Cold Case Files - I SURVIVED: The Wild Dogs Were Just Waiting For Me To Collapse

Episode Date: July 11, 2026

Verna and her young daughter are attacked by a friend whose advances she had rebuffed. Theo is lost for five days without food or water in the Australian outback. Debra is left for dead after... being carjacked then shot several times at close range by a group of teens that claimed to be affiliated with the Crips.This Episode is sponsored by BetterHelpApartments.com - To find whatever you’re searching for and more visit apartments.com the place to find a place.BetterHelp - Visit BetterHelp.com/SURVIVED to get 10% off your first month!Earnin - Download Earnin on the App store or Google play and type in ISurvived under Podcast when you sign up!First Leaf - Head to TryFirstLeaf.com/survived for 50% off your first box PLUS free shipping for an entire year!Mint - To get the new customer offer and your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to Mintmobile.com/survivedTalkiatry - Head to Talkiatry.com/ISURVIVED to get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in just a few minutesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. If he gets this knife away from me, he's going to kill me. He's going to kill me and then he's going to rape my daughter. Real people. I heard one of them, one of the guys, you know, I'd say, shoot her in the head. Who faced death. The wild dogs and the dingoes were just waiting for me to collapse so that I couldn't fight them off.
Starting point is 00:00:28 and live to tell how. Blood's going everywhere, and I'm shaking, I'm thinking, he ain't going to stop. He come here to kill us. This is I survived. It's November 2006 in Ballground, Georgia. Verna works as a barber. She is a single mother with a seven-year-old daughter.
Starting point is 00:00:56 I was at work, and a friend of mine from high school showed up that I hadn't seen in several months. We exchanged numbers, and I told him, you know, If he ever needed to talk or anything, he was more welcome to call me, which he did later that evening, and I invited him over. Well, he came over and we're just kind of, you know, chit-chat. Pretty much he was just, you know, crying the blues that, you know, his whole life was falling apart.
Starting point is 00:01:20 And, you know, he proceeded to cry, and I reached over to give him a hug, you know, comforting hug. And when I did, he turned to give me a kiss. Well, I pushed myself away from him, and I was like, you know, well, wait a minute, you No, we're not going there. He apologized. He seemed really sincere in his apology. And, you know, he got in his truck, and he left.
Starting point is 00:01:43 The next day, Gerald called Verna at work. He says, I want to talk to you about me and you date. And I was like, no, Gerald. I said, we discussed this last night. He's like, no, you need to shut up and listen to me. And I was like, do what? He says, and I'm the man, you're the woman. He says, then you will do as I say.
Starting point is 00:02:03 And I was just like, I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. I'm thinking, you know, where is this coming from? I said, you know, I thought we understood one another that we could only be friends. He's like, oh, so you're saying you don't want to go out with me? I said, yeah, Gerald, that's exactly what I'm telling you. You know, we hung up the phone and I just had this weird, eerie feeling come over and me like, you know, this ain't going to go away. Four days later, Verna and her seven-year-old daughter were alone in the house.
Starting point is 00:02:34 It was 8.15. I was cleaning up dishes from earlier that afternoon. Just put on a pot of tea and was filling up a water jug. And my daughter, she was on her favorite website. And as I turned to walk into the computer room, I started hearing all this smashing, glass breaking. A masked intruder was smashing the glass in the kitchen door. Before I could do anything, he come, you know, he unlocked the door and he came charging at me. He had a ski mask on, no shirt, and was pointing a rifle at me. I knew immediately who it was, and I started begging him, no.
Starting point is 00:03:12 Gerald, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? And he smacked me. And he kept screaming at me, my name's not Gerald. My name's not Gerald. At one point, he even turned around, looked at my daughter and said, you got that? My name's not Gerald. I've seen him take the battery pack out of the back of the cordless.
Starting point is 00:03:28 He threw the phone one way. The battery pack went the other. And he personally told me he started taking off my clothes. And again, you know, I start pleading with you. You know, please don't do this. I do anything you want, but just don't do it in front of my daughter. Gerald ordered Verna's seven-year-old daughter into the bathroom. He says, I want you to get in that bathtub.
