The Misery Machine - The Case of Colleen Stan

Starting point is 00:00:01 Colleen Stan was born in Eugene, Oregon on New Year's Eve of 1956 to parents Jackie Nolan and Evelyn Damers. Her parents separated. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava theater stage on April 30th. The powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now. at Yamava Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Must be 21 to enter.

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Starting point is 00:01:39 This should be tons of fun. Marvel television's Daredevil. Devil, born again. Now streaming only on Disney Plus. Shortly after her birth and later remarried. She had two sisters along with three half-siblings. Colleen grew up in a middle-class household and was described as a shy, introverted child. Despite her quiet nature, Colleen was deeply considerate of others and preferred to keep her troubles to herself rather than burden her loved ones. Her sister once told a reporter, she would not have let us worry.

Starting point is 00:02:11 According to her own account, Colleen was a deeply religious person who carried a strong sense of responsibility towards others. She genuinely wanted to help those around her and often saw the best in people. In May of 1977, then 20-year-old Colleen planned to surprise her friend for her birthday in Westwood, California. At the time, hitchhiking was still a popular and affordable way to travel, almost a free alternative to public transport. But as the saying went, nobody rides for free. During those years, the roads were not just filled with wanderers and dreamers, but also predators who preyed on vulnerable individuals, especially women traveling alone,

Starting point is 00:02:49 as you'll remember from our recent coverage of Robert Ben Rhodes and his many, many crimes. For the most part, Colleen felt confident in her ability to read people. She had hitchhiked several times before and believed she could make the journey safely without ever ending up as one of the horror stories that made the news, but sadly she was tragically mistaken. On May 19, 1977, Colleen accepted a ride from a man named Cameron Hooker, driving a blue van along Interstate 5. At the time, Cameron lived in a rented house in Red Bluff, California, with his wife, Janice.

Starting point is 00:03:24 He had graduated from the local high school and later found work at Diamond International Lumber Mill. He was known by his co-workers as a dependable man. Cameron had a very quiet life in Red Bluff, and even his neighbors barely knew anything about him or white. he did in his spare time. That day, Colleen had already turned down two rides offered by young men before deciding to accept Cameron's. Seeing that his wife Janice and their baby were inside made the situation appear safe. But beneath the harmless facade was a far darker reality. Cameron had a history of violence and cruelty. Years later, investigators would find that Cameron

Starting point is 00:04:04 was connected to the disappearance of 19-year-old Marie Elizabeth Spanicki. also known as Miley's, who went missing on January 31st, 1976, roughly 16 months before Colleen stands abduction. Inside, everything seemed ordinary enough. The couple appeared friendly, chatting casually in keeping the ride light-hearted. For a while, Colleen relaxed until she noticed Cameron's eyes fixed on her through the rearview mirror.

Starting point is 00:04:33 About half an hour later, the family stopped at a gas station. Colleen went to use the restroom where she reportedly thought about running away, but she eventually brushed off her instincts and convinced herself that Cameron couldn't possibly harm her, especially with his wife and toddler right there. She went back to the van, the family handed her a candy bar. Roughly 20 minutes later, Cameron pulled off to the side of the road, so that he was interested in some caves in the area and wanted to make a quick stop. Cameron then drove down a dirt road and stopped in the middle of nowhere. His wife Janice stepped outside with the baby and went to a nearby lake. Then Cameron pulled a knife and held a knife.

Starting point is 00:05:09 it against Colleen's throat, threatening her that she better do whatever he told her to. He had handcuffed her wrists, blindfolded her, and gagged her before forcing a large wooden box he had built himself on her head. The box was made of heavy plywood, lined with carpet on the inside, and fitted with a small neck hole that made breathing extremely difficult. Afterwards, he covered her body with something heavy, possibly a sleeping bag or a blanket. A short while later, Colleen felt the van starting to move. She could tell by the motion that they were driving downhill. Cameron stopped along away for dinner.

Starting point is 00:05:44 The van finally came to a stop for good. It was outside their home at 1140 Oak Street in Red Bluff, California. Colleen felt a brief moment of relief when the box was finally removed from her head, but that comfort was short-lived. Her real nightmare was only beginning. Cameron led her down into the basement where she was forced to stand on a small ice chest. He ordered her to run. raised her hands and bound her wrist to a pipe overhead. He then stripped her of her dignity,

Starting point is 00:06:14 removed the ice box, and left her hanging, helpless and terrified. When Colleen tried to scream, Cameron threatened to cut her vocal cords if she dared to make another sound. Cameron then assaulted her with a whip. Even though Colleen was blindfolded, she could still slightly see a magazine on the floor depicting a woman suspended just as she was. What was calling his worst nightmare was Cameron's darkest fantasy made real. He was so excited by his conquest that he went out, returned with his wife, and became intimate with her while calling hung suspended and terrified above them. It was later revealed that Cameron and Janice had made a mutual agreement. He could capture a young woman to fulfill his desires. Cameron had been using Janus for these activities

Starting point is 00:07:03 up until that point. He first met her in 1973 when she was just 15 years old. At the time, Janice was vulnerable like most teenagers her age and Cameron exploited her want for attention. To make matters worse, she was also epileptic,

Starting point is 00:07:19 which made her even more dependent on him. He persuaded her to participate in his bondage fantasies, suspending her from a tree by her wrists and undressing her. By 1975, they were married. But as Janice, Janice grew older, she began to realize how she was being violated and used for his gratification.

Starting point is 00:07:39 She made an agreement with Cameron that if he would stop these practices with her, they could capture a woman instead to satisfy his desires. However, Cameron was only allowed to be intimate with his wife. Nevertheless, Janice was satisfied in some way. She had a baby and now she wasn't forced to endure the torture. Yet the couple still needed to contain Colleen, prevent her from being seen by the neighbors and avoid suspicion. Cameron had accounted for all of this.

Starting point is 00:08:09 Being a professional in woodworking, he constructed restraints, racks, and boxes specifically designed for Colleen. Cameron had also built a variety of disturbing devices to fulfill his violent fantasies. One of them was what he called the stretcher. It was a two-by-eight wooden board with a crosspiece attached. Cameron would force Colleen to lie across it. bind her limbs tightly and then use his full strength to pull and stretch her body, causing excruciating pain. Choice hotels get you more of what you value. Here's a little tune to help you remember.

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Starting point is 00:09:30 outcomes vary. Investment management and advisory services provided by Wellfront Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk to principle regardless of the strategy used. Task performance does not guarantee future results. After the couple were finished, Cameron restrained Colleen in the basement on a rack and put the box on her head as well. That night proved to be one of the most horrific for Colleen as she could barely move or breathe. She later recalled, to me it was a nightmare. I could not believe that this was happening to me. I'd never heard of people doing such things. and I could not understand what I'd done to deserve this treatment. I thought I was going to die.

Starting point is 00:10:03 The next morning, Cameron removed Colleen's restraints, but unfortunately, her momentary relief was short-lived. Cameron starved her for the entire day before finally offering her a meager meal of potatoes and water. Then he hung her again and subjected her to torture. Colleen's next meal was an egg salad sandwich and water. She didn't have much appetite and felt full after the first sandwich, but when she declined to finish the second one, Cameron became infuriated.

Starting point is 00:10:30 He hung her up and whipped her as a punishment for her alleged defiance, as he put it. When she was finally taken down, she forced herself to finish it. Her consecutive days went by in more or less the same manner. A single meal a day, torture, isolation, and constant threat. When he later recalled, sometimes I thought I was just going to go crazy. After Colleen had been missing for a few days, her family grew increasingly. increasingly worried. Colleen's parents also came to know that she never made it to her friends in Westwood. On May 23rd, 1977, just four days after she'd been kidnapped, a missing person's

