- A 25-year-old woman says she was kidnapped by two people on Sunday
- They allegedly drove her to a Northern California woodland, stripped her and left her in freezing temperatures
- She was found the following day by people in search of a Christmas tree
- One suspect, Johanna Knighten, has been arrested while another, Fred Sanderson, remains at large
A group of people in search of a Christmas tree in the woods of Northern California instead found a woman who had been kidnapped and was struggling to survive, police say.
The 25-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was clothed only in a pair of shorts and hid in a dead tree and drank water from puddles in order to survive, the Redding Record Searchlight reports.
The woman, of Redding, was found more than 60 miles away near Hat Creek.
She told police that Johanna Knighten, 33, and Fred Sanderson, 44, kidnapped her on Sunday.
Fred Sanderson is wanted for his alleged role in the kidnapping of a 25-year-old woman who was found partially clothed by a group of people in search of a Christmas tree. Johanna Knighten
A motive has not been established but police say the duo might have thought the woman stole drugs from them.
She said that Sanderson assaulted her and that the duo stole her clothes before leaving her in the woods, where she experienced wintry temperatures.
She was found on Monday and taken to a hospital.
Knighten has been arrested and could face charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and conspiracy.
Sanderson, who has a history of previous arrests, remains at large.
Those with information are asked to call the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200.