Cold Case Files – I SURVIVED: I Am So Close To Getting Help, But I Am So Far

Podcast: Cold Case Files
Air Date: August 16, 2025
Host: Paula Barros
Summary by: Podcast Summarizer AI

Episode Overview

This harrowing episode of Cold Case Files: I Survived features two gripping survival stories—first, the abduction and assault of Julie and her young children in Palmetto Bay, Florida, in 2002; second, John’s life-or-death encounter with a black bear in rural Washington in 2010. Both cases highlight human resilience, the randomness of terror, and the power of loved ones in fueling the will to survive.

Story One: Julie’s Abduction and Survival

[01:56–27:35]

Key Points

• Setting & Routine
  Julie, a stay-at-home mom, recounts her routine of dropping off her daughter Emily (age 3) at church preschool and picking her up alongside her son Peter (8 months). On this day, after a normal morning, their lives are violently interrupted.

• The Attack ([03:52])
  As Julie buckles her son into the car and chats with a friend, she is suddenly struck hard on the head:

  “As I got whacked over the head with an object. I'm not sure what it was, it felt like a brick.” – Julie ([03:52])

  She is dizzy, and a man bear-hugs her from behind and screams threats. Her children are present, terrified and screaming.

• Abduction and Terror ([05:00–07:01])
  The assailant forces Julie into the car, turns on the radio to drown out screams, and mutters ominous threats:

  “Do you believe in God?... Then you're going to forgive me for what I'm about to do to you and to your two children.” – Attacker ([03:52], [07:01])

  He drives them to her house, forces her into sexual acts in front of her children, and continues a barrage of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.

• Isolation & Helplessness ([07:01–11:30])
  The attacker taunts Julie, stating he now knows where she lives. He describes a fabricated, tragic background, further unbalancing her.
  He drives the family deep into the Everglades, threatening to sink them in a canal if they resist:

  “One false move... and I will sink your van in the canal and no one will ever find you. And, Emily, the alligators will eat you.” – Attacker ([11:30])

  Julie endures repeated assaults, with her children forced to witness.

• Endless Attempts to Escape ([13:19–18:14])
  The assailant demands ATM withdrawals, heightening his threats whenever he feels thwarted. Julie tries, in vain, to be seen by others and rescued:

  “Hoping that somebody, anybody would see a woman in distress... and that's so disheartening.” – Julie ([18:14])

• Final Ordeal & Sudden Escape ([19:18–24:27])
  When attempts to access more money fail, the attacker brings Julie next to her childhood park—ironically, mere feet from her parents’ house. He assaults her again but grows frustrated as he is unable to “finish.”
  Eventually, he returns them to the church parking lot, threatens Julie’s life again in front of her daughter, and suddenly leaves:

  “He pushed the knife into the back of my neck and he started to play with my hair in a very maniacal way. And he said to my daughter, Emily, should I kill your mom?” – Julie ([19:18])

  “He just walked away. He sauntered off into the parking lot of my church like he had not a care in the world.” – Julie ([19:18])

  Julie, naked and bleeding, drives her children to her parents’ nearby home and finds refuge.

The Aftermath & Investigation ([24:27–27:35])

• Forensic Break & Investigation
  Though initial evidence is scarce, a tiny semen sample on Julie’s shirt becomes vital. However, no database match is found, and the investigation stalls—until three months later, a domestic dispute call leads to the suspect. DNA matches are made, and he is apprehended after fleeing.

  “He tried to cover his tracks so well that it was an absolute miracle that they were able to get that [tiny speck of semen].” – Julie ([24:36])

• The Truth & Justice
  The attacker’s horrific stories of abuse are revealed to be lies—he grew up in a privileged, church-going family. He confesses to abducting and raping at least three other women, all attacked while leaving church.
  He is sentenced to seven consecutive life terms.

