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Natalie Fonseca, left, and Nafis Reynolds, right. (Escambia County Sheriff’s Office)
A would-be helpful meetup in Florida went horribly awry for a man who managed to escape with his life after a brutal surprise attack that left him for dead, bleeding, and nearly drowned, authorities say.
Natalie Fonseca, 25, stands accused of one count each of attempted murder, kidnapping, arson, and two counts of robbery, according to Escambia County jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. Her alleged partner-in-crime, Nafis Reynolds, 31, stands accused of the same. They are also charged with relatively minor drug crimes.
The victim is not being named.
The harrowing incident occurred on the night of Oct. 7, according to court records obtained by Law&Crime. That’s the night the victim agreed to meet a woman and help her get some food after chatting with her on social media. After dinner, the pair agreed to hang out, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
“During the date, [the victim] agreed to go to Fonseca’s house, where she introduced him to her ‘Uncle,’ Nafis Reynolds,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a recent press release. “A little while later, the three decided to take a ride. This time they rode to the victim’s house to continue this unorthodox date. Eventually, they all leave the victim’s house.”
When the victim finally asked to go home, however, he said a male began to beat him in the head, according to an arrest report for Fonseca obtained by Law&Crime.
“[The victim] stated the female stuck a knife to his throat and told him this would be his last night, and he was going to die tonight,” the court document reads. “[The victim] stated the female cut him on his neck while the male was hitting him, and then the male cut his neck with the knife, telling him he was going to die.”
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Amid the attack, the couple stole $350 cash from him, along with his shoes and his cellphone, the arrest report says. Then the couple allegedly tried to dispose of the man for good.
“[The victim] stated the vehicle stopped on a bridge, and the male and female threw him off the bridge into the water,” the document goes on. “[The victim] stated once he was thrown in the water, he began to swim for a while before making it to a bank and climbing up.”
The man lost consciousness on the bank of the river and woke the next morning, the arrest report says. A motorist pulled over and gave him the succor of a short drive but later said he couldn’t take him any further. The man walked for another 10 minutes before, barefoot and covered in blood, he flagged down sheriff’s deputies at a gas station and then got medical attention.
After several interviews with law enforcement and an ensuing investigation, deputies arrested Fonseca and Reynolds on Monday. Authorities say they were charged based on surveillance footage of Fonseca with the victim on the night in question, footage the next day showing Fonseca driving the victim’s car, and footage days later that shows Fonseca and Reynolds together at a gas station.
The arson charges against the two defendants are not referenced in the initial arrest reports related to the alleged kidnapping, robbery, and attempted murder. They were both charged with arson on the same date and presumably over the same incident.
The sheriff’s office released news of the allegations this week under the title: “A Social Media Date Turned Bad.” But the arrest report for Fonseca notes the victim did not describe the initially planned meetup as a date at all.
“[The victim] stated he messaged the female, who said she was having issues with money and needed food, and he offered to take her to dinner or take her to buy some food,” the court document reads. “[The victim] met the female and bought drinks for her children and other food items.”
Both defendants are next slated to appear in court on Nov. 17.
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