YAVAPAI, AZ – Thanks to her quick thinking, a woman helped save herself from her own kidnapping.
According to a report from the New York Post, the woman was allegedly abducted by a man posing as an Uber driver. On Tuesday, August 22nd, the woman entered a Chevron in the town of Seligman.
While in the gas station, the woman signaled another customer and passed a note where she gave her name and asked that the customer call 911 because she had been kidnapped.
A press release on Facebook from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) said that the note also included a description of the van the woman was in, a phone number and that the man was driving her to Kingman and Las Vegas.
The note read, “Help … Call 911. Blue Honda van … going towards Kingman Las Vegas.”
Without hesitation, the person given the note called 911 and deputies immediately responded to the area. The YCSO said, “The customer related that the van had just left westbound on I-40 and provided descriptions of the clothing for both the woman and the man with whom she was traveling.”
YCSO also contacted the Department of Public Safety to assist in locating the van. The sheriffs were able to locate the van at Mile Post 116 on Interstate 40. Both the victim and the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Jacob Wilhoit, were detained without incident.
While the sheriffs responded to the 911 call and were on the road looking for the alleged kidnapping, YCSO 911 dispatchers were able to determine that the female victim had already been reported missing by her mother and was entered as a missing/endangered earlier that day.
The entry that the dispatchers were looking at also mentioned Jacob Wilhoit by name as the person of interest.
YCSO said in their press release, “Detectives learned that Wilhoit had abducted her from a car dealership in the Phoenix area on Monday morning at approximately 7 a.m. He was wearing a wig and pretending to be an Uber driver. Wilhoit restrained her as they drove to Las Vegas and spent the night at a Lake Mead park.”
According to authorities, several firearms were discovered in plain view in Wilhoit’s blue van. Wilhoit has been charged with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, aggravated assault, harassment, threatening and intimidating.
The press released added, “The victim’s extraordinary action in passing the note, the customer’s willingness to assist, and the quick actions of YCSO and DPS saved the victim from her kidnapper and allowed her to return home with her family.”
As of this writing, the victim’s identity has not been released and it remains unclear as to why she was targeted or how she managed to get into the gas station to pass the note that ultimately saved her life.
YCSO spokesperson Kristin Green said that the horrific event has traumatized the female victim. “We’re confident that she’ll get through it," she said. "And obviously she wants to see this man put away. She’s still in a state of shock about all of this.”
Green commended the customer at the gas station, saying they did the right thing, saying, “It’s really no skin off your back to take the person seriously and make the call to 911. If it turns out it’s some kind of hoax, no harm no foul. But don’t just automatically discount it.”
Retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer offered up some advice on how to avoid fake rideshare drivers, saying, “There are special signature stickers that are on those windshields and there should also be communication on your cellular phone.”
According to a report from the New York Post, the woman was allegedly abducted by a man posing as an Uber driver. On Tuesday, August 22nd, the woman entered a Chevron in the town of Seligman.
While in the gas station, the woman signaled another customer and passed a note where she gave her name and asked that the customer call 911 because she had been kidnapped.
A press release on Facebook from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) said that the note also included a description of the van the woman was in, a phone number and that the man was driving her to Kingman and Las Vegas.
The note read, “Help … Call 911. Blue Honda van … going towards Kingman Las Vegas.”
Without hesitation, the person given the note called 911 and deputies immediately responded to the area. The YCSO said, “The customer related that the van had just left westbound on I-40 and provided descriptions of the clothing for both the woman and the man with whom she was traveling.”
YCSO also contacted the Department of Public Safety to assist in locating the van. The sheriffs were able to locate the van at Mile Post 116 on Interstate 40. Both the victim and the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Jacob Wilhoit, were detained without incident.
While the sheriffs responded to the 911 call and were on the road looking for the alleged kidnapping, YCSO 911 dispatchers were able to determine that the female victim had already been reported missing by her mother and was entered as a missing/endangered earlier that day.
The entry that the dispatchers were looking at also mentioned Jacob Wilhoit by name as the person of interest.
YCSO said in their press release, “Detectives learned that Wilhoit had abducted her from a car dealership in the Phoenix area on Monday morning at approximately 7 a.m. He was wearing a wig and pretending to be an Uber driver. Wilhoit restrained her as they drove to Las Vegas and spent the night at a Lake Mead park.”
According to authorities, several firearms were discovered in plain view in Wilhoit’s blue van. Wilhoit has been charged with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, aggravated assault, harassment, threatening and intimidating.
The press released added, “The victim’s extraordinary action in passing the note, the customer’s willingness to assist, and the quick actions of YCSO and DPS saved the victim from her kidnapper and allowed her to return home with her family.”
As of this writing, the victim’s identity has not been released and it remains unclear as to why she was targeted or how she managed to get into the gas station to pass the note that ultimately saved her life.
YCSO spokesperson Kristin Green said that the horrific event has traumatized the female victim. “We’re confident that she’ll get through it," she said. "And obviously she wants to see this man put away. She’s still in a state of shock about all of this.”
Green commended the customer at the gas station, saying they did the right thing, saying, “It’s really no skin off your back to take the person seriously and make the call to 911. If it turns out it’s some kind of hoax, no harm no foul. But don’t just automatically discount it.”
Retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer offered up some advice on how to avoid fake rideshare drivers, saying, “There are special signature stickers that are on those windshields and there should also be communication on your cellular phone.”
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