Ashley was stumbling the middle of a thick forest. Her knees were covered in scratches and her eyes stinging from the tears she had cried. The sound of piercing police sirens echoed throughout the suffocating trees surrounding her, and the flashing police lights blinded her eyes.
Credits: Wallpaper Flare
She covered them with her hands and lets out a sigh. The end seemed near and it looked like Ashley wouldn’t win. This was not what she had planned for her Saturday night. And to think this all started because of a selfie she took.
Warm Saturday Afternoon
Rewind a few hours and it was a sunny Saturday afternoon when Ashley and her family took a trip out to the local farmers market. The plan was to get some fresh produce and spend the day outside, admiring the beautiful surroundings.
Credits: Stoke By Nayland Hotel Golf
Of course, like every other person, Ashley snapped a picture of herself with the sun beaming on her face to remember this glorious day. She posted it on the internet, locked her phone and went back to admiring the blue sky. Little did she know, this picture would change her life.
Home Alone
A week had passed since Ashley took the selfie and nothing seemed out of place. She intended to spend her next Saturday enjoying Netflix and junk food. Home alone, she sprawled herself across the sofa, binging on reality TV and nibbling on some cookies.
Credits: The Sun
All of a sudden the doorbell rang. She wasn’t expecting any visitors and as soon as she walked towards the door, she was blinded by emergency lights flashing through her windows. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. “What’s going on?” she thought.
Open Up!
The police barged in through her door and within a few minutes, over 30 officers were in her house searching through her things and flashing their lights across the rooms. “What’s going on?” Ashley could only stand there in horror and confusion.
Credits: The Herald-Mail
“What are you doing in my house?” she managed to ask in between sobs. Ashley had never broken any law and was frightened by the onslaught of armed police, inside her home. One of the officers approached her with a stern and serious look plastered on his face.
Looking For Clues
“Where’s your phone,” this officer asked her sternly and Ashley simply walked over to the sofa picked up her phone and handed it over to the officer. Once he saw her phone, he gave her a glaring stare.
Credits: Wallpaper Flare
He asked her to unlock it and started scrolling through her pictures and nearly shrieking when he found what he’s looking for. When he saw the picture, he commanded the other officers to wrap up the search. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Ashley says and so finally, the officer sat Ashley down and began to tell her everything.
The Reason
The officer revealed the reason behind their invasion. It turns out that the police had spent months and months looking for a criminal responsible for numerous crimes. After what seemed like an endless amount of searching and investigating, they ultimately ended up with no leads.
Credits: Pinterest
That is, until now. The police believed that somehow Ashley was the key to locating this criminal and was hiding major information from them. This was a complete shock to Ashley as she had no idea what they were talking about.
How Did She Not See This Before
The police weren’t buying any of Ashley’s confusion and denials. They went through her phone and showed her the selfie she took a week before, the officer stated: “the reflection in your glasses show the man we’re looking for.”
Credits: Top5
Shocked, Ashley didn’t see anything at first, but then when she looked closer, she couldn’t miss it. The reflection of an old man was caught in her sunglasses. Worried there would be another victim, the police had no other option but to act.
Back To The Scene
“We need to (go) back there straight away!” The police officer yelled. Ashley was still in shock but complied with the demanding police and so, the team set off to the farmers market to find the man.
Credits: Norfort
Ashley took the police the exact spot, she had taken her seemingly harmless selfie-and next to it, there was a ditch near the side of the road, a place that didn’t mean anything to Ashley a week before but a feeling of uncertainty crept upon her now.
Looking Through The Pictures
The police didn’t waste any time when they arrived at the scene and began their search of the premise. They treated it like a crime scene and spent two hours, searching through the grass, inspecting the road and taking countless pictures.
Credits: Lowry & Associates
The investigation seemed to ultimately reach a dead end but Ashley, after being told more about the criminal felt that there was a piece missing. So, she decided to take another look at her pictures from last week and instantly noticed something else and knew she was one step closer.
House In The Woods
One picture, Ashley had taken that day, caught a reflection from a window. This might help find where the criminal might be hiding. As she showed the officers, the majority agreed that this was a great help.
Credits: Pinterest
The strangest part though was that there shouldn’t be a house in the area. Since they were currently standing on a ring road opposite a large nature reserve. But when followed Ashley’s direction to where the picture was taken, the finally found a hidden house.
There’s Somebody In The House
It was a derelict house which was only about 15 feet away from the search but was so well- hidden amongst trees, leaves, and bushes, that in the pitch of night, it was hard to spot. Ashley had done more than help the police and was asked to stay back, for her safety.
Credits: Flickr
Slowly, the police crept towards the house. The officers confirmed that there must have been some activity recently as a clean car was parked next to the shack. Suddenly, one of the officers raised his hand.
The Countdown
“I see movement!” He whispered and from behind one of the windows, a person moved from left to right; it was an elderly person and the officers soon realized it was the man they were looking for!