Starting point is 00:11:09 report was filed for Colleen. She was described as five feet, about 135 pounds, with long, straight brown hair and blue eyes. At the time, both of Colleen's biological parents were divorced and remarried, both living in Riverside, California. Colleen herself, had just married 22-year-old Tom Smith before she turned 17, but their marriage only lasted a year in Ohio. She had since moved in with friends in Eugene who had become her adopted family. Tom was an obvious suspect for the police, but he had never bothered to contact Colleen before,

Starting point is 00:11:44 so there was a little reason to think he would suddenly abduct her now. Colleen's mother, Evelyn, made frequent calls to the sheriff's department in Eugene, but they had no new leads. With no clue where their miss. missing daughter might be, the family began to fear the worst. Either she'd been killed or perhaps she had been abducted by a religious cult. On the other hand, the days for Colleen were harrowing and depressing. She saw very little of Janice or her baby. For 23 hours a day, she was restrained. Cameron would come frequently to torture her. Sometimes he would take photographs and

Starting point is 00:12:18 film those sessions. Even held her head underwater until she lost consciousness. For Colleen asked him when he planned to let her go, Cameron would reply soon. He had no intention of doing so. I also realized that keeping Colleen chained to the rack all day could damage her health irreparably. He had to think of some other way to restrain her and keep her under his control. His answer to this was a wooden box constructed to look like a coffin. But unlike a coffin, this one held a living human being inside. This wooden box became Colleen's entire world.

Starting point is 00:12:53 Cameron had placed a sleeping bag inside and installed a blower for air circulation, but temperature control was non-existent. Soon, Colleen adapted to tell the time of day simply by feeling the temperature inside the box. She was denied basic human rights like hygiene. She lost about 20 pounds. She stopped menstruating. But Cameron's fantasies were growing even wilder and darker. His torture sessions became more frequent and increasingly cruel.

Starting point is 00:13:22 He used heat lamps to burn her. her skin. He even electrocuted her. That followed strangulation and the whipping always there. Cameron became aroused through these sessions and essayed Colleen orally and then assaulted her with implements. One day, Cameron decided to put Colleen to work. He had made a corner in the basement into what he called the workshop. There, Colleen was given a nutcracker and was forced to shell nuts. Months came and went. Colleen turned 21, but even on her, birthday, she remained locked in the coffin. After eight months of relentless torture, Cameron devised a new psychological strategy to ensure Colleen would never attempt to escape. He had discovered an article in an

Starting point is 00:14:06 underground S&M newsletter titled, They Sell Themselves Body and Soul when they signed the slavery contract. The article gave him an idea. You'd create a contract with Colleen that appeared to be legally binding, But in reality, it was a psychological weapon designed to bind her to him through fear and false legitimacy. Cameron gave her the name K, single letter. He placed a collar around her neck and signed the contract himself using a false name. All right, class, settle down. Today's lesson is on the Argo Rewards app. Try to stay with me.

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Starting point is 00:15:02 At participating locations, terms, and conditions apply. Powers. At the end of January 1978, Cameron showed Colleen the article and presented her with the contract to sign as K. Powers. Colleen later recalled this moment, saying, I thought what I was reading was pure evil, but he told me that either I would sign it, or he would sign it for me, and then make me wish I had. According to the contract, calling was to refer to Cameron as master, and to keep her body open to him at all times.

Starting point is 00:15:31 In case of defiance, she'd be turned over to some other master who might not be as nice as he was. Cameron even fabricated a secret organization called the company. He said that he had paid the company a huge sum to monitor her. In return, the company is watching her constantly. When to Cameron, they had even bugged her family's homes, their cars, and their phone lines. Case Colling tried to run, escape, or ask anyone for help. The company would harm her and her loved ones. Cameron even told her horrifying, made-up stories about other slaves who had been contracted by the company.

Starting point is 00:16:05 Colleen later reported, he always had things to back up his stories, and I believed what he said. With time, Colleen learned to shut down her emotions. She realized that whenever she begged Cameron for mercy, he became even more violent. In one of her later interviews, she said, The more I played his game, the better it was for me. If I fought, it went on forever. As more time passed, Cameron made Colleen handle household tasks. She cooked, washed dishes, and cleaned.