  “I survived because of my children. I survived because I love my children so much and because that love kept me on my toes and kept me thinking and allowed me to do things I never in a million years would have done.” – Julie ([26:36])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On perpetual hope for rescue:

  “At every step along the way I'm thinking, so somebody will see me... But nobody saw.” – Julie ([18:14])

• On survival and motherhood:

  “That love gave me the strength to do what I needed.” – Julie ([26:36])

• On trauma’s legacy:

  “People think a three year old wouldn't remember something like this, you have no idea the kind of damage that it does.” – Julie ([27:35])

Story Two: John’s Bear Attack Survival

[29:12–44:20]

Key Points

• A Normal Weekend Turned Deadly ([29:12])
  John, his wife Lynn, and their daughter Megan visit their cabin in Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Multiple bear warnings are in effect, but John follows routine.

• Attack in the Darkness ([30:54–35:00])
  While walking his dogs at night, John is ambushed by a female black bear. The attack is brutal, relentless, and visceral:

  “She just leaped into me and went straight for me... We went down onto the road, and as we went down, she was clawing and biting at me.” – John ([30:54])

  “I can feel and I can hear her teeth go into my head and I can feel them scrape along my skull...I'll always remember the sound.” – John ([34:00])

  Despite catastrophic injuries, John fights back, thinking of his family.

• The Will to Live ([37:47–41:01])
  The bear eventually leaves, distracted by John’s dogs. He drags himself toward safety. Inside, his family realizes something is wrong when only the dogs return. Lynn, his wife, risks herself to come to his aid, contacting 911.

  “She put her life in danger to save mine. But I know my wife, and she was not going back in the house. Quite honestly, she was in her own mother bear mode at that point, and she was protecting me.” – John ([40:15])

• Rescue and Recovery ([42:11–44:20])
  Emergency medics arrive just in time to save John, rushing him to hospital. He undergoes 18 hours of surgery, loses an eye, and suffers severe head, neck, and facial trauma.
  The bear, later trapped and euthanized, was smaller than expected and starving.

• Reflections

  “I survived because I didn't want to die, and my wife told me not to. She didn't want me to leave her, and I didn't want to leave her and my family. I had no idea that I had that much fight in me.” – John ([43:33])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On primal survival instinct:

  “All I was doing was flailing and trying to keep her off. She was clawing at the back of my neck. She was biting. She was sending her claws around my face.” – John ([35:00])

• On the importance of loved ones:

  “She was going to stay there. She was going to fight.” – John, on Lynn ([40:15])

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Trauma’s Reach:
  Both stories highlight trauma’s enduring impact, especially on families and children who survive acts of violence or nature.

• Survival Mindset:
  Each survivor exhibits a will to live—aided by the presence (or memory) of loved ones.

• The Cruelty of Chance:
  Both Julie and John are normal people, thrust by luck into life-threatening circumstances—underscoring the randomness of violence and disaster.

• Detection and Justice:
  The first story emphasizes both the limits and the importance of forensic evidence, and the persistence law enforcement must show, even when leads seem to run dry.

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “Do you believe in God?... Then you’re going to forgive me for what I’m about to do to you and to your two children.” – Attacker ([03:52], [07:01])
• “He pushed the knife into the back of my neck and he started to play with my hair in a very maniacal way. And he said to my daughter, Emily, should I kill your mom?” – Julie ([19:18])
• “She was clawing and biting on my head and I can feel and I can hear her teeth go into my head and I can feel them scrape along my skull.” – John ([34:00])
• “I survived because I didn't want to die, and my wife told me not to.” – John ([43:33])

Timestamps for Key Sections

| Timecode | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 01:56 | Julie’s story begins | | 03:52 | Julie describes attack and abduction | | 07:01 | Threats, sexual violence, psychological terror | | 13:19 | ATM escape attempts | | 18:14 | “So close to help, but so far” | | 19:18 | Last assault, attacker leaves | | 24:27 | Investigation, forensics | | 26:32 | Attacker’s true identity revealed | | 29:12 | John’s story begins | | 30:54 | Bear attack sequence | | 37:43 | Bear ends attack; John’s self-rescue | | 39:36 | Family’s reaction & 911 call | | 42:29 | Rescue and medical aftermath | | 43:33 | Reflection on survival |

Conclusion

This episode is a raw, unsparing look at survival against human cruelty and natural fury. Julie’s and John’s stories both feature unimaginable terror and pain, but are ultimately testaments to human resilience, self-sacrifice, and the enduring bonds of love and family.

“I survived because I love my children.”
“I survived because I didn't want to die, and my wife told me not to.”