According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, the alleged victim called his office Thursday and said she was never held against her will. According to Ramsey, she said she never imagined her story would receive so much press attention.
Earlier in the week, Butte County deputies say they got a tip from the parole officer of Lawson Rankin, 29, that the unidentified victim, Rankin's wife, may be at his home on Lincoln Boulevard. When they arrived, they noticed fresh dry wall mud on Rankin's hands.
They broke through a sealed door to the attic and found the woman who appeared shaken. She told deputies she'd been held captive for nearly two weeks, and raped and beaten on a daily basis.
Rankin's family and neighbors say the woman had been seen leaving the home recently on her own free will. Investigators say she had filed a restraining order against him in August.
Rankin has been charged with Spousal Rape, Corporal Injury, Criminal Threats, Imprisonment, and Disobeying a Domestic Relations Court Order.