Starting point is 00:16:37 But whenever Cameron yelled attention, she had a strip off her clothes, stand on her tiptoes, and reach her hands to the top of her. the doorway between the living room, the dining room, to have his gross fantasies fulfilled. One night, Cameron brought Colleen to his bed. Janice initially tried to participate in the ax, but she couldn't continue and left the room. That night, Cameron essayed Colleen for the first time. After that, the assaults continued on a regular basis. Cameron became more confident in his manipulation.

Starting point is 00:17:11 It started to trust that Colleen wouldn't run away, even if given the opportunity. so he granted her more freedom. The so-called freedom was short-lived. Family later moved to a trailer that provided more privacy and isolation. Colleen, however, things got much worse. To keep her captive in this new location, Cameron designed a wooden ventilated box that would fit under the couple's waterbed. This became her new prison.

Starting point is 00:17:36 She was given a bedpan and allowed out for only one hour each day to brush her teeth, eat, clean her bedpan, and sometimes wash her hair. Her entire existence was confined to the space beneath her bed. While Colleen remained locked away in this confined darkness, Janice gave birth to another daughter with Cameron. Later, he gave Colleen permission to go jogging, but she always returned as she truly believed in the company. To the neighbors who occasionally saw her,

Starting point is 00:18:03 Colleen appeared to be nothing more than an in-house babysitter. However, whenever Colleen made small mistakes or failed to follow Cameron's orders to the letter, she was punished with electrical wires that left small scars on her skin. One Christmas, she asked Cameron for a Bible. Surprisingly, he gave her one. Throughout the years of endless torture and despair, it was only Colleen's firm faith in God that kept her going. In 1980, after three long years of captivity,

Starting point is 00:18:32 Cameron allowed Colleen to go out with Janice. They had drinks at a bar and met some men and sometimes would go home with them. When Janice lost her job, Cameron made Colleen beg for money on the the streets to compensate for her lost wages. It was an extremely humiliating experience for her, but she complied. She only allowed to stop when Janice found other work and Colleen returned to being the babysitter at the trailer. Sometime later, Janice brought work to the trailer and asked Colleen to help her.

Starting point is 00:19:00 They could make more money this way, but the two women would often fight as Janice grew jealous of Cameron's excessive attention towards Colleen. At one point, Cameron handed Colleen a gun. She later recalled, I didn't know if it was loaded or not, and he told me, this is to see if you'll do what I say. And he told me to put the gun in my mouth and pull the trigger. And I did. Cameron was delighted by her obedience, so much so that he allowed her to write letters to her family, though.

Starting point is 00:19:29 He checked every word before sending them out. He even let her call home once from a payphone. Eventually, he arranged for a visit. But he repeated his fabricated story about the company, and how they rarely permitted such visits. On March 20th, 1981, Cameron drove Colleen 600 miles south to see her family in Riverside. He introduced himself as her boyfriend and then promptly drove off. Colleen's family, something felt off with this.

Starting point is 00:19:57 When they looked at this man who gave the impression of being a bookworm, they knew he wasn't Colleen's type. As for Colleen, she was noticeably thin. Her sisters could see the change in her, but the family didn't press her for answers. They were just grateful to have her. They spent what little time they had together and took several pictures. Her cousin, Linda Steve, later recalled this reunion, saying, We were too scared to push her, you know, for fear that she, we didn't know if she was in a cult.

Starting point is 00:20:23 And there were people all around her. We knew she was under stress, though. I can tell you that. I mean, it was very visible. The next morning, she went to visit her mother Evelyn, who lived a few blocks away. Her mom took her to the church to see her other relatives. Colleen was uncertain about how long she'd have with her family. She hoped for at least a week, but after only 24 hours, Cameron called and told her he was coming to pick her up.

