For the first time, a Haltom City woman is sharing her story after police say a man kidnapped her at gunpoint on Christmas Eve, stole her car, and left her tied to a tree.
It started outside an apartment complex near 5000 Denton Highway.
Her car has been left covered in evidence markers and other lingering signs of what she went through. But the woman - who didn’t want to be identified - said she was grateful to still be here.
“We’re just trying to take the best of it,” said the victim’s boyfriend. “Right now, I’m just glad that she’s back.”
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The woman told NBC 5 that she left her Haltom City apartment around 4:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve.
Walking toward her car in the parking lot, a man appeared with his face covered. The victim said the man pointed a gun at her and asked for her things, taking her bag and phone.
The woman said the man forced her into the backseat of her car and drove her to the bank to withdraw money – threatening her the whole time.
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The victim said the man told her he was working with someone else and was planning to sell her organs and sex-traffic her.
After the man drove them to Grapevine, the victim said she was forced out of the car outside an apartment complex near 3900 Grapevine Mills Parkway, where he took her to the side of the road and used her shoelaces to tie her to a tree.
“She managed to get out and then after that she started looking for help,” said the victim’s boyfriend.
The woman said she knocked on doors until someone called the police, and officers with Grapevine police found her minutes later.
The next day, police in Oklahoma City said they found the woman’s stolen car and arrested the man inside. Police identified the man as 35-year-old Eduardo Godoy and said he had been charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
Police said Godoy was in the country illegally from Honduras and has been referred to immigration officials.
The woman said she was glad she wasn’t harmed, but she’ll need therapy to deal with the trauma she suffered.
“When you’re angry, you’ll probably wish the worst for him,” said the victim’s boyfriend. “But for me, I guess I’m just glad she’s back.”
