Family members of an 80-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease are speaking out about her nightmare of sexual abuse in the Bahamas as they seek justice in the case.
The victim, originally from Canada, was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas on January 28.
Another Canadian, 61-year-old Gordon Wilkie of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was arrested in the case and charged with rape.
“We are dealing with the shock and are shocked by this incident,” the victim’s son, David Ahrens, said in a statement after on LinkedIn, where he shared his mother’s smiling photo but asked that her name be kept secret.
It follows a U.S. State Department travel warning of a spike in homicides in the Bahamas, and recent allegations from two Kentucky mothers who say they were raped by staff at the Pirate’s Cove beach resort on Grand Bahama.
“We have gone public to warn other travelers abroad to be as careful with their vulnerable loved ones and to warn that your hotel may not respond in an emergency like this,” Ahrens wrote.
Canadian real estate agent David Arhens speaks out to reveal that his 80-year-old mother (with him above) was kidnapped and raped at the Warwick resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas
The victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas (above) on January 28.
Wilkie is being held without bail in the Bahamas and his lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Friday morning.
According to Ahrens, that one GoFundMe campaign To help cover medical costs, his mother and sister were on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack occurred.
Ahrens said his sister and mother met Wilkie briefly at dinner in Warwick but did not otherwise know him, and that the man got into the same elevator as them when they returned to their rooms.
His sister then became separated from her mother as she got off the elevator, and the doors closed before her mother could get out.
“My mother was always in contact with my sister who was traveling with her and the attacker was very brazen in a literal second and stole her from an elevator after my sister got off,” Ahrens wrote on LinkedIn.
Ahrens says his sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but claims hotel staff did not respond to their requests for help.
“They begged the hotel to call the police, check the security cameras and check the guest register because they knew the suspect was from Nova Scotia, but the hotel repeatedly refused for 30 minutes.” Ahrens told the local news site Kawartha 411.
“The hotel is really in the crosshairs and we will probably take legal action against them,” he added.
According to Ahrens, his mother (above) and sister were on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack occurred
Ahrens says his sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but claims hotel staff did not respond to their pleas for help
The Warwick Paradise Islands Bahamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ultimately, a US Homeland Security Investigations agent, who was on assignment in the Bahamas, helped local police make an arrest.
Special Agent Tom Justice, normally based in Charlotte, joined the search for Ahrens’ mother, calling her name floor by floor.
After nearly 40 minutes, Justice heard Bahamian police were in the lobby, so he went to the elevator to pick them up, Ahrens said. WSOC TV.
“The doors open and there’s my mother standing with this attacker,” Ahrens told the outlet.
‘He held the man in the elevator…. They went through the elevator to the lobby. He pulled him out and the police took over,” he added. “My mother was holding her underwear.”
A hospital investigation revealed that the 80-year-old woman had been raped.
Ultimately, a U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agent, who was on assignment in the Bahamas, helped local police make an arrest
‘My mother understood what was happening. She made a very detailed statement,” Ahrens told Kawartha 411.
“They took her to the hospital and did a rape kit, which of course came back positive. The Bahamian police did an exceptional job of ensuring that this man was prosecuted very quickly,” he added.
Wilkie was arrested and charged with raping the vulnerable woman in his hotel room.
Homeland Security Investigations’ Charlotte field office released a statement confirming the incident and commending Agent Justice.
“HSI management is aware of the actions taken by SA Justice during his interim service and is proud of the manner in which he has gone above and beyond to protect the welfare of others,” the statement said.
“His actions are consistent with the highest standards of this agency.”
Wilkie first appeared in the case on February 2, but was not required to enter a plea, according to the court Nassau guard.
He was denied bail, but he can apply for bail in the High Court.
He is scheduled to appear on May 29 for the filing of a voluntary indictment, which will expedite the case to the Supreme Court for trial.