Community Rallies Behind Silver Comet Trail Victim

Family, friends and the Silver Comet Trail community are coming together to support the Dallas, Ga., woman who was brutally beaten on the trail earlier this week.

Tina Waddell, 42, was found by a bicyclist Tuesday evening, July 29, in Paulding County with injuries so severe to her face she was nearly unrecognizable. Police say the attack occurred near the Vernot Aiken Road bridge, where she was dragged into the woods. Investigators said there was no evidence of a sexual assault.

Waddell was able crawl out of the woods to the point where cyclist Peter Skott found her ”half-conscious,” according to a recording of the 911 call.

Click here to listen to the 911 call

Waddell has been at Kennestone Hospital since the attack. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported she was expected to undergo surgery on Friday.

The AJC also reported an event is being organized Saturday morning “to complete the walk Tina Waddell was unable to finish.”

The newspaper said organizers, acting on the suggestion of the family to hold the walk, are spreading the word via social media.

The two-mile walk is expected to begin at 10 a.m, at Tara Drummond Park in Paulding County.

“We will be passing the spot where the attack happened and completing the run-walk she wasn’t able to complete that day,” friend Nicole Moore told the AJC.

Also planned is a Tuesday morning bicycle ride on the trail to promote safety awareness and raise money for Waddell. Bike Cobb created a Facebook page — “Ride for Tina Waddell – Attack Victim on SCT” — announcing the fundraiser. The ride is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. at the Publix shopping center parking lot at 4480 S. Cobb Drive in Smyrna. According to the post, “The goal is to ride the whole SCT but if you cannot for any reason, at least come out and ride as much as time permits.”

The Silver Comet Trail is a 61.5-mile trail that starts in Smyrna, Ga., and ends at the Georgia-Alabama line near Cedartown.

Money is also being raised for Waddell and her family through SunTrust Bank. Donations are being collected in the “Take Back the Trail for Tina” fund, which can be done at any SunTrust branch.

This week, the family urged anyone with information on the attack to step forward. On Thursday, the family released a photo of Waddell’s injuries to “show what kind of monster is out there.”

The 911 recording of cyclist Skott’s call to police also was released to the media this week, revealing some of the moments early in the investigation.

No suspect has been arrested so far.

Waddell’s attack was eight years almost to the day from the 2006 beating death of Silver Comet Trail cyclist Jennifer Ewing. Michael Ledford was convicted of the murder by a Paudling County jury in 2009.

The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone that may have seen anything suspicious on the Silver Comet Trail between the Chamber of Commerce and Tara Drummond Trail Heads on July 29, between the hours of 5 pm and 8 pm to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 770-443-3015.