Starting point is 00:03:47 He says, and I want you to stay there until I tell you to come out. And he turns around, looks at me and tells me start taking off my clothes. And, you know, and I'm begging you know, why are you doing this, you know, you know, what have I done? And, you know, so I started taking off my clothes and he rapes me for the first time. I'm pleading with him, you know, you know, please, you know, don't do this, you know, why are you doing this? And he smacked me. He says, you know, what, I tell you, bitch. He says, I'm the man, you're the woman.
Starting point is 00:04:13 He says, did I tell you to speak? He snatching me up by my hair and he starts dragging me to the living room. And I'm thinking, you know, if I just give him what he wants, you know, maybe he'll just go away. We go to the living room, he sits down on the couch, and he tells him, you know, perform oral sex on him. And I did. And he smacks me and he tells me that wasn't good enough. So he tells me to get on top. And I did.
Starting point is 00:04:39 And the whole time I'm thinking, you know, he ain't gonna stop. He come here to kill us. And we go back into the bedroom. He tells me to get back up on the bed. And at the point, I'm like, I'm like, I'm not going to kill us. I'm not going to let you do this to me anymore. And he's like, you heard what I said. He says, get up there now.
Starting point is 00:05:01 And I was like, no. I said, you're going to have to kill me first. And he was like, well, if that's the way you want it, then that's the way he's going to be. And he picked up the rifle. He pointed it at me. And he pulled the trigger. And by the grace of the God, the gun jammed.
Starting point is 00:05:19 And he got mad. And he started shaking his rifle. started shaking his rifle. And he come charging at me and he hit me right across my forehead with the butt of the gun. I feel, you know, my head split open, blood's going everywhere. And I'm shaking, I'm thinking, you know, oh my God, I'm fixing to die. And then, you know, he throws me down on the ground
Starting point is 00:05:38 and he starts stomping on me. And I throw my arms up to protect my head. You know, I'm bleeding everywhere, and I'm thinking to myself, Lord, if it's my time, I'm ready to go. But please don't let him hurt my daughter. Don't let him hurt my baby girl, just make him stop. It's like he heard me, and I'm thinking I'm, you know, praying to myself.
Starting point is 00:05:59 And he's like, what's the matter, Rana? Do you feel like you're dying? And I didn't say nothing. I just laid there. I seen him start walking towards me, and I've clenched up thinking, you know, he's going to start stomping on me again. But instead, he's like, Verna, call your daughter out here. Go ahead and call your daughter out here so I can have my way with her
Starting point is 00:06:17 before I finish this job. He stepped over me. into the bathroom where my daughter was. And at that point, I knew he had his back towards me. And I thought, OK, I'm going to get up and I'm going to run. And as soon as he notices I'm gone, he's going to come after me. So I did. I jumped up.
Starting point is 00:06:35 I grabbed his gun. I ran to the kitchen. I took the gun, and I hit it beside some boxes. He was like, where'd you go, bitch? Where the hell'd you go? He was like, I knew you'd do this to me as soon as I turned my back. And the same time, I was coming out with a butcher knife. He comes around the corner, and I just start a swing with the knife.
Starting point is 00:06:57 And I stab him the first time right here. He starts backing up, and he's, like, mocking me. He looks at me, he's like, woo. And, you know, and I'm steadily going at him, and he slips on the floor. He gets up, and he grabs a handful of glass, and he throws it at me. The glass from the smashed kitchen door cut Verna's face and slashed her left eyelid. And I'm thinking, oh my God, you know, I'm really fixing the die here. We're rolling around on the floor.
Starting point is 00:07:28 And he's using my hands and the knife jabbing at me, you know, and I'm trying to dodge the knife. You know, and he's a pretty big man. He's like, you know, I would say about 6'2, probably weighs about 210, 220. And, you know, I still have control of the knife and everything, but I feel him take the knife and he starts sliding it through my hand. And at that point, I'm thinking, oh, my God. If he gets this knife away from him, he's going to kill me.
Starting point is 00:07:53 He's going to kill me, and then he's going to rape my daughter. We're rolling around on the floor. And he's on top of me, and he's stabbing me with a knife. Stabbed me several times in the head on each side of my head. And I'm trying to fight and get him off of me. Then I started praying again. I'm like, please make him stop. Make him stop.
Starting point is 00:08:16 Don't let him hurt my baby girl. You know, I'm thinking I'm praying to myself. And again, it's like he heard me and he asked me. He's like, so you still believe in your God? And I said, yes, I do. He's like, well, where's your God at now? I said he's here with me. And it's like at that moment, something lifted him up off of me.