Starting point is 00:20:48 He arrived. Colling told her family that he was her fiancé. Her sister took a picture of the two of them together. Colleen seemed happy in the picture. Family didn't know how badly she wanted to scream the truth, but she said nothing as she wanted the safety of her family above everything else. When Colleen was finally back, she was forced back into the box under the waterbed in the trailer. she would remain there for almost all of her time. Cameron's two daughters were growing older, and they had no idea that their nanny Kay was living with them under the bed. Earlier, Cameron had even made Colleen say goodbye to all the neighbors,

Starting point is 00:21:26 telling them she was returning to Southern California. The neighbors also thought that Kay, the in-house nanny, had simply gone home. But they had no idea that Colleen had never left. Cameron only let Colleen out when his daughters were. weren't home. When he did, he subjected her to torture in whatever form his obscene fantasies demanded. Then in early 1984, everything suddenly changed. Cameron allowed Colleen to take a job as a receptionist at a local motel. The only reason he allowed this was because he was short on money, but to make it more palatable to her, he told her that the extra money would go towards buying a

Starting point is 00:22:04 small house for her. Around this time, Janice had started reading the Bible regularly, and that brought her closer to Colleen. The two women developed a spiritual relationship, born from shared suffering. Janice began attending the local church and would sometimes ring Colleen with her. She had even befriended the local pastor there, but around the same time, Cameron had scaled down on his assaults on Colleen. Instead, he intensified his attacks on his own wife. Law enforcement would later find over 500 photographs documenting Janice being tortured. At times, Cameron even made Colleen keep his daughters away while he would be.

Starting point is 00:22:39 he assaulted Janice. And Colleen's own words. There was one particular time. He was in there. He had her tied down to the bed or something, and he was whipping her, and she was crying out and crying, and the kids, the girls heard her.

Starting point is 00:22:57 And they said, Kay, why is Mommy crying? And I was so mad. And I thought, that bastard, you know, how could he do this? As satisfied as Cameron was to have Colleen, he apparently desired more women. When he discussed this with his wife, Janice was repulsed. She was terrified of what might happen to her two growing daughters.

Starting point is 00:23:18 Cameron also allegedly wanted to marry Colleen, which left Janice feeling alarmed and threatened by how far his delusions had gone. Cameron also had plans to build an underground dungeon system in the yard where he could keep these new women. He forced Colling to dig a deep hole in 1983, but later rain came and flooded the whole arrangement. Cameron then realized how impractical the entire structure was. On one fortunate day, Janice finally snapped. She had reached her breaking point. Years of guilt, fear, and shame had accumulated,

Starting point is 00:23:48 and she decided to finally tell Colleen the truth. She came to my work one day, and she told me we have to get out of here. And she said, she said, Cameron's not in the company. I thought, my God, how could I be so stupid? How could I have bond into this lie for all these years? And then also, of course, I was questioning,

Starting point is 00:24:18 why did you wait so long to come to me with the truth? You know? Why didn't she tell me this way back seven years ago? Did you ask her that? No. Then, of course, I had to snap out of it because it was like, okay, now we have to come up with a plan. How are we going to get out of here?

Starting point is 00:24:35 and, you know, with our lives. While Cameron was at work, Colleen called her father back home and asked him to wire her money for a bus ticket. At the bus station, she called Cameron and told him she was leaving. It would never come back. Cameron cried like a baby and begged her to return.

Starting point is 00:24:53 But returned to what? A life of torture and degradation? She got on the bus and left. When Colleen returned to her parents' home, she said nothing about her seven years of captivity. She didn't go to the authorities. Instead, she kept in touch with Janice. On Janice's request, Colleen wanted to give Cameron a chance to reform.

Starting point is 00:25:16 Meanwhile, Cameron worked frantically to get rid of any evidence that might expose what he had done to Colleen over those seven years. Things grew rough between him and Janice. They separated briefly before reuniting again. But then, she decided to leave Cameron for good. Almost three months after Colleen's ordeal ended, Janice went to talk to a receptionist at a doctor's office. Receptionist sensed that Janice needed help and encouraged her to tell the truth. Janice confessed everything to her.

