An Ohio EMT worker who went missing ahead of a court hearing in which she was a key witness has been found safe.
Cleveland police revealed on Friday that 30-year-old Lachelle Jordan walked into a convenience store barefoot and wearing torn clothes five days after she vanished on Saturday (6 May). Ms Jordan, who reportedly appeared to be hurt, asked the store clerk to use the phone and made a 911 call to report that she had been kidnapped.
The mother-of-two is seen limping inside the store in surveillance video obtained by ABC affiliate WEWS. A worker at the business described Ms Jordan as looking “very weak,” also saying that he gave her a T-shirt to cover herself because her clothes appeared to be burned or blood-stained.
Ms Jordan was reported missing by her twin sister after she went to retrieve something from her car and failed to return back inside. Over the weekend, a window in the residence where Ms Jordan lived, which is just three miles from where she was found, was shot through.
The mother-of-two was expected to testify in a rape case against former co-worker 65-year-old Michael Stennett, who she accused of threatening and stalking her in the days leading up to her disappearance.
Mr Stennett was arrested earlier this week for violating a protection order Ms Jordan had filed against him but has not been named a suspect in her disappearance.
He was charged with menacing by stalking and violating a protection order while committing a felony. Authorities have not confirmed a link between Stennett’s recent charges and the rape case.
He has yet to enter a plea in the case headed to trial and has not publically addressed the alleged violation of a protection order. The Independent has reached out to the court for information about his attorney.
Ms Jordan walked into the Open Pantry store around 10.50pm on Thursday. Ms Jordan’s father has since told the news station that his daughter is okay and alert, while authorities have also confirmed she received treatment at a hospital and her condition is stable.
“She looked nervous, very tired, and like someone [fought] with her,” a store worker told Cleveland 19 News. “She says someone tried to kill her.”
Mr Stennett, a former basketball coach, was charged with two rape counts last year. Last week, Ms Jordan reportedly told authorities that she felt Mr Stennett “was watching her from his vehicle,” News 5 Cleveland reported.
She also reportedly told relatives that a female friend of Stennett had tried to run her off the road so she wouldn’t testify.
After she complained that Mr Stennett would also show up when she was responding to 911 calls, Ms Jordan’s boss took her off the streets to keep her safe.
Mark Barrett, the Cleveland EMS Union President, welcomed the news and asked for space for Ms Jordan.
“We are happy she’s been found alive and safe,” Mr Barrett said in a statement to 19 News. “We ask that she be given time to heal. We remain ready to support her and her family any way we can.”
