Police determine that the attempted abduction reported Dec. 1 was unfounded

UPDATE

Attempted Abduction *UPDATE – On Friday Dec. 4, upon further investigation, detectives with Prince William County Police Department’s Special Victims Bureau determined that the incident surrounding the attempted abduction that allegedly occurred in the area of the Prince William Pkwy and the I-95 interchange in Woodbridge on Dec. 1 was unfounded. Through the investigation, detectives identified inconsistencies in the initial report. Following the investigation, detectives concluded that no incident occurred and the sequence of events provided by the victim was fabricated.

Attempted Abduction [Previously Released] – On Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 5:20PM, officers responded to investigate an attempted abduction that was reported to have occurred in the area the Prince William Pkwy and the I-95 interchange in Woodbridge (22191) earlier that afternoon at approximately 4:00PM. The victim, a 37-year-old woman, reported to police that she was walking home along a footpath on the Prince William Pkwy, just passed the I-95 overpass, towards Summerland Dr when she encountered three unknown men. During the encounter, one of the men grabbed the victim’s arm and attempted to pull her into a near wooded area. The other two men were nearby and did not touch or interact with the victim or assist the initial suspect. According to the victim, a passing motorist traveling westbound on the Prince William Pkwy towards I-95 slowed their vehicle and honked the vehicle’s horn which caused the suspect to release the victim. The vehicle continued driving and the three men fled into the nearby wooded area. The victim was not injured in the incident and reportedly observed the same men in the same area on November 22. No altercation occurred on that date. The pathway used by the men is a known cut-through from the Prince William Pkwy to the dead-end of nearby Horner Rd. Detectives with the Special Victims Bureau are seeking to speak to the passing motorist who may have observed the encounter or the assistance from any other witnesses to the incident. Additional information will be released when available. The investigation continues.