Starting point is 00:25:46 She didn't stop there. She went to the pastor of the local church and confessed the entire story to him as well. With Janice's permission, the pastor called the police. Detective Al Shamblin arrived at the church on that day in November of 1984. For the first time, someone in authority knew what Cameron was. Hooker had done. Remember the 19-year-old girl, Marie Elizabeth Spanicki, we mentioned earlier? Janice told Detective Shamblin about her. She could recall Marie's details accurately and even depicted other information that corresponded perfectly with her disappearance. Cameron's hell was

Starting point is 00:26:18 just about to begin. The most part, Janice herself had been manipulated into this nightmare of a marriage. She'd been tortured, brainwashed, and degraded repeatedly over the years by Cameron. Oring to her own account, she had tried to save the marriage through denial and compulsive. apartmentalization. Then Cameron talked about Mary and Colleen and having multiple women serve him. This, along with her instinct to protect her growing daughters, finally overpowered her fear and made her turn in her husband. The prosecuting attorneys needed Janice's help, so in return for her testimony, she was granted immunity. She then gave a detailed account of Marie's abduction and murder. Cameron had abducted Marie from Chico, California. According to Janice, Marie was walking home

Starting point is 00:27:00 when she and Cameron picked her up. He took her to their home where she had suffered a similar ordeal to Colleen's, but just a day later, Cameron instead shot her in the abdomen with a pellet gun and then strangled her to death. Her body was then wrapped in blankets and she was buried in a shallow grave near Lassen Volcanic National Park. However, even with Janice's detailed testimony, the police could not locate Marie's remains. Janice also told law enforcement how Cameron had brainwashed her and Colleen to keep them under his control. She provided more evidence, including details of how she had helped him to get rid of the evidence. When the detectives began formulating their case against Cameron, they questioned his neighbors.

Starting point is 00:27:40 Most of them insisted that Cameron was a nice, normal, and good-tempered guy. After all, he was exceptionally good at deceiving people. Detective Shamblin also went to Riverside to question Colleen individually where she supported Janice's version of events. Inside Cameron's trailer, law enforcement found Hooks, mounted on the ceiling, restraints and other implements of torture. It was undeniable proof of what had happened inside of the trailer. Still, it wasn't quite enough to guarantee a conviction.

Starting point is 00:28:13 But then, Detective Shamblin discovered two roles of undeveloped film hidden in the trailer. When processed by the FBI, these roles contained everything needed for a devastating case against Cameron. The law enforcement officials now had images of the torture act, the contract and even Colleen getting assaulted. And now, the case was airtight. On November 18, 1984, Cameron was arrested and booked on kidnapping, SA, Semi, and other similar charges. His arrest immediately gained massive media attention and became a high-profile case.

Starting point is 00:28:48 His defense attorney, Roland Lewis Papandik, argued that Colleen had stayed with him voluntarily and that Janice had fabricated her story out of resentment towards Colleen. Unfortunately, Colleen's initial silence, along with Janice's inconsistent testimony during the preliminary hearing gave the defense's argument some traction. The marks on Colleen's body were proof of her ordeal, and the judge ruled that the evidence against Cameron was more than sufficient to proceed to trial. Attorney Pap and Dick tried to negotiate a plea deal, claiming that the acts had been consensual.

Starting point is 00:29:20 There was also concern among county officials about the potential cost of a lengthy trial, as cases involving psychological coercion and brainwashing are notoriously difficult to prove, but Deputy District Attorney Christine McGuire was determined to hold Cameron accountable for the years of cruelty and torment he had inflicted. Cameron's trial began on September 24, 1985 at the San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City, presided over by Judge Clarence B. Knight. After five weeks of testimony, the defense rested on October 25th. The jury was appalled by Cameron's lack of remorse, but they also found Colleen's choice not to turn in her captor immediately after her escape to also be puzzling. television journalist Greg LaFarve, who covered the trial, said,

Starting point is 00:30:02 the real question was reasonable doubt. Was the jury going to buy it? Were they skeptical of this young girl? In the next few days, the jury overlooked evidence and debated about the case. Finally, on Halloween Day, 1985, the verdict was announced. Cameron was found guilty on 10 felony counts, including kidnapping, essay, and multiple related offenses. In November 22nd, Cameron was officially sentenced for his crimes.

