But unborn baby, torn from her mother, dies in vicious assault
By Dave Andrusko
Michelle Wilkins (Facebook)
While there is little new about the alleged assailant, there is more and more that illustrates just how incredibly strong and brave a woman Michelle Wilkins is.
Wilkins was seven months pregnant when she answered a Craigslist ad for maternity clothes last Wednesday. Wilkins was savagely beaten and stabbed, allegedly by Dynel Lane, who then literally cut Wilkins’ unborn baby daughter out of her.
Wilkins miraculously survived (just how big a miracle that was, is becoming clearer), but she lost her baby.
CNN’s Erin Burnett interviewed one of the two Longmont, Colorado, police officers who responded to a call from Wilkins, who was weak and in shock when they arrived.
“She was barely conscious. It was very hard to keep her attention at the moment,” Billy Sawyer told Burnett. ” And she was covered in blood. It was one of the most horrific crime scenes I have seen.”
Nonetheless she was able to tell Sawyer what had happened to her. At that point, she did not know that she had lost her baby.
Officer, Phil Piotrowski told CNN affiliate KDVR he had to take a moment to collect himself.
“When I walked in and looked at her for a short moment, I actually had to walk out for a second because my head wasn’t able to wrap around it.”
While Wilkins uncle, Chris Wilkins, said, “She’s alive because professional first responders execute perfectly,” Piotrowski believes Wilkins is the one who “saved her own life.” Chris Wilkins said Michelle Wilkins continues to grow stronger “minute by minute, hour by hour.”
Meanwhile the local community rallied around Michelle Wilkins. NBC News reported
Over the weekend, hundreds of people showed up to support Wilkins and her family. Wilkins had surgery after the attack and is recovering at Longmont United Hospital.
At Longmont’s Loomiller Park, hundreds of people showed their love for Wilkins, with many holding candles, flowers or paper white hearts. Wilkins will get to see the flowers from the vigil when they are brought to her hospital room Monday.
Dynel Lane is seen exiting the courtroom area after her first appearance on Thursday, March 19, 2015,at the Boulder County Jail, in Boulder, Colo. (The Daily Camera, Jeremy Papasso/Associated Press)
Formal charges are expected to be filed against Lane this week. Hercourt appearance is scheduled for Wednesday. Lane is being held on $2 million dollar bond
Last week the family issued a statement which began
Two days ago, our daughter Michelle was brutally attacked while responding to a Craigslist ad for maternity clothes. Her attacker beat, cut, and strangled her, and according to initial reports, then removed her unborn daughter with an ordinary kitchen knife, leaving Michelle for dead. We cannot begin to fathom the depths of depravity and evil which drove her attacker, and trust that between law enforcement and our legal system; they will make sure justice is carried out. One life was ended and another scarred beyond imagination in this senseless act, with scores of others negatively affected. …
Finally, we are eternally grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel of Longmont. They are heroes in every sense of the word. Together with an extraordinarily professional staff at Longmont United Hospital, they saved our daughter’s life and continue to care for her with heartfelt compassion and understanding. Words cannot begin to express what we are going through right now, but being surrounded by these professionals who have cared for her so wonderfully gives us some comfort.