MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis mother endured some terrifying moments after she says a stranger walked into her bathroom as she was showering.
That woman, who we’re only calling by her first name Sarah at her request, is safe now, but wants to warn others about her scary situation.
Sarah spoke to WREG mostly by text message — she has an extremely sore throat from screaming after seeing the man. She said she’s still in shock and is having flashbacks but she’s grateful she and her son weren’t hurt.
Tuesday morning around 3:45 she said she was showering at a home off Jackson Avenue in Midtown, getting ready for an early morning flight. She heard the bathroom door start to open.
When she looked out of the shower she saw a hand on the doorknob, then a man standing in the doorway.
Then it clicked — a stranger was staring at her. The man backed away, and they didn’t say anything to each other.
She ran to her 13-year-old son’s room to call 911. This is what she said happened next:
“I was in my son’s room and his door was open during the call. I immediately went there and when I saw he was okay I grabbed his phone to call. I didn’t even have a towel from the shower. I was gasping and screaming to the dispatcher, my son and I were huddled in his room staring at the door in case he came in and I couldn’t tell how much time was passing or how long it would take cops to get there, so I just instinctually kept screaming as loud as I could in case he was still in the house and came back in the room to hurt us, thinking maybe one neighbor would hear me.”
At some point the man left. Sarah couldn’t tell if he was armed because one of his hands was in his pocket.
She believes he had been watching her through a window.
Sarah said she had been busy packing, preparing, making calls, trying to get an Uber or taxi before her trip. She told police she might’ve left her front door unlocked as she had been going in and out earlier.
But she also said exterior lighting around the home should’ve gone off. Officers discovered the lights were partially unscrewed, and says her son discovered a recycling bin moved days before so that the lighting could be reached.
She doesn’t believe anything was taken from the home.
She’s warning others to stay aware, invest in extra security measures, and don’t let your guard down.
“A dog helps. And those that can afford it, security equipment,” she wrote.
If you know anything call Crime Stoppers 901-528-CASH.