Starting point is 00:08:36 Seriously, I mean, I cannot stress too enough. It was like almost like my guardian angel, almost like lifted him up to his knees. Verna seized the moment to wrestle the knife away from her attacker. And I stabbed him a couple times in the chest with a knife. We had eye contact for just a minute, and he had that look of fear in his eyes. And I took the knife, and I held it right here, holding with all I had, and the blood going everywhere. My hands are killing me.
Starting point is 00:09:04 My head's killing me. And then it's like someone just let him go. And he came down on top of the knife. And he started, you know, flopping around on the floor like a fish, you know, going from his backside to his front side. Bleeding heavily from multiple stab wounds, Verna ran to her daughter. I ran to the bathroom. I'm totally naked, covered with blood, head to toe.
Starting point is 00:09:27 And I sat down on the toilet. And I'm, you know, trying to cover myself up. My little girl, she's in the bathtub and behind the curtain. And I started talking to her, and I was like, baby, I said, I want you to listen to me. She's like, yeah, mommy. I said, I want you to listen to me. I want you to do what I'm telling you to do. I said, Mommy's gonna try to find a phone.
Starting point is 00:09:49 I said, but for now, I said, I want you to run upstairs. I said, I want you to lock the door, get up underneath the bed. I said, I want you to hide there. I said, if Gerald comes looking for you, I said, I want you to be very quiet. She said, okay, mommy. She pulled back that curtain. She looked at me. She's like, oh my God, mommy, you're bleeding.
Starting point is 00:10:10 You're bleeding bad. I said, it's okay, baby. So, Mom is gonna be okay. I said, but I want you to go. Do what I say, do it now. So she started running for the stairs, and I followed behind her. Make sure she made it to the stairs, you know, made it upstairs. I went looking for him.
Starting point is 00:10:31 My thought at that point was not knowing where he was at, what he was capable of if he had went to his truck to get another, you know, rifle or gun. I followed this trail, you know, he can tell where he, you know, kind of like slithered across the blood on the floor, I mean, because there was a lot of blood. I mean, there was blood on the ceiling, the cabinets, the walls. And, you know, when I found him, he was crawling on his belly on the back deck. I was so mad at that point. I wanted to kill him.
Starting point is 00:11:04 I did. I just, you know, I want to tear him up at that point. And I'm like, come on, get up. Get up, you son of a bitch. He turned around and he looked at me. He just did like this. And I was like, yeah, that's what I thought you're done. I turned around, walked away.
Starting point is 00:11:22 It took me about 10 minutes to find the battery back to my phone. And I finally was able to call 911. Police responded within minutes and called for a life flight. And just as they were putting me in, I heard them pronounce him dead on scene. And I thought, oh, my God. Oh, my God, if I lived to see tomorrow, I'm going to go to jail for murder. But that was okay because at least I knew at that point my little girl was going to be okay. And that's all that matter.
Starting point is 00:11:54 If I didn't live to see the next day, I was okay with that too. Verna was lifelighted to the hospital. Her attacker, Gerald Lee, was pronounced dead at the scene. I didn't think he was going to die. You know, that's not what I wanted. I just wanted him to stop. I ended up with 300 stitches in my forehead. had to sew my eye, my left eye back together,
Starting point is 00:12:19 where he threw the glass and it ripped my eye. It took about six months for them to close the investigations, but no charges were brought up against me. Self-defense. My daughter's, you know, we went through some intensive therapy for about a year and a half. Considering what she witnessed that night, she's tough little cookie, she's doing pretty good.
