‘Miraculously’ Found: Stevens Co. man lured into swamp, left for dead survives on pond water
STEVENS CO., Wash. — A Stevens County man survived off of pond water for three days after a man lured him and left him for dead in a swamp.
Deputies arrested John Louis Price, Jr. on attempted murder charges.
According to the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office, two deputies were conducting a welfare check on the victim, as he had not been seen for several days and others were fearing for his health.
The deputies found the door to his home was open and his vehicles had been ransacked. Shortly after, one of the deputies heard what sounded like a faint cry for help.
They began to search the wooded area surrounding the house, then walked down into a ravine and found the missing man in a swamp.
The victim told deputies he is unable to walk without assistance and his neighbor, Price, had taken him down into the woods. The suspect then left him there, unable to walk.
According to court documents, the victim had hired Price’s son to do some things around his house, as he was unable to do them himself—most recently, to wash his dishes, which the victim told deputies he had done a poor job at. Price brought his son over later and said he needed to pay him, and the victim refused citing the poor work done. They then invited the victim over to their house, carrying him by both arms as they walked down into the swamp and left him.
The victim said he pleaded not to be left, but Price abandoned him.
SCSO said the victim did not give up hope and crawled as far as he could. He drank pond water and laid in the swamp for three days until he had heard the deputies at his home.
Court documents say that the victim’s landlord searched for him with Price, worried about his health. Price even called up area hospitals to see if the victim was there.
“Using the last of his strength, [the victim] was able to call out and miraculously be found,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
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