When apartment manager Tiffany Engle stumbled upon confessed serial rapist Brent J. Brents’ hiding place, she knew instantly she should try to flee.
What happened next, said Engle’s father, Paul, the family is not ready to talk about.
But in his first extensive media interview since Tiffany Engle was attacked Feb. 18, Paul Engle did talk about his daughter’s strong will to recover.
“We’ve come a long way,” he said, “but we’ve got a ways to go.”
Engle said his daughter, who is recovering at her parents’ home in Sioux City, Iowa, had multiple skull fractures and bruises to her brain. Parts of her skull were removed to relieve pressure. She has potentially permanent hearing and vision problems. And she faces many more surgeries and years of therapy.
Still, Paul Engle said his 33-year-old daughter is determined to return to Denver and live independently.
“She’s a real go-getter. She doesn’t wait for stuff; she makes stuff happen. … If anybody can survive this with as much going for them as they can, Tiffany would be that person,” he said. “She’s thinking about the future and things she wants to do and not looking back.”
Police say that when Tiffany Engle opened the door of a vacant apartment in the 1000 block of Marion Street, she stumbled upon Brents, who was hiding inside with his eighth alleged sexual-assault victim. Police say Brents then brutally beat Engle and fled with her car and his victim.
Brents was arrested later that night. His other victim survived but died this week of a drug overdose. Brents faces 80 charges at a preliminary hearing Monday in Denver.
Paul Engle thanked the Denver community for its support of his daughter. A fund has been established at Horizon Bank in Greenwood Village to help with her medical expenses.