Credits: Flickr
As quietly as they could, the officers approached the house and stood outside. Slowly treading around twigs and leaves, the officers tried their best not to alarm the man inside the house. This was the moment they were waiting for. An officer who was standing next to the door raised his fingers and started the countdown.
Put Your Hands Up
With a deafening bang filling the woods, the police broke down the door and huddled in. “It’s the police, put your hands up,” an officer screamed. Armed with their weapons, they were expecting to find the confused criminal that they had been tracking for months.
Credits: Mimesis Law
But in reality, it was a completely different story. It seemed like their search was just beginning, rather than ending as the Police thought. Ashley looked from afar, all the commotion, worried that the criminal had escaped.
Inside The Derelict House
Inside the house, the smell of mould and mildew lingered in the air it seemed to cling to the half-draped curtains. The living room, where the old man quietly walked around just a mere few minutes ago, was empty.
Credits: Pinterest
An officer noticed an open window that the man must have fled through. Once they searched the entire property, they realized that was really the case and with a sense of disappointment, they put their weapons back in their holsters but then a piercing scream echoed from outside.
Into The Woods
“He’s getting away!” screamed Ashley who was crouched near a log. “He’s running over there! Behind those trees!” She screamed out to the officers. The officers immediately rushed over and sprinted after the suspect.
Credits: Tellor Report
While the suspect was old, he seemed to be agile and active. He also ran through the woods, as he knew them like the back his hand. Racing through the trees, he disappeared into the dark.
Careful Of The Traps
The officers knew they had to be careful, their suspect could be hiding anywhere and might even attack them from behind. There was only one way, the police could win and that was to outsmart the suspect.
Credits: Top5
“No way…” one of the police officer whispered over the walkie-talkie. “Guys come to look at this,”. Hidden amongst shrubbery and leaves, there seemed to be a home-made trap. Just as the team starts taking a closer look, they hear another scream coming from behind the trees.
He Can’t Get Away Again
The officers sprinted over towards the sound of the screams and were left blindsided at what they saw; a member of the unit had got his leg stuck in a gigantic bear trap. The team raced to his side to help but the brave officer didn’t want any!
Credits: Pinterest
“Go without me! He can’t get away this time!” shouted the wounded officer. The rest of the team called an ambulance and quickly sprinted deeper into the woods. They had no idea what they would come across.
The Arrest
All of a sudden, the thick forest gave away to an old barn, the police knew that this must be where the suspect was running too and hiding inside. They soon broke in and just as they had suspected, found the old man inside.
Credits: Atlas Obscura
He was caught frantically packing a suitcase. “We don’t think so,” commanded an officer, alerting the old man of their presence. In a heartbeat, the police took him down and handcuffed him.
Inside The Barn
But it wasn’t until they saw what was inside the barn that they knew the old man would be put away for a very long time. Plastered across the walls of the barn were newspaper headlines of the numerous offences the old man had committed.
Credits: Niki Feijen / Daily Mail
Almost like a shrine for all the horrible crimes he committed. Looking in the drawers the officers also found thousands of weapons along with ID and documents of what appeared to be his victims. The chase may be over, but unfortunately for Ashley, things were just starting.
An Emotional Day
The police had asked Ashley to go to the police station. Still shaking and confused at what happened in the past few hours, she agreed and made her way down. Walking through the reception, a swarm of anxiety hit her.
Credits: Miyamoto International
How did this happen to her? She questioned herself. How did it get to this? It all became too much for her and she started to cry. Then, suddenly, she felt a calming hand on her shoulder.
A Massive Help
It was the policeman who invaded her house earlier in the day. “You seriously can’t imagine how much you’ve helped us. Without you, a terrible, vindictive man would still be out there.” He said while pointing to the window.
Credits: Calea
Ashley finally smiled after, what felt like years “Your help will not be forgotten.” He continued before walking off. She was finally free to go and while very shaken, she was glad that she could be of help.
A Very Important Letter
A few days later, Ashley was again sitting quietly at her home when she heard her doorbell ring. Suddenly she felt a lump in her throat. The last time she heard her doorbell ring at this time of the night was when the police invaded her home. Slowly she made her way over to the door to find a letter on her mat.
Credits: Stocksy United
It was addressed to her and had a presidential seal. “What is this?” She muttered to herself before opening the letter. An honorary ribbon and signed letter from the president landed in her shaking hands. “Thank you for your great courage and help to the country,” the letter read.
Life Can Be Pretty Random At Times
This story just goes to show that life can throw some pretty strange and obscure things at you, in the most random of moments. You can be taking a selfie, walking down the street, or just out and about in the city and each action might lead to some striking consequences.
Credits: Body Language Central
So the next time you take a selfie, think twice about your background because you just might be forced by the police, to help them solve a crime investigation in the middle of the night. Or at least, hope you never have too!