Husband accused

“Kidnapped” woman confessed: tied to tree herself

The woman claimed to have been left to die - but this was apparently not the truth.

(Bild: Sindhudurg district hospital)

When a severely emaciated American woman was found chained to a tree in an Indian forest, the emergency services were shocked: After her rescue, the 50-year-old explained that her husband had left her there for 40 days without food or drink. Now the rescued woman confessed: she had tied herself to the tree.

The woman was discovered at the end of July by a shepherd in a forest in the state of Maharashtra near the village of Sonurli. He heard her screams and alerted the police - the police freed the 50-year-old woman and took her to hospital. 

Woman communicated via notepad
The American woman was in a miserable condition: severely emaciated, filthy and dehydrated. Her sunken cheeks and skinny limbs were a terrible sight after her rescue. The woman could only describe her ordeal in writing on a notepad. Her husband had abandoned her in the forest to die after an argument. Because she was suffering from severe psychosis, she was also unable to move her jaw.

In this article you can see pictures of the scene in the forest: 

Investigators were skeptical
An investigation was launched into attempted murder and deprivation of liberty - but the case also raised many questions. It is hard to imagine a person surviving 40 days without food and water.

After treatment in a psychiatric facility, the 50-year-old surprised everyone with a confession - she had chained herself to the tree. She is not even married. The US-American told the BBC that she had been suffering from hallucinations when she made her first statements. Desperation had driven her to commit her crime: Her visa had expired and she had also run out of money. 

Here you can see the woman telling the emergency services about what had happened:

In the psychiatric hospital where the 50-year-old is being held, she is now on the road to recovery. "She eats, goes for walks and does sport. She is undergoing treatment and we are also giving her some nutrients that her body was lacking," reported Dr. Sanghamitra Phule.

Woman wanted to study yoga in India
The woman's family has now been traced in the USA - they are in telephone contact with her relatives. She comes from the US state of Massachusetts. She is said to have gone to India ten years ago to study yoga.