Starting point is 00:12:42 If it wasn't for her, there's no doubt in my mind, I wouldn't be here to do. day. I survived because of my faith in the will to survive to keep my daughter alive. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Keeping up with life can be a lot. And while we talk about mental health more openly now, actually asking for help can still feel like a big step. Better Helps 26th State of Stigma Report surveyed 2,000 Americans and revealed that 85% of Americans believe getting support is wise, yet 74% say society discourages people from doing. doing so. That gap really stands out. Most of us believe in therapy, but something still holds us back
Starting point is 00:13:27 from reaching out. I've noticed it in my own circles too. It's easy to check in on a friend, but harder to say, hey, maybe talking to someone could really help. The more we normalize that, the easier it becomes. Better help makes that first step feel more approachable. With over 30,000 therapists is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served more than 6 million people globally, and clients rate sessions an average of 4.9 out of 5 across over 1.7 million reviews. Their therapists are licensed in the U.S. and follow a strict code of conduct. BetterHelp matches you based on a short questionnaire so you can focus on what's important, what you want to work on. And if it's not the right fit, you can switch any time. If you've been thinking about it or you want to encourage someone you care about,
Starting point is 00:14:09 it might be a good time to take that step. Don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com slash survived. That's better help.com slash survived. When your mental health is off, it can affect everything, your focus, your energy, even just getting through the day. Therapy can be incredibly helpful,
Starting point is 00:14:32 but sometimes it's not the full picture. That's where something like tachyotry comes in. Talkiatry is a fully online psychiatry practice, which means you're meeting with licensed medical providers who can evaluate what's going on, make a diagnosis, and prescribe medication if it makes sense for you.
Starting point is 00:14:49 They support people dealing with things like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and more. And what stands out is how personalized it feels. You're not just checking a box. You're working with someone who actually takes the time to understand you and build a treatment plan that evolves over time. It's also designed to be accessible. All 800-plus clinicians are in network with major insurers so you can use your existing coverage instead of paying out of pocket for something separate.
Starting point is 00:15:14 Getting started is simple. You fill out a quick assessment, get matched with a clinician who fits your needs, and you can have your first appointment within days. More than 300,000 people have already used tachiatry to get high-quality psychiatric care from home. And you keep seeing the same provider, so you're building real continuity, not starting from scratch every time. Head to tachiatry.com slash I survived to complete the short assessment
Starting point is 00:15:37 and get matched with an in-network psychiatrist in just a few minutes. That's tukyatry.com slash I survived to get matched in minutes. There are definitely things in life you don't want to be transparent. like your swimsuit or your search history. But your wireless bill, that should be crystal clear. That's what's so great about Mint Mobile. No gimmicks, no surprise fees, just straightforward, high-speed data, and reliable coverage on the T-Mobile 5G network.
Starting point is 00:16:04 They basically took everything frustrating about wireless plans and simplified it. You get premium wireless for just $15 a month, and it actually feels like you know what you're paying for. You can keep your current phone and your number and get set up online without jumping through a ton of hoops. And instead of a traditional monthly bill, you choose a three, six, or 12-month plan that works for you. And all plans come with high-speed data plus unlimited talk and text,
Starting point is 00:16:28 so you're not sacrificing quality to save money. To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.com slash survived. That's mintmobile.com slash survived. Cut your wireless bill at $15 a month at mintmobile.com slash survived. That's it. There's no catch. Up front payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for 12 months plan required, $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra, initial plan term only, greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy.
Starting point is 00:16:55 Includes up to 20 gigabyte hotspot. Capable device required, availability, speed, and coverage varies. See mintmobile.com. It's July 2008, in the Great Victoria Desert in Australia. Experienced prospector Theo is searching for gold in the Australian outback. He and two friends are camping in a remote area, 120 miles from the nearest town. If you've never been to Western Australia, that place is absolutely huge.
Starting point is 00:17:28 You could go for 200, 300 miles and not pass a soul. The place is a death trap just waiting to get you if you're not prepared for it. On the afternoon of the first day, Theo and his two friends each had to be a death trap just waiting to get you if you're not prepared for it. it out in different directions to search for gold. We were only going to go out for a couple of hours. There was no need to take any safety gear or radios and whatnot. Even though every other time we've gone out, we had walkie-talkies.
Starting point is 00:18:02 The only things I had on me was my detector, pick, my pocket knife. Theo knew he could use the sun as a compass. The sun was basically directly in front of me. So I knew that when I came back, the sun would have to be behind me. After three hours of prospecting, Theo decided to make his way back to camp. I looked up at the sky and it had become very overcast, to the point where you just couldn't work out where the sun was. And I thought to myself, oh, well, this is going to be slightly difficult.
Starting point is 00:18:38 So I took me bearings again and walked off again, thinking I was going in the right direction. Basically, the trees were just like a blanket. You're not tall enough to actually see over the trees. And if you got down on your hands and knees, you could see underneath the trees, but you wouldn't be able to see for any great deal of distance. Theo heard a thumping sound in the distance.
