Subcontractor Mario Sevigny was working with a co-worker on a local cell tower in Harrietsfield, NS, when they heard what sounded like a distant cry for help. They dismissed it as the kids played and went back to work. “And then, right at the back of the tower, we heard her again, but this time it was so loud, so I could hear her breathing,” Sevigny said. “Very short breath and I said, ‘OK, something’s wrong.’ Moments later, a young woman emerged from a nearby path. Sevigny estimated she was between 20 and 30 years old. “First thing I saw, she was barefoot,” he said. “She was only wearing leggings and a bra, and she was covered in mud. She’s got cuts all over her.” Upon seeing the men, the woman collapsed, Sevigny said, and appeared to pass out, but she shared something else. “When she yelled that they had guns and they wanted to kill her, and I could hear an ATV going around,” Sevigny said, pointing to the woods behind the tower. Already on the phone with a 9-1-1 operator, he relayed the information and covered the woman with a jacket to keep her warm. The police arrived within 10 minutes, he says. Neighbors were then left wondering about the massive response that followed. “There was a police car, then there were a couple of fire engines. An ambulance eventually, actually two ambulances and one left shortly afterwards,” said Blair Higgins, who lives a short distance away on the Brunt Road cul-de-sac. Taken to the hospital, the woman told police she had been held against her will at a home nearby. Three adults were arrested at nearby Prestige Court and the trailer was cordoned off pending a search warrant. Investigators were still on the scene Monday afternoon. “At this point, the investigation is still ongoing,” Halifax Regional Police said. John MacLeod. “Our investigators are looking into it, but at this point they do not believe it was a random incident.” Back at the construction site, it all seemed a bit surreal to Sevigny, who hadn’t heard any of the news updates on Monday. “It’s the basic first response. Go and help as much as you can, right,” he said.
