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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Strange incident in the woods

335 replies

Livelaughlovesigns · 01/01/2024 21:07

It’s still playing on my mind and was just really odd.

Today, Dh and I took Dd, 5 and our dog in the woods/fields by our home. All was fine and we were heading back home, I was walking ahead keeping track of our dog and Dh was with Dd (she walks slowly, wants to stop to play/have adventures etc)
I saw a person walking behind Dh who was swaying from side to side and just seemed very odd, I felt a bit strange and started to call to Dd to run to me (as in a game-run as fast as you can/who’s the winner type thing) Dh had also noticed and started to walk more quickly, he then picked her up and started to hurry to me and we got to an open part where there were houses and cars. Dd was getting upset and shouting about why he picked her up etc and we were watching this person in the distance acting so strangely, staggering everywhere and then suddenly running.
A man came up talking on his phone (Russian I think and looking around everywhere) Dh asked him if he was looking for someone, the man didn’t speak English, so Dh started motioning towards the woods where the person had ran ( Dh says it was a woman)
Dh then went with the man to show him where she was and Dh said he saw this man find her
We explained to Dd, without trying to scare her.
As we were walking back we were discussing it and saying why did we try to run away, why didn’t we try to help them.
It was just a really really odd situation, we in these woods almost daily, nothing ever happens.

I keep wondering about this woman and what on earth had happened to her, Dh thinks she may have been drunk because of New year and wandered back and lost her way (the woods are next to the beach)

Would you have done the same thing? My initial feeling was fear and to get dd away

OP posts:
Livelaughlovesigns · 01/01/2024 21:08

*We walk in these woods almost daily

OP posts:
BewareTheBeardedDragon · 01/01/2024 21:11

Um, so a woman was running away from a man and your DH showed him where she was? Not sure I'd have done that tbh.

EmmaEmerald · 01/01/2024 21:11

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 01/01/2024 21:11

Um, so a woman was running away from a man and your DH showed him where she was? Not sure I'd have done that tbh.

This. I don’t understand why your DH spoke to him at all.

Maddy70 · 01/01/2024 21:12

Probably drunk or unwell. Not your circus

Sundaefraise · 01/01/2024 21:12

Could have been diabetic? my very respectable fil, who in general life held down a high level job was once found wandering the streets quite disheveled and disoriented having left his office when his sugar levels dropped without telling anyone. Fortunately a member of the public realised and called an ambulance.

StarlightLime · 01/01/2024 21:12

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 01/01/2024 21:11

Um, so a woman was running away from a man and your DH showed him where she was? Not sure I'd have done that tbh.

Yes. Very odd of you, op...

CurlyhairedAssassin · 01/01/2024 21:13

What did DH say happened when the man found her? Did she seem relieved or scared of him? I'd be worried that it was some kind of trafficked woman who'd managed to get away. But you don't say the age of the woman or anything else about her.

Finlesswonder · 01/01/2024 21:13

Well I accept I'm old fashioned but I would have expected more of my DP

User5512 · 01/01/2024 21:14

Why didn’t you call the police to make sure the woman was safe?

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 01/01/2024 21:15

I mean - hopefully all was well when he found her and he was a good guy but she might have been drugged or anything. I'd never assume that a woman was running away from a man for no reason.

TheFormidableMrsC · 01/01/2024 21:15

Bloody hell. She might have been hiding from him. Why on Earth would your husband have done that?

Snooks1971 · 01/01/2024 21:17

So two grown adults ran away from a disoriented woman in the woods because they have a 5 year old with them?

newyearnewnothing · 01/01/2024 21:17

So instead of helping a vulnerable person.
You took someone to them and never phoned the police??

ClareBlue · 01/01/2024 21:17

You think it was odd because it was odd and that includes both the women's behaviour and your husband's behaviour

Livelaughlovesigns · 01/01/2024 21:17

Sorry I’ve not explained this well I don’t think, the man wasn’t chasing her/she wasn’t running away from him. He came up from the street in a car, on his phone to her trying to find her, she was clearly lost and he was worried, he was an older man (almost grandfather type age and clearly worried)

OP posts:
90yomakeuproom · 01/01/2024 21:17

When we have our children with us, our reaction is very different to if not. I'd have done the same OP but maybe not the ending.

DobbyRuth · 01/01/2024 21:18

StarlightLime · 01/01/2024 21:12

Yes. Very odd of you, op...

Odd of who? OP isn’t in control of her husband. Their priority was looking after their DD.

OP, it’s a strange situation for any of us to really understand properly, as so much context is missing having not been there, and easy for people to say you did something wrong. I’m sure you acted in the best way you could, on impulse.

Stay vigilant, there are weirdos out there!

CaineRaine · 01/01/2024 21:19

No way would I have done the same thing OP! The woman sounded vulnerable (perhaps through drink, drugs, health issues, who knows) and you left her with an unknown man with no thought to check she was ok. Hopefully it was all innocent but pretty poor of you to scarper like that.

RogersOrganismicProcess · 01/01/2024 21:19

I feel a bit sick reading this. You instinctively felt scared in reaction to the woman. We subconsciously pick up on others feelings all of the time. You were quite possibly feeling scared because she was scared! She was running scared, you ran scared. It is basic survival. I hope she is ok.

Livelaughlovesigns · 01/01/2024 21:20

Dh was trying to help, not do anything wrong. We were both unsure of the situation and basically wanted Dd safe and out of the way

OP posts:
mollyfolk · 01/01/2024 21:20

I think you should call the police now and tell them what happened. It is 98% likely that it is nothing and there is a straightforward explanation but maybe it is something and she was trying to get away from this man. Are there many Russians where you live?

Herehare · 01/01/2024 21:21

I chose NBU by mistake.. I would get a child out of the way and then certainly would ask the woman herself if she was alright and not direct an older man towards her without knowing what was going on. Would ring the police if she was unable to answer and I couldn’t understand the language of the man looking for her.

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 01/01/2024 21:21

Not sure your update makes it sound any better. Older men with phones can be just as awful as younger ones.
Was she not running then?

Echobelly · 01/01/2024 21:22

I think with the context I get it - you wanted to get DD away from someone who might be intoxicated, and saw someone who seemed concerned evidently trying to get hold of her. I don't think any of us can really judge without being there.

PurpleOrchid42 · 01/01/2024 21:23

She was running away from the man? If so, call the police and explain what happened.

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