Starting point is 00:19:06 Knowing there was an aboriginal community in the vicinity, he followed the sound. You think, well, I've got to follow that sound. And I did that for 20 minutes, just following in this thumping sound until I realised that it was the heart thumping that loud in my chest that it was coming through me ears as though somebody was thumping a piece of wood. I had a heart operation 12 months earlier, and I had to take tablets to keep my heart going in rhythm.
Starting point is 00:19:36 And because I didn't have the tablets, and my heart was starting to go a bit wonky. I came across this track and I thought to myself, well, okay, do I follow it or do I sit here? If I sat there, I'd have to stay there for basically the night and I wasn't looking forward to that at all. I followed the track for probably two hours and it became that dark that I just couldn't follow the track any longer.
Starting point is 00:20:05 When Theo failed to return, his friends drove into the bush to find him. I saw a lot of car lights driving around trying to find me. So I basically packed up what I had and went walking towards the lights to try and catch them before they took off. But they didn't see me. I'd be waving my arms and yelling and trying to get their attention, but they'd put it in reverse and took off. In the dark, Theo was unable to find his way back to the dirt track. And then I basically just stopped and I thought to himself, oh hell, what I'd have? am I going to do now?
Starting point is 00:20:41 As night falls, temperatures plunge from 90 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees. When you're wearing nothing other than a cotton shirt is bloody cold. Couldn't sleep. You're too cold and I spent my night basically just shivering and just getting up and walking around just to try and keep warm. Unable to find Theo that evening, his friends notified the police. The next day, rescue teams in Aboriginal Traverseas. began searching the uncharted terrain at dawn.
Starting point is 00:21:13 The maximum distance I would have been away from my camp, I would have thought would have been about eight, nine mile. Eight or nine miles doesn't sound a lot, but in Western Australia, eight or nine mile might as well be a thousand miles. By mid-morning, a search plane flew directly over Theo. Taking my shirt off, waving the shirt at him, waving my detector at them, yelling, screaming.
Starting point is 00:21:44 Anything that helped try and get his attention. But after a couple of days of sleeping in the dirt and lying around under trees, the yellow shirt became rather reddish and melded into the background quite easily. So it was very hard to spot. Unable to see Theo in the dense bush, the plane flew away.
Starting point is 00:22:08 I decided that if I was, to be found, the one thing I needed to do was get up high off the ground. I saw this large outcrop of rock and I knew I had to get up to a high area. So I walked to that area and whatever I had at my disposal I was trying. I'd scraped a big help sign on a flat bit of earth that I was on. I'd broken off branches of leaves so that it was contrast to the ground and laid them into the help sign that I'd dug out. From the hill, Theo saw the search plane flying over again. The first time he didn't spot me, I said, oh well, okay, next time I'll get him.
Starting point is 00:23:01 By the time he came over the next time and didn't see me, I was starting to do it. say a few choice words as he flew over. By the third, fourth time I was praying God that he's got to be able to see me. You've got to find me. I don't want to be here anymore. After three days without water, Theo was dangerously dehydrated. I was basically going around looking at certain plants
Starting point is 00:23:28 to see which ones would have moisture in leaves and that sort of stuff. and if I came across a plant that had a little bit of moisture, I'd chew on it. My mouth was getting very, very dry. I knew that I could suck on a pebble and that it would create a bit more saliva, so I did that. Unable to find water, Theo desperately searched for food. I knew that certain insects and other type of animals, if I ate them, would give me protein. I'd come across a termite nest and just bash the top of it open.
Starting point is 00:24:07 Basically what you do is you grab a little bit of grassy root and you put it in your mouth and wet it. And when you open the top of the termite nest and they're crawling around there, you just get the reed and tap them on the termites and they stick to the root. They're not sour or anything of that nature, but very flowery once they're in the mouth
Starting point is 00:24:29 and you start chomping down on them. Later that morning, the plane resumed the aerial search for Theo. In between scavenging for food, I was also trying to keep an eye on the plane and try and get a signal to the pilot as he is flying over that, you know, I'm here. Come and come and get me. I was totally dejected. He'd gone over me eight times by that stage. I thought, well, what have I got at my disposal?
