Article May 3, 1999 Issue

Our daughter's safe passage through the aftermath of kidnap and rape

A mother's account

By Cathy Gowen McCulloch

One night in the middle of the night, we got a telephone call from our daughter's roommate. She told my husband that our daughter, away at college, had been kidnapped and raped. We were told to get to the hospital as soon as we could. My husband was able to speak briefly with our daughter, assuring her that she was strong and would be OK, that we loved her and would be there soon.

After he hung up, I called a Christian Science practitioner. At 3 in the morning, she was alert, calm, and very comforting. She assured me that God was taking care of His child. We then woke our son, and the three of us left to be with our daughter. All the way, about an hour's drive, I kept affirming that God was with her. When the fear of what, who, why, how, where, came to my thought, I tried to know that God, her real Father-Mother, was with her, loving, surrounding, holding, comforting, and taking care of her.

When we arrived, there were many police officers, bloodhounds, hospital staff, and so forth. Our daughter's apartment had been broken into; the attacker had dragged her at knifepoint to the woods near her apartment, and raped her. She had been through a horrible ordeal. We were allowed to see her and talk with her for only a few minutes.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
Weaving a community's roots: an interview with Gary Gunderson of the Carter Center
May 3, 1999
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit