Deputies: Parents find daughter in ditch following alleged sexual assault near campsite

MONTESANO -- A 21-year-old woman found on the side of the road in a ditch following an alleged sexual assault was spotted by her own parents Monday night, the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office said.

The woman was camping with her parents near Geissler Road in the Wynoochee Wildwood area of Grays Harbor County. According to the victim, sometime during the early night she left her tent and, unbeknownst to her parents, exited the campground and tried to walk toward State Route 12.

The victim said she hitched a ride on Geissler Road when a man driving a silver colored 4-door car pulled over and asked if she needed help. The male allegedly sexually assaulted her shortly after she got into the car, sheriff's deputies said. The woman managed to escape the vehicle and ended up in a ditch along the road, the victim told police.

The victim's parents, allegedly believing she was still in her tent, left their campsite and went on a walk when they observed a female in a ditch. They approached the woman and quickly realized the person was their own daughter.

They pulled her up and took her to the St. Peter's Hospital for a sexual assault exam. She also sustained minor scratches to her hand and was treated.

The 21-year-old told police it was a white male between 40-50 years of age with a full beard and a scar below his left eye who assaulted her. Investigators are trying to develop additional information at this time.

Anyone with any information on this alleged sexual assault is encouraged to call the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office.