Trapped in the trunk of her auto on a terrifying trip from Montana to Washington, a kidnapped Rita Maze was able to make contact with her husband and daughter before she died.
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Her daughter Rochelle, who also spoke to her, said her mother was hysterical on the calls they had but Maze also managed to speak to local police officers in a bid to track her down. Maze called her husband from the trunk of her auto and said a man hit her on the head and that she was now in the trunk of her vehicle.
Her body was discovered by Spokane County sheriff’s deputies at about 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. None was released Thursday.
Asked Thursday if Maze’s version of events she gave to her family before she died should be questioned, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said, “yes, you should”, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Authorities said Rita Maze also used her phone to tell them she was abducted along the interstate, according to ABC affiliate KXLY.
During their 10 minute phone conversation, Rochelle said she was able to tell her mother she loved her before the phone cut out.
They were not able to reach Rita Maze again. Dutton said authorities were seeking a “person of interest”, but he provided no further details.
Her body was found 523km away near Spokane airport on the Washington state border. Rita Maze’s daughter, Rochelle, says her mother was terrified because she knew her abductor had access to the gun she kept in her purse for protection.
“We as a community will come together in this horrific time for the Maze family”, the page says.
Rita Maze was supposed to return to Great Falls on Tuesday.
“She, one, had such a positive presence”, said Bill Salonen, former principal at Morningside. Her birthday is Sunday.
“It makes no sense”, Rochelle said. “She’s just going to miss a lot”. She is survived by her husband, her daughter, her son Michael and his two daughters. Investigators are still reviewing forensic and other evidence in the case of the Montana woman, including looking for fingerprints and DNA in Rita Maze’s auto to try to verify (or rule out) that another person was in the vehicle. “No way. My mom does not make enemies”.
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