Woman In Black 'Driven By Faith' to Walk Streets of U.S, Virginia Police Confirm Her Motivation
The mystery surrounding the woman dressed in a black robe and head scarf came to a close after she arrived in Winchester, Virginia on Tuesday, July 29.
"The woman in black" sparked national interest after walking the streets of several states over the past few months.
While the Winchester Police Department did not identify the woman, family has identified her as 56-year-old Elizabeth Poles, according to several reports. On Friday, The Christian Post spoke to the Winchester Police Department's public information officer Lauren Cummings in order to learn more about the woman in black. Cummings confirmed that Poles' journey to Winchester was "driven by faith," but little else is known about her.
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"We are not going to comment on any part of religion, but she is driven by a faith," Cummings also told CP. "Certainly I think that has played into her belief. We aren't going to comment on any particular religion or classify her as being a particular religion. I wouldn't actually go as far as saying she cited her religion. I would say her faith [drove her], more than classifying it."
Furthermore, Poles' journey appears to have come to an end. "The woman in black" plans on staying in Winchester where she has a residence, according to Cummings.
"She's doing well, she has expressed her desire to live in Winchester," the information officer told CP. "[Poles] is familiar with the area, she had lived here at a different point in her life and she wanted to come back. We asked the public to please respect her privacy, and Winchester has done so. She is seen out and about, walking, and no more crowds have formed around her since Tuesday night."
Cummings also pointed out that police officer's involvement with Poles was solely intended to be helpful, despite conflicting reports this week.
"We wanted to make it clear: some media have said she was in police custody or under our protection, she was never in custody, she has not committed any crimes, she was free to go at any point she wanted to," Cummings said. "We were simply trying to help her out. Our officers still see her and talk to her, she will not speak to the general public but does speak to officers and law enforcement along her journey and we will continue to keep in contact with her if she allows it. Again, she hasn't done anything wrong, but we are concerned about her well-being because of the attention it has generated."
Moreover, Cummings chalked up the mystery surrounding Poles to her unusual all-black garb, which featured a full-length black robe and a black headdress resembling a keffiyeh.
"It is certainly a unique case. I think, we would say there is no mystery at this point," she said. "[Poles] is in her final destination and it's where she intends to stay. The mystery came about because of the way she dresses - she generated attention more so than seeing someone in tennis shoes, a shirt and shorts … also the media and the aspect of social media - once that got involved, it spread quickly."
Consequently, "the woman" has a Facebook page dedicated to her entitled "Where is the Mysterious Woman in Black" that has over 75,000 "likes," and #womaninblack became a trending topic this week. However, police became involved when crowds surrounding the unusual figure created a traffic issue near the Virginia/West Virginia border this week. It was then that police transported the woman to Winchester, where another crowd formed - disrupting traffic once more.