Starting point is 00:25:03 I've got a metal detector, and I knew there was still life in the battery, and I knew that if I could arc it up, big enough, I could start a fire, and once I knew I could get a fire started, it was only a matter of time that they'd come and find me. It pulled me a detector coil apart and grabbed the wires out of that and was trying to arc the batteries across so that I'd get some sort of a spark. It did arc and arc quite well, but the stuff that I was trying to burn just didn't, just didn't ignite. I basically cried like a baby.
Starting point is 00:25:38 You just yell out to say, for God's sake, somebody, do something to come and find me, I'm here, you know. I'm not going anywhere. What else can I do? And you think to yourself, my God, you know, if I stay here another day, I'm not going to survive. Sunday afternoon, about 5.30, just on dusk. I was on top of the ridge and I could see some sort of lights way, way out in the distance. And I would say probably around 8 mile away. The local App Original community had set up lights to guide Theo to safety.
Starting point is 00:26:16 I walked all Sunday night to try and get into where I thought the lights were. I had no torch or anything of that nature, so I'm doing everything in the pitch black. And you're tripping over logs, you're falling down creek beds, you're bashing through the bush. The only thing they got me through was the fact that I was using my detector as a walking stick basically. But by that time my energy level was getting to the point where any more walking was getting to the point where any more walking was getting getting very, very difficult. I could only walk a couple of feet and I'd have to stop and have a rest. Dehydrated, Theo also had a heart condition and was unable to walk any further.
Starting point is 00:27:05 He has now been lost for four days. I just had no energy left and I started hearing dingoes and dogs barking. Theo didn't realize the dingoes or wild dogs had been stalking him for days. I would hear some sort of a rustle out in the bush, but I just thought it would be a kangaroo or something else, but they would have been just sitting there watching me and just waiting for me to collapse so that I couldn't fight them off and then that's when they would have come in for the kill. I knew I wasn't going to survive any longer than one more night.
Starting point is 00:27:46 You've tried everything that you know that you can do. do. You haven't got any energy left. You're in pain. You know, this is it. I'm not going to survive this. The dingoes were very, very close to me. I didn't want to be a meal. And I certainly didn't want anyone to find me, you know, half eaten. I'd found this basically hole in the side of the rocks. And the opening was probably three feet indiating. and it went in about five feet. And I looked at that and I thought, well, that's a perfect place to die. When I found this actual cave, there's a few rocks nearby and I collected a few more.
Starting point is 00:28:37 And I was basically just going to go in there, brick this front of this bit of a cave in and wait to die in there and hope that what I did wouldn't, would keep the dogs and the dingoes out. out. On his metal detector, Theo scratched a farewell message to his family. I miss you all, but I haven't got any energy left. You know that I love you and I wish I was there with you. Theo prepared himself to die in the cave. I heard a gunshot and I knew, well, I thought to myself I was hearing things to start off with. I heard another gunshot and that followed by a loud yell. I didn't have any energy or I couldn't yell, but I could whistle.
Starting point is 00:29:28 He'd yell, I'd whistle. He'd yell, I whistle. And I realised every time he yelled, the yell was getting actually closer and closer. When they pulled up, they basically all jumped out of the back of the utility and one of the the Aboriginals had a bottle of water and he basically just threw it at me. That first mouthful was like liquid gold. All that searching for gold was nothing compared to that first mouthful of water. They've been out there tracking me since the night I got lost, but I was criss-crossing my areas and getting further away from where I was to start off with. So the Aboriginals had a hell of a time trying to keep up with me.
Starting point is 00:30:17 Theo was taken to the Aboriginal community where he was reunited with his wife. The tears certainly start flowing. All you want to basically do is just give her a hug and not let go. The only thing that basically keeps you going is the fact that you want to survive to see your family. Nothing else is important. A severely dehydrated Theo had lost 18 pounds during his five-day ordeal. I survived basically because of the Aboriginal trackers and such a big effort from everybody else. I owe my life to this Aboriginal tracker.
