The story of an early morning home invasion on Monday took a bizarre turn today.
Sudbury OPP are saying a woman who was reported missing Monday morning was actually forced from her home under duress in an apparent abduction from her Dill Township residence during that Aug. 21 home invasion.
Sudbury OPP Const. André Taschereau couldn't provide much in the way of information to Sudbury.com regarding the incident.
He said the woman, Lillian Russell, who lives on Secord Road in Dill Township, a remote area between Wanup and Estaire off Highway 69, was reported missing just after 8 a.m. on Aug. 21. Police confirmed she did not show up for work that day.*
Police wouldn't say where she works, nor would they say why her co-workers were concerned enough about her absence to phone police.
Police issued a release Monday morning saying Russell was missing and failed to show up for work. She was last seen at 6:15 a.m. on Secord Road, where she lives.
The OPP canine unit, Emergency Response Team and a helicopter unit assisted in what turned out to be a fruitless search for Russell on Monday.
However, the story took a bizarre turn Monday night when police said Russell turned up at her home at around 9 p.m. After speaking with her, Taschereau said, OPP discovered she wasn't just missing, but had been the victim of a home invasion and apparent abduction.
Russell told police she was forcibly removed from her home by a white man in his 30s or 40s with long dark hair and a beard. The man was not known to her, she said.
She also told police she had been assaulted. Whether that assault was physical or sexual, police refused to say, but did note Russell was uninjured.
Police could not say whether the woman herself or her home had been targeted by the man.
The man described by Russell has not been located by police, although the search continues for him.
Taschereau also wouldn't say if people in the area should be concerned, however he did call on the public to be vigilant their home security and to ensure doors and windows are locked.
The investigation continues.
Watch the video above as a neighbour sheds new light on home invasion near Estaire.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Lillian Russell was reported missing by her co-workers.
