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A woman seen in a surveillance video that appeared to show her being forcibly pulled away by a man outside a Wichita home on Sunday has contacted police, they said Tuesday afternoon.
Police said that around 3 p.m., investigators received a phone call from a woman claiming to be the individual seen in the video.
“Investigators immediately responded to her location, made contact and transported her to City Hall so detectives could conduct a victim interview,” the Wichita Police Department said in a statement.
According to the statement, investigators have identified the woman as a 35-year-old resident of the area where the video was recorded early Sunday morning on the 1400 block of North Volusia.
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“At this stage of the investigation, we believe this incident is a case of domestic violence where the female was victimized by her boyfriend,” police said. “The female does not have any significant injuries.”
Detectives are continuing to conduct interviews, and the department said the case will be presented to the appropriate attorney’s office for formal charging consideration.
Police thanked the public for helping to spread the video and still images that drew widespread attention on social media and news outlets.
“We do believe it led the female to call us saying she was the person we were looking for,” the statement read.
As police had emphasized earlier in the day, investigators do not believe there is any ongoing danger to the public.
“As we stressed this morning, we do not have any reason to believe there is ongoing danger to the general public,” the department said.
The 20-second Ring doorbell video, recorded around 2 a.m. Sunday, showed a woman appearing to resist as a man pulled her out of frame in a north Wichita neighborhood.
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The clip prompted an urgent police plea for help identifying the individuals, leading to dozens of tips. Investigators canvassed the area for witnesses and additional footage, reviewed license plate reader data, and checked recent disturbance and missing-person reports before the woman came forward.
Before Tuesday’s update, Wichita Police Capt. Aaron Moses told Fox News Digital the video had given investigators “a strong starting point” as they worked to locate the woman and verify her safety.
“The challenge is, this is the only piece of evidence that we have at this time,” Moses said during the interview.
“We think someone out there does recognize her. And that’s why we shared the video again today,” Moses said.
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Moses stressed that there is no indication the case is connected to organized crime or a broader pattern.
“We don’t have any information to lead us to believe that this is related to the cartel. We don’t have any information to lead us to believe that this is part of a larger pattern at this point,” he continued.
When asked whether the incident could be a hoax or prank, Moses said the department was treating it as legitimate until proven otherwise.
“We have to treat everything as though it’s real until we can verify otherwise,” he said. “At this point we cannot verify if this is a hoax or anything else, so we are operating under the assumption that this is a legitimate incident.”
Police reviewed all missing-persons reports filed since Oct. 1. They believe the event is likely isolated and does not pose a broader public safety risk.
“We haven’t received any additional reports of suspicious activity in that area,” Moses said. “We don’t believe there is a danger to the general public.”
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As public interest in the case surged, Wichita police had to confront a wave of misinformation spreading online. Social media users circulated what appeared to be artificial intelligence-generated “enhancements” of the video, claiming to reveal faces or clearer details.
Moses cautioned that these images are not authentic and could harm the investigation.
“The use of artificial intelligence for this type of an investigation does have the ability to complicate our investigation,” he said. “It can generate erroneous tips and information that’s not verified by a human being.”
He urged the public to only share content released directly by the Wichita Police Department. Verified updates, he said, are always posted on the department’s official social media channels.
“Anything that comes from another source has not been verified, and we cannot confirm the accuracy or the validity of that information,” Moses warned.
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Police said detectives are continuing to gather evidence and interview those involved. The case will be referred to prosecutors for review.
“We are grateful for the community’s help and the attention this case received,” the department said. “Our priority remains transparency and ensuring the safety of everyone involved.”
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to [email protected].
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