No charges filed in case of woman alleging she was held captive in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Alameda County District Attorney has declined to file charges in a case where a woman claimed she had been held captive and raped over three days by her date, KTVU has learned.

"After a thorough investigation and review, it is clear that the allegations of kidnapping and rape are unfounded. And we have declined to charge this case," Angela Ruggerio, a spokeswoman for the DA, said in a statement Thursday.

KTVU is not naming the 37-year-old man who was arrested on the initial rape and kidnap charges recommended by Oakland police. Efforts to reach the man have been unsuccessful. 

District Attorney Nancy O'Malley's decision did not come lightly. She is a nationally recognized expert in violence against women and who has been a champion of prosecuting cases of sexual assault and human trafficking.

However, a source close to the investigation said that despite the woman's allegations, she was seen over the weekend alone and she was able to contact friends saying she was OK during the the time she claimed to be held against her will in a Maxwell Park home. 

The story emerged from a witness who posted an account on NextDoor, describing the woman screaming for help in the street, crying that she had been raped and abducted. He said that the woman became frightened when her alleged attacker approached in a car. The neighbor declined to be interviewed in person about his post. 

Sexual assault survivors says it is not uncommon for women to recant or decide not to cooperate with authorities, fearing retribution from the men they claim harmed them. 

In a previous interview, the 25-year-old woman told KTVU that the alleged attacker had been friendly at first but that his demeanor changed. She said the suspect, who has priors for human trafficking and pimping, tried to dress her up as a sex worker. She claimed he repeatedly raped her over the course of three days. 

"He was going to kill me or he was going to hurt me," she said previously. "So I just tried to keep quiet and cooperate with everything he told me to do, and I did."

KTVU could not reach the woman on Thursday to ask her about the DA's decision. Her phone number was no longer in service.