Five months after she was raped in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a woman is telling her story as she continues searching for answers.
The attack happened around 9 p.m. on May 17 at a commercial building on Cambridgepark Drive. The woman was assaulted by a masked man armed with a knife.
Police searched for the assailant, asking people in the area to review surveillance footage and report anything suspicious. But he has still not been captured.
"I was attacked," said the woman, who asked to be identified only as Joy. "It was just out of the blue, I thought it was just another day."
The normal workday turned into a nightmare for Joy when she was attacked in a women's bathroom at her place of work.
"It was terrifying, it was brutal. When I close my eyes, I think of that moment, when I just saw the knife," she said. "My life stopped on May 17, but every time I look around, everyone's life still continues."
Joy says she crawled out of the bathroom on the third floor and made it to the elevator.
"I think the next thing I remember was just hanging on to a security guard's leg, fully undressed and screaming for help," she said.
Five months after the attack, the mother still struggles to cope in public spaces.
"I can't use a public bathroom, I can't even bring my kids to a public bathroom. I have to tell them, 'You have to hold it,'" Joy said.
"She wants the peace that she would feel from knowing that she doesn't have to worry that every time she turns around and sees some tall white guy, that he might be the person who attacked her," said attorney Carmen Durso.
Anyone with information is asked to call 617-349-9151 or submit a tip online.
