From Pajamas to the Lake: Child Survives Alleged Abduction and 100-Yard Swim

In 2017, a young girl survived an abduction and attack, and today, her testimony is crucial despite the absence of DNA evidence against the accused.

In Worcester, Massachusetts, jurors are hearing a case that has gripped the community for years.

The survivor, now 15, testified about a night in August 2017 that began at a family barbecue and

ended with her fighting for her life in Lake Quinsigamond.

According to testimony, the girl was taken from her grandparents’ home while she slept in pink

pajamas. She awoke to find herself being carried into a Saturn Ion belonging to a family friend

Joshua Hubert. Over the next 90 minutes, surveillance footage shows Hubert’s car stopping at

gas stations and a girlfriend’s address. The girl told jurors she was assaulted, strangled, and

placed under a bag during that time.

At around 4 a.m., she says she was thrown off the I-290 bridge. Despite being wrapped in a

blanket, she swam nearly 100 yards to a home where a resident took her in and called the police.

Medical staff later documented bruises and ligature marks consistent with her account.

Prosecutors argue the survivor’s testimony, medical evidence, and Hubert’s next-morning car

cleaning show guilt. The defense counters that no DNA links Hubert to the child’s clothing.

Instead, lab testing found the father’s DNA. Both parents explained this as an accidental transfer

from shared laundry or bathroom use.

Hubert faces charges of kidnapping, rape of a child, attempted murder, and strangulation. He has

pleaded not guilty. The jury must decide whether testimony and circumstantial evidence

outweigh the absence of forensic proof.