A simple trick used to make a daring, pre-dawn escape from her kidnapper may have saved a woman in Northern California’s life last week, deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said.

The drama unfolded just before 4 a.m. Thursday when the 35-year-old victim made a 911 call and a slew of text messages to the Humboldt County Sheriff saying that she had been kidnapped — and was hiding inside a gas station bathroom in Blue Lake.

The victim, who has not been identified, reported that a man with whom she lived, identified as 46-year-old Timothy Richard Long of McKinleyville, had kidnapped her from outside their home against her will around 3 a.m., deputies said.

Long forced the terrified woman into his vehicle and began driving to an undisclosed location, but first he stopped to buy fuel at a gas station about 15 minutes from their residence, according to deputies.

The woman made her way to the gas station’s bathroom, when Long began to pump his fuel, and locked herself inside the small room, deputies said.

There, she made a frantic 911 call and sent a series of frightening text messages to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center reporting that she had been kidnapped and needed to be rescued.    

Deputies responded to the gas station within minutes. They found Long outside and took him into custody without incident. More deputies arrived at the scene, and they telephoned the woman, who was still hiding in the bathroom, deputies said.

The woman came out of the bathroom unharmed, according to deputies. Deputies would not disclose the nature of her relationship to Long.

Long was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, violation of a domestic violence court order, and violating probation, deputies said. He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

He was being held Monday at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

Located nearly 300 miles north of San Francisco, Humboldt County is a rural zone known for drugs and a high volume of missing persons reports.

The Rancho Sequoia portion of the Alderpoint area in southern Humboldt County earned the nickname “Murder Mountain” for a series of serial killings there and for other disappearances and murders, including some linked to the marijuana trade.