CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Communities are on edge after two different women were sexually assaulted near trails in Mecklenburg County.
Editor's Note: This story discusses sexual assault, which may include descriptions of violent acts. Reader discretion is advised.
The attacks hit close to home for Lauren Ratcliffe.
“We all have this false sense of security that it’s not going to happen on the greenway we use every day,” Ratcliffe said, adding she feels for the victims in these cases.
One woman was attacked on Wednesday along McAlpine Creek greenway. Sunday morning, another woman was walking along the area of Matthews Heritage Trail when she was attacked by a different man.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the Matthews Police Department are both stepping up patrols in trails after two sexual assaults in the last week.
No one has been arrested in either case.
"It’s heartbreaking, the first thing that I think of is always the women who survived these things because every survivor has a different story but we are all a member of a club that we didn’t sign up for," Ratcliffe said.
Her life was forever changed eight years ago.
"I was raped by a stranger who had broken into my home while I was at work during the day," she said.
Ratcliffe is a survivor, an advocate for victims of sexual assaults and an example that there is life after an attack.
"It happened to them, it is part of their story but it is not the whole story," she said. "There is so much more beyond the attack that they can enjoy and experience."
That includes walks on the greenway. Ratcliffe’s advice is to just keep safety in mind and be aware of your surrounding.
"I love to walk with audiobooks and music and I still do those things," she explained. "But I don’t turn it up so loud that I can’t hear someone coming from behind me."
She encourages survivors to find support through friends, family or by speaking to a therapist.
Meanwhile, she will continue to share her story to let other survivors know they are not alone.
"I have been given a voice," she said. "If I can make one other survivor feel more seen and less alone then I will speak every chance I get."
Ratcliffe said it took a lot of work and time to rebuild, heal and to feel more like herself. However, with the help of loved ones she is much stronger. She also found power in telling her story and pushing for more support services for victims of sexual assault.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.