THE VICTIM
A distressed young woman banged on the front door of a farmhouse in Wisconsin.
The homeowner was shocked when he answered to find barefooted Ezra McCandless, 20, begging him for help.
‘I need a doctor,’ she cried. Ezra was muddy and bruised, and there was blood on her sliced clothing.
It appeared she’d been the victim of a violent assault and the word ‘boy’ had been crudely carved into her arm with a blade.
The farmer ushered her in, wrapped her in a blanket and cared for her until police officers arrived.
It was clear that something terrible had happened to her, but poor Ezra was too distraught to make any sense.
And while Ezra would survive her injuries, not all the blood on her clothes belonged to her.
