Woman Who Had Unborn Baby Stolen In Stabbing Released From Hospital
LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - A Longmont woman who lost her unborn baby after a brutal attack has been released from the hospital.
Michelle Wilkins, 26, left the hospital on Tuesday, according to a post from her family on their GoFundMe page.
In the post her family thanked everyone for their unexpected support.
"Michelle is out of the hospital and in a safe place. As you might imagine, we're navigating troubled waters one would never want to see in a lifetime. The issues to be dealt with now are coming like tsunamis, but she has family and friends by her side every step of the way (not to mention her beloved dog Jade, who is now permanently glued to her side)," the post states.
RELATED STORIES: Michelle Wilkins Story Archive
Police say Wilkins had answered a Craigslist ad for baby clothes placed by Dynel Lane. Lane, 34, is accused of stabbing Wilkins and removing her baby.
"We cannot predict what lies ahead for Michelle," the Wilkins family said in a statement released later Wednesday. "What we can say is that we have all been deeply moved by the many people who have reached out to Michelle and her partner to share their own personal stories of tragedies they've endured and how they managed to first just survive and then eventually start to heal. That alone has given us the strength to get up and face each day."
Lane was arrested at the hospital with a deceased baby. Police say she said she had a miscarriage.
Lane is due back in court Friday when charges should be filed.
"There's going to be a lot of anger, frustration, grief, confusion; and I think being able to do that in the privacy they're creating is the best way," Chaplain Todd Strickland with the University of Colorado Hospital said.
Strickland has counseled many victims, including from the Aurora theater shooting. But he says the Longmont crime is different.
"A lot of joy is what's supposed to be going on right now, a lot of anticipation, instead of dealing with this grief. A lot of preparation and expectation, and now there's going to be a due date that's going to be a birth date that didn't happen," Strickland said.
Wilkins' GoFundMe page lists that donations have reached more than $55,000.
LINK: Read The Wilkins Family Statement Released On Wednesday
Additional Resources
Contributions to Wilkins' recovery can be made through the GoFundMe account or sent directly to the following address:
The Michelle Wilkins Trust Fund
c/o The Kapsak Law Firm, LLC
1610 Hover St. Suite 203
Longmont, CO 80501
