked in a storm drain
‘The idea that somebody might be down there for any length of time is disturbing,’ says Delray Beach Fire Rescue spokesperson
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Your support makes all the difference.A woman reported missing in Florida three weeks ago has been rescued from a storm drain by emergency services after being found naked and trapped in the sewer below.
Lyndsey Kennedy, 43, was rescued by firefighters from the Delray Beach Fire Rescue at around 9am on Tuesday after a passerby heard her screaming from the busy street above the drain.
Firefighters were able to rescue Ms Kennedy by removing the drain’s gate and using a harness to lift her out from the 8ft hole below.
Ms Kennedy, who had been screaming for help during rush hour traffic on Tuesday, was then taken to a local hospital for treatment after she struggled to stand without help.
Delray Beach Fire Rescue spokesperson Dani Moschella confirmed in a statement to Newsweek that the 43-year-old was found naked and covered in dirt by the firefighters.
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“She was lucky. I don’t know how much longer she would have been OK down there,” Ms Moschella told Newsweek on Wednesday.
“The idea that somebody might be down there for any length of time is disturbing. It’s dirty, dangerous, there are snakes, rats, garbage, dirt and leaves, anything that’s on the street that washes into a sewer, and it smells terrible,” the spokesperson added.
Ms Kennedy was reported missing to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on 3 March, just less than three weeks before she was discovered.
After receiving treatment at a local hospital, Ms Kennedy told police that she went for a swim in a canal near to her boyfriend’s home on that day when she noticed a series of tunnels, according to NBC 6.
She told the authorities that after entering the tunnels and becoming lost, she found an area below the storm drain where she could see people walking above her. Ms Kennedy claimed to police that she stayed in that position for three weeks.
Delray Beach Police spokesperson Ted White told Newsweek that the authorities are investigating the incident, but said that “from the police department standpoint, we don’t believe there was any type of crime committed.
“It doesn’t feel like she was taken against her will. It appears this was done by her own free will.”
The Independent has contacted the Delray Beach Police Department for additional comment.
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