Starting point is 00:30:25 In the end, he was sentenced to consecutive prison. terms totaling 104 years. Unfortunately, he was not charged with the murder of Marie Elizabeth Spanicki, as her body was never found. Cameron was initially not eligible for parole until 23, but under California's elderly parole program, his hearing was moved up by seven years to 2015. However, during his parole hearing on April 16, 2015, the board denied his release and deemed him to be a serious risk to society. The board scheduled his next parole hearing for 20, 30. Zachary Backus, president of the California Parole Board, stated, he still poses a danger. He is 66. I understand that. That doesn't mean he doesn't pose a danger to society.

Starting point is 00:31:09 However, due to adjustments in the legal system during the pandemic, Cameron was granted the possibility of parole in 2021. That same year, he was transferred to the California Department of State Hospitals for supervision and treatment on parole. While talking about Cameron's potential release to a local California news outlet in 2021, Colleen said. He's just an evil person. I would really love to say that he is a different person, but he's not. Colleen chose to rebuild her life with strength and grace. After years of therapy, she pursued an accounting degree and went on to live a stable, independent life. Though she experienced a few failed marriages, she eventually found happiness with her husband, Glenn Ireland. Colleen also

Starting point is 00:31:51 dedicated herself to helping others. She volunteered at the Reading Women's Refuge Center, an organization that supports women who have endured trauma, much like she had. Later, she became a registered associate social worker and worked as a mental health professional. In 2009, Colleen published her memoir, the simple gifts of life, a deeply personal reflection on her suffering, endurance, and the small everyday blessings that gave her the strength to keep going. Reports, indicate that she also had a daughter and as of 2016 was living in the south raising her grandson. Despite everything she endured, Colleen has repeatedly said she is grateful for the life she were built. In her own words, your life is just kind of in limbo when you're in captivity.

Starting point is 00:32:38 And once you get that freedom back and you have that choice again, it's just like the gates open and you just run for it. Every year in August 10th, Colleen and her family head to the beach to celebrate her escape. in survival. As for Janice, she assumed a new identity and went on to raise her two daughters in anonymity. Over the years, Colleen's haunting story has inspired a range of books, films, songs, and documentaries. The songs inspired from her horrors are also numerous, but the one that sticks out to me the most is Jennifer's body by whole, specifically the following lyrics. You're hungry, but I'm starving. He cuts you down from the tree.

Starting point is 00:33:21 He keeps you in, a box by the bed, alive, but just barely. Given frontwoman Courtney loves connection to Eugene, Oregon, it makes sense. To this day, Pauline's ordeal continues to be featured in true crime documentaries and television specials. Sadly, there was no closure for Marie Spanicki. Her body was never found, and her disappearance remains a mystery to this date. But interestingly, when a woman named Jody Foster, not the actor, moved into a Chico apartment that had once been Marie's home, she reported some paranormal activities. It wasn't just me that experienced it. It was my child and my friends.

Starting point is 00:34:03 And people would say, oh my God, what is wrong in this apartment? I always would feel like coldness and then it would go away. When Jody first moved in, she had recurrent dreams about a couple who abducted Marie, although she didn't know about the actual case at the time. Her daughter Hannah also claimed to have made an invisible, friend named Miley's, who followed her around the apartment. Later, when Hannah was shown a picture of Marie, she recalled her as her friend Miley's. Jody stayed in the apartment for just a month, and the management company covered the cost of her move if she promised to keep quiet. Other tenants who

Starting point is 00:34:35 moved there are also reported to have left the apartment after brief stays. Years later, Jody began researching Marie's case only to discover that the details from her dreams aligned almost perfectly with real facts of Marie's disappearance. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, let's just hope Marie's spirit is at rest. That one day, her remains will be recovered so that she can be finally laid to rest with dignity.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Colleen Stan

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