Police are seeking a Redding man suspected of kidnapping a woman and leaving her with almost no clothes in the forest east of Eskimo Hill. RPD investigators say the victim is familiar with her captors, who accused her of stealing drugs. The ordeal began on Sunday afternoon when the 25-year-old woman was reportedly forced into a van in the area of Mistletoe Lane and Victor Avenue by 33-year-old Johanna Knighton and 44-year-old Fred Sanderson. The victim, who’s name has not been made public, was reportedly physically assaulted by Sanderson while Knighton drove the van east on Highway 44. They turned off the highway onto a seldom-used road in the Hat Creek area and drove about 6 miles into the forest. That’s where the victim was allegedly forced to remove her clothing and was left to fend for herself in winter weather with only a pair of shorts to wear. She had no idea where she was and had no way of getting help. As rain and snow fell and temperatures dropped with nightfall, the woman took shelter inside a burned out tree and drank water from a mud puddle. She was saved on Monday when a group of people showed up in the area looking for a Christmas tree. Suffering from exposure, the victim was transported to a Redding hospital. Knighton was driving the van in downtown Redding Tuesday when she was captured and booked into jail for kidnapping, attempted murder and conspiracy. Sanderson is still on the loose. He’s a white man, 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds with blue eyes and a shaved head or very short blonde hair.
