Officials: Woman fabricated forest preserve stabbing story

A weekend incident where a woman was stabbed while jogging in a suburban forest preserve does not appear to have happened as originally reported, authorities said Tuesday.

Officials previously said a 33-year-old woman was stabbed in the abdomen while jogging Nov. 29 on a trail in the Deer Grove East forest preserve near Palatine.

Her male attacker was described as Hispanic, 5 foot 7 inches tall, bald and with a medium build.

But officials said Tuesday this attacker does not appear to have ever existed.

“It appears the story was fabricated,” Cook County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said in an email. “We are evaluating what if any action we will take in response.”

Although Ansari said there was a stab wound, it does not appear there was another person involved in the incident.