A California housekeeper was finally caught after allegedly scamming, kidnapping and assaulting a former client while posing as an elderly donor for a holiday toy drive.
Olga Mendez, 44, was arrested on Friday and charged with kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats related to the nightmarish incident, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Mendez, of Menifee, was also booked for two unrelated warrants during her Friday arrest.
The former housekeeper for Temecula resident Erin Quinn posed as an elderly woman wanting to donate a heap of toys to a local holiday drive.
Quinn, a mother of two, was lured to a home in Winchester on the premise of collecting the toys on December 18, KTLA reported.
She said received a text message from an anonymous number that claimed to be from an older woman named ‘Connie’ wishing to donate gifts.
Quinn arrived at the address and began to walk toward the home before receiving another message stating that someone would bring the toys to her car.
As she got back into her vehicle, Quinn said she was grabbed from behind by Mendez, who began yanking her hair and tasering her.
Olga Mendez, 44, was arrested on Friday and charged with kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office
The former housekeeper for Temecula resident Erin Quinn posed as an elderly woman wanting to donate a heap of toys to a local holiday drive
Quinn, a mother of two, was lured to a home in Winchester on the premise of collecting the toys on December 18. Pictured: The Winchester neighborhood where Erin Quinn was kidnapped
Quinn was ordered by the woman to drive, but the mom ended up crashing her car after about 25 minutes due to the pain of being tasered around 30 times.
She eventually managed to escape her vehicle and the women began tussling on the side of the road – with Quinn even biting off part of her attacker’s finger.
‘I kicked her as hard as I could,’ she explained.
‘She tried to put her fingers in my mouth, maybe in an attempt to rip my mouth open, and in a complete panic, I bit part of a portion of her finger off in self-defense because I didn’t know what else to do.’
In a stunning twist, Quinn said that she recognized her assailant as a former housekeeper.
She claimed that Mendez had disguised herself in a blonde wig.
The attacker fled the scene when a bystander rushed over to help.
‘My brain was jolting so bad and my body was shutting down and I thought either I was going to die or I was going to pass out,’ Quinn said.
Quinn said received a text message from an anonymous number that claimed to be from an older woman named ‘Connie’ wishing to donate gifts
She arrived at the address and began to walk up to the home before receiving another message stating someone would bring the toys to her car
Quinn said her attacker climbed into her car and began tasering her, causing her to crash
She claimed that the woman had disguised herself in a blonde wig
‘I am completely terrified,’ Quinn said. ‘I don’t know why she would do this.’
Quinn was left with bruising on her limbs, taser burns to her scalp, missing clumps of hair and broken nails.
‘My entire world has been turned upside down!’ she wrote on a GoFundMe set up to cover the cost of her bills while she takes time to recover.
‘All I was trying to do was help with the Christmas toy drive and thought I’d be able to stop by really quick to pick up these presents before I started my workday.
‘I was completely set up (there were no presents) and when I got back into my vehicle, I had no idea someone was waiting for me, ready to attack.’
She believes her attacker, who she has not spoken to for nine months, was hoping to take her over the border.
‘I strongly believe that her plan was to kidnap me and take me to Mexico for either ransom or sale,’ Quinn added.
She said she and her mother had previously supported the suspect by providing housing and money for her and her daughter.
The victim sustained bruises from the attack, which continued after she crashed her car
She described how she was forced to bite off part of her attacker’s finger in a desperate bid to escape
Quinn said the culprit is a former housekeeper who she believes had plans to take her to Mexico for ransom money
Following Mendez’s arrest, Quinn rook to social media to share her gratitude.
‘One thing I will never lose is my fight and passion for life!’ she wrote in a December 29 Facebook post.
‘I love the community I live in and I’m feeling very very blessed!!!’
Mendez’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 10.
