A New York City mother who survived a brutal neck-slashing attack while hiking in Arizona is determined to use the experience to educate her two young children about awareness and the importance of fighting for survival. Alexis Rowan, 27, described the harrowing moments of the August 19 attack on the Havasupai Reservation, where a man approached her from behind and slashed her throat.
Rowan recounted feeling that something was amiss when she asked the man for directions to a gift shop. She called her mother, Tricia Rowan, to express her fear, telling her on the phone that she did not feel safe. Shortly after, the man attacked her. "As soon as I said, 'No,' the man came behind me and sliced my own neck," Rowan told Fox News Digital.
Ring camera footage from a nearby home captured Rowan's struggle and her screams for help. The sounds alerted a woman inside the home, who emerged and scared off the attacker. Rowan was then able to enter the home and wait for assistance.
Rowan admitted that she has had to rehear and rewatch the footage of the attack, but she is resolute in not shielding her children from the reality of what happened. "It's, you know, right there – and especially before like I had all the stitches in it," she said, referring to the scar on her neck. "So, of course, they look at me and it's the first thing they see."
She emphasized the importance of teaching her children to be aware of their surroundings, a lesson she learned from her own upbringing. "I like my kids to be aware like just like I was always raised: You have to be aware of your surroundings; I'm not going to sit and lie to them because things like this does happen in life," Rowan stated. "You see it on the news, you see anything, 'oh my God, that can never happen.' No, it could happen, so I always tell my kids: You have to pay attention."
Rowan's mother, Tricia Rowan, expressed immense pride in her daughter's resilience and fight for survival. "She is a true example of what it means to make the noise so someone comes to your rescue," Tricia Rowan said. "Never just take anything laying down, like scream, fight, and she did it. She's a warrior."
The family lineage includes a history of resilience, with Tricia Rowan noting a distant relative, famed boxer John L. Sullivan. This connection, she feels, aligns with her family's current focus on self-defense and perseverance.
"Never give up a fight," Tricia Rowan advised. "Just fight for everything that you think is right."
The suspect was later arrested. Federal authorities apprehended the individual using pings from Rowan's stolen cellphone.
