More than a decade ago, a 32-year-old woman wandered away from her home in central China.
The woman, identified only by her surname Bu, had a university degree but she also had a history of mental illness, with several hospital stays for treatment by the time she went missing from her home in Jinzhong, Shanxi province, in 2011.
Now, 13 years later, she has been found in a village in Heshun county more than 150km (93 miles) away, and a 46-year-old villager surnamed Zhang on suspicion of raping her, according to county authorities.
The authorities said that Zhang allegedly saw that she was ill and took her home. Bu gave birth to his children, although an official statement did not say how many children the woman had.
“Zhang knew Bu had a mental illness but still had sexual relations with her and had children. He is suspected of committing a crime and has been detained by public security officials,” the statement said.
Local authorities have questioned several villagers about whether Zhang restricted Bu’s personal freedom, it said, adding that it appeared she often went out by herself to buy snacks and never ran away from the village. Police are investigating whether the case involved human trafficking, illegal detention or other crimes.