A ‘friendly’ stranger approached her on a trail but one detail about his shoes set off alarm bells

Leticia Rodriguez (@leticiaxrodriguez) thought she was heading out for a simple Saturday walk with her mother and two dogs near Old Fort Park in Murfreesboro. They had just visited a new coffee spot and were making their way along a secluded trail when a friendly-looking stranger approached them. At first, nothing about him seemed openly threatening. But Rodriguez noticed one detail she could not shake: his shoes. What first seemed like an ordinary encounter soon turned frightening, and police later said that detail helped them connect what happened. On May 17, 2026, she shared the terrifying experience in a video, which has since been viewed 9.9 million times.

Lonely man 

Before the incident, Rodriguez's initial plan was to go on the walk just with her two dogs. However, for some reason, she decided to include her mom, and that turned out to be a great decision. It started pretty well, but when they started walking a secluded route, things began to change. While resting in a small enclosed hexagonal area with a little bridge, to give the dogs some water and enjoy the scenery, Rodriguez saw a man walking towards them, who then left only to come back once again.

Odd shoes for a trail

The second time, the man greeted them and even said to the woman that he didn't intend to scare them. Then he looked at Rodriguez's dogs and asked if they were friendly. Of course, she was hesitant and wanted to say they weren't, but decided to say they were learning. As he got closer, she noticed he was wearing a white T-shirt, gray basketball shorts, sunglasses, had a flip phone and, most oddly, dress shoes on a trail.

"Who wears dress shoes at a park, in a trail?" she wondered. As a true-crime fan, Rodriguez knew that perpetrators often wore dress shoes to prevent a 'distinct footprint' that could lead back to them. Thankfully, at the same time, her dog named Koda realized this man was a threat and started barking. This made the man back off.

He was not alone

While this guy talked to Rodriguez and her mother, two other men positioned themselves at the trail's entrance. Even though alarmed, the woman tried to remain calm. Surprisingly, the man then stated that he was being followed by the other two men and was heading to his car to get protection. Hearing this, Rodriguez wanted to run, but from what she learned from watching true crime shows, she knew better than to let these people know she was scared. So, she acted calm and didn't do anything suspicious. That's when one of the two men said, "Cut the cell towers. This won't take too long."

As soon as she heard this, she, along with her mother and dogs, hurried along the way. Although these three men tried to match their pace, the woman and mother managed to take a detour and reach the trailhead, where they quickly contacted the police. Soon, the officers showed up and asked her for the description of the men and searched for them. The good news was that Rodriguez and her mother were able to get back home safely. 

This isn't an isolated incident

Even though these women were able to escape this tragedy, this is a huge issue in society. According to data released by UK Parliament Committees, almost 1 out of 6 women feels unsafe in public places like parks, even during broad daylight. In contrast, only about 1 out of 20 men feels the same. According to another survey held by Winnebago Industries, almost 90% of the women noted that they face obstacles taking part in outdoor activities. In fact, they could only take part if someone they knew or their family members took part in it. 

911 dispatcher's tip

At the same time, more women came forward in the comments section of Rodriguez's post to show their support. @jj2022420 wrote, "Thank you so much for teaching me that once you say you want to call the police, that’s when they escalate. I learned something today. So glad you are safe!!!!" Meanwhile, @bemusedninety1 commented, "Dress shoes don’t leave a distinguishable footprint like tennis shoes. You are so smart and fortunate."

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