Starting point is 00:31:01 If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here. I like a good glass of wine at the end of the day, but for the longest time, I never really knew what to buy. stand there staring at labels, grab something random, and just hope it worked out. Then I found First Leaf, and it honestly made the whole thing so much easier. First Leaf delivers premium wine straight to your door, and it starts with a quick quiz about what you actually like. Now I get personalized bottles that are matched to my taste, so there's no more guesswork or settling for something just okay. They have a fantastic Italian Pinocrigio called Maiden's Delight that is bright and fruity without being too sweet. What really helps is that every box comes with simple,
Starting point is 00:31:45 tasting notes and pairing suggestions. So whether it's a quick week-night dinner or having people over, I know exactly what to open without overthinking it. Baitin's Delight goes so well with the slight pasta I've been making recently, which I never would have known if they hadn't suggested it. They also work directly with wineries, which means you're getting award-winning wines. Sometimes ones you wouldn't even find in stores at really good prices. And you're in control. You can adjust deliveries or skip a shipment, whatever fits your schedule. Plus, if a bottle isn't quite right for you. First Leaf has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You definitely don't get that buying wine at the store. Stop settling for wines that don't quite hit the mark. Head to tryfirstleaf.com
Starting point is 00:32:23 to sign up and you'll get 50% off your first box plus free shipping for an entire year. That's T-R-Y-F-T-L-E-A-F.com slash survived. Try firstleaf.com slash survived. I was thinking the other day about how rare it feels to be completely at ease. with money, not waiting on a paycheck, not timing bills perfectly, just feeling steady. And honestly, a lot of the stress comes from that gap between when you earn money and when you can actually use it. That's why Earnin caught my attention. It's a non-bank finance app built around a really simple idea. You earn money and you access it when you need it. With Earnin, you can get up to $150 a day of what you've already worked for, up to $1,000 between paychecks. So instead of waiting for payday,
Starting point is 00:33:10 you've got more flexibility day to day. There are no mandatory fees, which is a big deal, and tips are optional. Standard transfers take one to two business days, and if you need it faster, expedited transfers are available for a small fee. It's not about emergencies. It's just about smoothing out your finances, so you're not constantly planning around one date on the calendar. Earn-in has already helped millions of people feel a little more in control.
Starting point is 00:33:33 And once you understand how it works, it just makes sense. Download earn-in on the app store or Google Play, spelled like earn-ing money, without the G. Type in, I survived under podcast when you sign up. It'll really help the show. Earn-in is a financial technology company, not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Standard cashouts take one to two business days with no mandatory fees. Expedited transfers available for a fee. Tips are voluntary and don't affect the service. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit Earn-in for full details. Finding the one can feel impossible. And in today's world, it's even harder. False profiles, inaccurate pictures,
Starting point is 00:34:10 incompatibilities, ghosting on dates. Is this sounding familiar? But if you're ready to make your move to a new place, it doesn't have to feel like dating. All it takes is a simple search on Apartments.com to find your perfect match. Whether you're looking for a three-bedroom condo downtown, a two-bedroom duplex in a quiet neighborhood, a cozy studio in a walkable city, or even a single-family home in a cul-de-sac, you can find a place that checks all the right boxes. So whichever stage of life you're in, settle down in your perfect home by using Apartments.com. No more swiping and awkward first dates. Make it easier to get a place that gets you.
Starting point is 00:34:48 Visit Apartments.com, the place to find a place. It's August 1998 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Deborah is married with two children and manages a suburban restaurant. At 12.40 a.m., she locks up the restaurant and enters the parking lot. It's a lit at parking lot. I mean, it's fairly big. My car was the only car out there because that was the last one to leave. I noticed out the corner of my eye these individuals.
Starting point is 00:35:26 They were all fairly young. They were somewhere in their early 20s, late teens. And as I'm walking towards my car, they're walking towards me. Before I can even get into my car, one of the individuals was up, you know, right next to me with the gun to my head. He instructed the other, there were two females with him to get into the car, and they put me into the backseat of the car. The car drove out of the parking lot.
Starting point is 00:35:58 They didn't want money or anything. They didn't take jewelry, you know. So I'm just thinking, what is their, what do they want? from listening to their conversation, they had instructions. If they were to get someone, they need to put them into the trunk of the car before they bring them back to wherever it is they were going. And this dawn on them that they didn't put me in a trunk of the car, I was still in the back seat of the car.
