COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A missing mother of two who mysteriously vanished near a popular hiking trail is now safe. In an exclusive interview with Channel 2 Action News, she is explaining why she disappeared.
Valerie Maynard asked to meet with Channel 2's Chris Jose, two weeks after she was reported missing.
“I was afraid. I was terrified. I’m still terrified,” said Maynard. “I took off running. I went to a gas station. I cried and I prayed. I walked to Marietta Square.”
She left her wallet, keys and cell phone.
Maynard told Jose she wanted to get away from a mentally abusive situation. The Smyrna woman said she parked her white Range Rover in the Pigeon Hill lot near Kennesaw Mountain in early September.
“I told nobody. I didn’t tell a single person because I didn’t want them to get hurt,” said Maynard.
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Two weeks ago, only Channel 2 Action News was there when park rangers, Cobb police and K-9 units searched Maynard's luxury SUV.
A park ranger on the scene told Jose that Maynard’s vehicle had been in the parking lot for a few days. A week later, Cobb police asked for the public’s help and called Maynard’s disappearance “odd.”
“I was thinking about surviving and keeping myself safe,” said Maynard.
Maynard told Jose a local church gave her access to a women’s shelter for safe refuge.
She said she had no idea police had been searching for her until the shelter director showed her Jose's original report that aired on Channel 2 Action News.