Cold Case Files – Episode Summary

Episode Title: I SURVIVED: I Can't Handle This Pain Anymore

Air Date: September 13, 2025 | Host: Paula Barros

Overview

This harrowing episode of Cold Case Files, spun off from “I Survived,” shares the firsthand accounts of survivors who faced unimaginable violence and lived to recount their ordeals. Three separate narratives unfold: Jessica's chilling abduction and assault by a maintenance worker, Mark and Jeff's near-fatal Alaskan bear attack, and Kerry's courageous defense during an attempted sexual assault as a teenager. Each story focuses on split-second decisions, remarkable willpower, and the aftermath of survival.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jessica’s Ordeal: A Night of Terror in West Palm Beach

• Initial Encounter: Jessica, 27 and newly independent, recounted an unsettling initial meeting with a complex maintenance man who later became her attacker.
  • [03:13] “This guy kind of creeps me out. I’ve never spoken to him or anything, but I’ve seen him around the complex.” — Jessica
• Attack & Abduction: Weeks later, Jessica awoke at 2:30 am to this same man entering her apartment with a machete. He zip-tied her, threatened her, and forced her to withdraw money before subjecting her to multiple assaults.
  • [04:40] “I knew immediately who he was, although you question it... because you’re half asleep and you’re also saying, this can’t be real.” — Jessica
• Attempts to Survive: Jessica maintained a calm presence and looked for subtle ways to help leave evidence. Despite escape attempts, she was recaptured, threatened, and abused further.
  • [08:00] “Let me try to leave some markings of me behind. So I kept trying to put a little bit into the stitchings of the car, trying to leave some DNA anywhere that I could.” — Jessica
• Aftermath and Resolution: Jessica identified her assailant to police, leading to his arrest and a life sentence.
  • [13:46] “Bobby Brumfield was charged with armed sexual battery, false imprisonment and burglary. He was sentenced to three life terms plus 32 years in prison.” — Narrator
  • [13:56] “I survived because it just wasn’t my time yet. I was lucky. I had gone through all of that horrible stuff in the matter of two and a half, three hours. But I was lucky enough to have come out alive.” — Jessica

2. Mark and Jeff’s Survival: Bear Attack on the Denali Highway

• Setting the Stage: Mark and Jeff head into the Alaskan wilderness for a moose-hunting trip, relying on their Argo all-terrain vehicle to cross rough terrain.
  • [17:14] “There’s no roads, there’s no trail, it’s open country, it’s bog, marsh, trees, rivers, creeks, lakes. We traveled the whole first day...” — Mark
• Sudden Attack: Separated from their vehicle and guns unready, they are ambushed by a massive brown bear. Mark is mauled as Jeff reacts desperately.
  • [19:33] “He went into attack mode and he came straight at me.” — Mark
  • [21:00] “The bear had Mark’s head in his mouth and was shaking him around. It looked almost like an anaconda swallowing a mouse.” — Jeff
• Heroic Rescue: Jeff manages to shoot and kill the bear, and then uses improvised first aid to save Mark.
  • [22:35] “It was a vicious attack. He was tearing him up and shaking him... I pulled my rifle up and just as soon as it got there, I leveled it and I shot. And the bear fell over.” — Jeff
• Grueling Escape: Mark, bleeding and with his ear barely attached, drives the Argo out, facing further danger and the threat of shock.
  • [24:39] “I got his ear back up. I pulled it, put it into place, and I told him to hold it... I wrapped him up with electrical tape.” — Jeff
• Reflection on Survival: Both credit each other for survival, the need for calm, and the randomness of tragedy.
  • [30:43] “I survived because I had a partner that didn’t run.” — Mark

3. Kerry’s Story: Fighting Back Against a Would-be Killer

• Ambush in a Safe Neighborhood: Kerry, 16, is attacked while jogging home from her part-time job in a familiar, well-traveled area.
  • [32:36] “I felt very safe there... Something told me though, just to glance behind me.” — Kerry
• Calculated Resistance: Her attacker drags her to an isolated area, ties and blinds her, and attempts a sexual assault. Kerry waits for an opportunity and fights back with the attacker’s own knife.
  • [36:44] “I grabbed the knife with both hands, and I stab him with it. I plunged the knife in until I could feel the bottom of my fists hitting his skin.” — Kerry
• Aftermath & Justice: Kerry escapes, receives help, and the attacker is apprehended at a hospital. Years later, as a deputy sheriff, she comes face-to-face with her attacker again.
  • [41:35] “I don’t need to ask if you have any scars, because I know you do.” — Kerry (to her attacker during booking as a deputy sheriff)
  • [42:14] “That night, he was looking for another victim. That night, he got a fighter instead.” — Kerry

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Jessica’s Resolve and Calm Under Duress

  • [09:22] “I can’t handle this pain anymore.” — Jessica to her attacker, using his moment of removing the zip tie as a chance to leave forensic evidence.
  • [13:56] “I didn’t do anything remarkable. I just did what I thought at the moment was the right thing to do. ...You’re faced with split-second decisions and you act.” — Jessica

• Mark and Jeff’s Lifesaving Partnership

  • [23:40] “Shoot him again, shoot him again.” — Mark, during the bear attack, keeping his head as Jeff finishes off the bear.

• Kerry’s Triumph over Fear

  • [36:58] “He started pounding me with his fist... I knew I probably couldn’t take many more hits without losing consciousness. So I took the knife out of the ground again and I stabbed him again…” — Kerry
  • [41:53] “Look, I overpowered you once, and I’m still in control now.” — Kerry (to her attacker, years later)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:44] – Jessica’s Attack Begins
• [07:28] – Jessica Led to Empty Apartment
• [13:46] – Arrest and Sentencing of Jessica’s Attacker
• [17:14] – Mark and Jeff Begin Moose Hunt
• [19:20] – Bear Attack Unfolds
• [22:48] – Jeff Shoots the Bear, Saves Mark
• [24:00] – Field First Aid and Beginning Escape
• [28:36] – Hospital, Recovery, Closure for Mark and Jeff
• [29:52] – Reflection on Surviving the Attack
• [32:36] – Kerry’s Assault and Resistance
• [36:44] – Kerry Fights Back with the Knife
• [41:35] – Kerry Meets Her Attacker as a Deputy Sheriff
• [42:14] – Kerry’s Reflection and Moral

Conclusion

The episode underscores the power of instinct, quick thinking, and inner strength in the face of overwhelming danger. Through vivid, unfiltered recollections, listeners gain a deep appreciation for the survivors’ determination and the role of luck, courage, and timing in staying alive. Each account is a raw reminder that even in moments of unimaginable fear, agency and resilience can win out — and justice, though sometimes slow, can be served.