HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A hallucinating man claimed a woman was not who she was, claimed she was a missing person, and demanded her true identity while choking her.
On the evening of July 7th, 2024, a distressing domestic incident unfolded at a residence on Johnstown Road in Huntington, West Virginia.
At approximately 6:47 pm, officers from the Huntington Police Department were dispatched to the address in response to reports of a domestic dispute. Upon arrival, the suspected perpetrator, Joshua Adkins, had already fled the scene, last seen heading northbound on Johnstown Road wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt.
The officers instead encountered the victim, who was visibly shaken and fearful for her safety. According to the victim’s account, the incident began when the suspect, Mr. Adkins, had become unhinged and started hallucinating.
In his delusional state, he began accusing the woman of being someone else entirely, repeatedly demanding to know her true identity. The situation then took an even more disturbing turn as Mr. Adkins allegedly pinned her to the ground and wrapped his hands around her neck, choking her to the point that she nearly lost consciousness.
The traumatic ordeal caused the victim to urinate on herself as she struggled to breathe involuntarily. Throughout the attack, the suspect continued his irrational claims, insisting that she was a missing person who had been brainwashed and that he needed to call the authorities to uncover her true identity.
Fortunately, the victim was eventually able to break free from her assailant’s grasp when a friend arrived at the home and knocked on the door, causing Mr. Adkins to stop his assault momentarily. This provided the victim with an opening to escape out the front door and seek refuge at a neighbor’s house, where she promptly contacted the police.
Officers on the scene documented her account, photographed her injuries – which included a bruise on the left side of her head from being forced to the ground – and advised her on the process of obtaining a domestic violence protection order against her attacker.
The search for the suspect, Mr. Adkins, continued as the investigation into this disturbing incident continued. He was later found and arrested.
