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Woman found holding her own eyeballs across from South Carolina church

Posted at 10:41 PM, Feb 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-07 22:41:38-05

ANDERSON, S.C. – Horrified churchgoers called 911 Tuesday after a woman tore out her own eyes with her hands, according to WYFF.

"It was across the street, and I could see blood, and could her screaming and I realized something was wrong," Elizabeth Hiott, who had been working at the South Main Chapel and Mercy Center, told the TV station. "I immediately called 911 and it almost felt like the 911 dispatcher didn't even believe me. That's how crazy it was."

Despite a conflicting report from the Associated Press, Lt. Bowland with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office confirmed that both eyes were removed, not just one. WYFF reports that after witnesses called 911, the woman, who had been kneeling next to some railroad tracks, ripped out the second eye.

"She didn't injure anybody, but it took several people to subdue her enough to get her on a stretcher," Bowland said. Witnesses said she was holding the eyeballs in her hands, not letting anyone touch her.

Medical workers rushed the woman to an area hospital by helicopter.

Hiott said she had seen the woman at church before, but not regularly.

The woman is on a respirator but is in stable condition, according to WYFF.