A 50-year-old American woman was found chained to a tree in a forest in India and left to die, police said.

The woman, identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar, was rescued after a shepherd heard her cries on Saturday evening in Sonurli village, about 450 kilometers from India’s financial capital Mumbai in the southwestern state of Maharashtra.

Based on a note Mrs. Kumar left at the hospital, the police filed a complaint of attempted murder against her ex-husband.

The authorities were able to determine her identity and home address using photocopies of a US passport and an identity card that they had confiscated from her.

“Based on the note left by the woman at the hospital, charges of attempted murder, endangering the life or personal safety of others and wrongful deprivation of liberty have been filed against her ex-husband under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” said Saurabh Agrawal, Sindhudurg district police superintendent. BNS is India’s official penal code.

She was taken to a hospital in the neighboring state of Goa, Mr Agrawal told the Press Trust of India news agency. She was “weak” and “unable to give a statement,” he said.

Officials do not yet know how long she was tied to the tree. “It was raining heavily in the area where she was found,” Mr Agrawal said.

“We have found that the woman, who appears to have been born in the US, also lived in Goa for some time. We are trying to find out who she has been in contact with in the last few months,” he added.

According to police, she apparently has not eaten anything for several days. The husband, whose name was not disclosed by the officials, is said to be from Tamil Nadu. Forest Inspector Vikas Padve said The Hindu The newspaper said that although doctors had told authorities that she was “fine”, Ms Kumar was “suffering from mental health problems”.

“She cannot speak and remains under observation,” Mr Padve said.

“She reportedly left her husband after an argument,” a police official was quoted as saying by the outlet.

The victim is said to have lived in India for ten years, reported Hindustan Times, citing officials from the local police station. The authorities have sent a team of investigators to Tamil Nadu and Goa to trace their relatives.