Starting point is 00:36:27 So they pulled over. Deborah was forced into the trunk of her car. I still could hear muffled voices. You know, they were going through my purse, and of course, I had my driver's license, and they were saying my name. And my last name is not a common name. And that's when I heard, one of them said,
Starting point is 00:36:52 I know this name. We have to get rid of her. I'm still in truck, and we're driving. It's about maybe 10, 15 minutes was a drive. And cars, and car. came to a stop where people start to pile into my car and I can feel just to wait you know on the car then they take off we're driving in and I could feel it was like all these bumps and potholes and it didn't feel like a road so I thought
Starting point is 00:37:29 it had to be some kind of wooded area or dirt road or something and when it came to a stop They popped the trunk. And it was dark, but it wasn't dark that I couldn't see other faces. I'm thinking, okay, they're going to let me go. It's just going to leave me out here and take my car. I'm not thinking that they're going to do me any harm. One of the guys that was with him, he helps me out of the trunk. You know, like he was his perfect gentleman.
Starting point is 00:38:03 And I'm just looking there and I'm thinking, OK, what now? One female, she has a gun. The hurt one of them, one of the guys, say, shoot her in the head. She's pointing the gun at me. And I'm looking at her. And she tells me to get down on my knees. Something inside of me told me no. I told her no.
Starting point is 00:38:32 I was not getting on my knees. I knew by going to my knees, she wanted to shoot me in the head, you know, and that was not going to happen. My mom died a year before this, and that was still pretty much on my mind. And I knew what her death had done to my family. And I couldn't let that happen to me, you know, not so soon. Yeah, that was on my mind, you know, that if this was, if I was to die out there, that that would just devastate my family.
Starting point is 00:39:14 I looked at her and I told her, no, I was, you know, just as strong and brave as I could. No, I'm not getting down on my knees. If you're going to shoot me, you're just going to have to do with me standing right here. She didn't say anything. And she went to pull the trigger on the gun. It jammed. And I told her this is wrong. But as soon as that thought went out my head,
Starting point is 00:39:44 she pulled the trigger again. And that's the one that hit me. It hit my right side and then knock me down. You know, I've never been shot before. You know, I don't know what I was expecting, you know. But it was more like someone just pushed you real hard. The first shot, like, knocked me down. And after that, it was just continues.
Starting point is 00:40:16 Deborah was shot seven times at point-blank range. Yeah, I could feel the blood just losing out my body. After the last shot, I didn't move, period. I'm thinking of all those fullers. I'm pretty much sure they probably did thought I was dead. So I listened to them getting into my car, I did not move. And, you know, I hear them drive off. After that, I think, okay, I have to, I have to move.
Starting point is 00:40:47 As I'm looking around, you know, there was this tree stump that was not too far. far from me. It was maybe about 50, 100 feet from me. I'm thinking, well, if I can crawl over there and just, you know, hoist myself up, maybe someone will see me as I'm trying to get to this stump that's not happening. That first of all, it broke my femur bone, so I couldn't, I couldn't get up. Once I was able to get to the tree, I could see the road. The sun began to come up and start to get warmer. I'm yelling for help and I'm thinking, why doesn't anybody hear me?
Starting point is 00:41:38 And just as this was going, rattling on in my mind, a car came by. As he was passing by, I raised my head. And that's when he turned around. And when he turned around, he got out the car. There was a sense of relief. I knew I wasn't going to die. Deborah was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery to remove the bullets. One of them was near my heart.
Starting point is 00:42:09 One of them damaged my liver. I have extensive nerve damage on my right side. And I still have two bullets that I carry around with me now. that weren't able to be removed. Deborah was not the youth's only victim that night. They had kidnapped two other women that night. Same thing they did to be, put them in a trunk of their car,
Starting point is 00:42:33 and they killed these two women. They shot them in the head. Police arrested nine members of the Cripps gang on charges of abduction, murder, and attempted murder. Deborah's attacker, Christine Walters, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder. She was also convicted of two other counts of first-degree murder. Christina Walters was sentenced to death, but her sentence was later reduced to life without the
Starting point is 00:43:00 possibility of parole. I was not going to die that night. Yeah. I was not going to have my family attend a funeral. That was not going to happen. I survived because it was not my time to die. Pluto Fo, if you know the name of the movie you'd like to see, just stream it for free on Pluto TV, where all your blockbuster favorites are landing all summer long. Catch Anchorman, the legend of Ron Burgundy. Fantastic.
Starting point is 00:43:36 Men in Black, one through three. That's what I'm talking about. Mean girls. Shut up. Titanic. I'm the king of the world. And so much more. For showtimes, press nothing.
Starting point is 00:43:47 They're free 24-7. That is so fetch. On Pluto TV, stream now, pay never.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.