I SURVIVED: I Didn't Want Myself Or My Daughter To End Up In A Million Pieces

Summary

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Cold Case Files: "I SURVIVED: I Didn’t Want Myself Or My Daughter To End Up In A Million Pieces" (October 11, 2025)

Episode Overview

This gripping episode of Cold Case Files, hosted by Paula Barros, features two harrowing survival stories: first, Michelle’s ordeal of being kidnapped and forced to rob her own bank under threat to her child’s life, and second, Troy and Josh’s seven-day struggle lost at sea. The theme centers on the resilience and resourcefulness of ordinary people in life-or-death situations, the trauma survived, and the aftermath of such experiences.

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Survivor Story 1: Michelle – Home Invasion & Forced Bank Robbery

Normal Day Turns into Nightmare (02:39–03:49)

• Michelle, assistant vice president of a bank and single mom in East Vista, CA, describes her day as ordinary until an “odd” man visits her bank.
• After work, while relaxing with her 7-year-old daughter Bria, their home is violently invaded by three masked, armed men, entering “SWAT style.”
• Quote (Michelle, 03:53):

  “They grabbed me by my hair and put guns to my head and forced me face down on the floor.”

Held Hostage Overnight (03:53–11:43)

• The men, aware of Michelle’s job, make explicit threats: Michelle is to rob her bank, or her daughter would be killed in front of her.

• Both Michelle and her daughter are duct-taped, threatened, and told they’re being watched by a larger team.

• The intruders show them what appears to be dynamite and a detonation device, threatening to "disintegrate" them if Michelle disobeys.

• Michelle pays close attention to details (boots, clothing, the kidnappers’ eyes) to aid authorities if they survive.

• Quote (Michelle, 05:44):

  “...they pulled me up to my knees and spun me around. And I saw that she was laying on the floor face down, she was duct taped and one of the men was standing over her with a gun pointing down at her. And she wasn't talking. And I just wanted to run to her... you could tell she was just in absolute shock and terror and shaking.”

• At the bathroom, Michelle recognizes one attacker as the "odd" man from the bank, identifying him by his distinctive, red, bulging eyes. She recalls he gave her a business card, which she left in her bank desk.

• Quote (Michelle, 08:22):

  “When I saw this person's eyes with the bathroom light on, I knew that it was the same man that had been in my bank that day...one of the things that made me the most uncomfortable were his eyes.”

• Her roommate unexpectedly returns home, raising the tension; the criminals increase their aggression, threatening all three.

The Robbery Threat Escalates (11:43–15:00)

• Early in the morning, the kidnappers strap what they claim are live explosives to Michelle and Bria.

• Michelle is forced to say a potential farewell to her daughter, knowing it could be their last moment together.

• Quote (Michelle, 12:20):

  “That's when she really started to tear up because it was so painful. 'Mommy, it hurts. Mommy, it hurts. What are they putting on me?' ...I said, 'It's just something so that they'll be able to keep track of where you are and everything's going to be okay.'”

• Bria is locked in a closet. Michelle tells her: “Write Mommy a note. Write Mommy a letter because I'm coming back. And I pinky promise I'll be back as soon as I can.”
  As Michelle leaves, Bria screams for her mother not to go, a moment that deeply affects Michelle.

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Robbing the Bank (16:46–19:59)

• Michelle returns to the bank, dynamite attached to her body, in shock and trying to avoid mistakes.

• She discreetly informs a coworker in the vault and instructs her on evidence and safety.

• She withdraws $340,000, obsessively following the kidnappers’ instructions (money in a specific order, no marked bills).

• Quote (Michelle, 17:29):

  "I was just wandering around the bank with dynamite on my body...trying to help my employees as much as I could without alerting them, because I didn't want my daughter or myself or my roommate to end up in a million pieces."

• Michelle delivers the money as instructed and is sent home, terrified of what she’ll find.

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Escape & Aftermath (19:59–23:45)

• Michelle finds her daughter and roommate alive but still bound; together, they remove the remaining duct tape and explosives.

• Michelle contacts the FBI and helps identify her attacker via the business card in her desk.

• Within nine days, Christopher Butler and his accomplices are apprehended and sentenced to consecutive life terms.

• Quote (Michelle, 23:00):

  "It's never over for survivors. Even though we did survive...doesn't mean that we don't have to cope with the effects of a violent victimization almost every day of our lives."

• Michelle and Bria never return to their home or Michelle’s job, both suffering from severe PTSD.

• Quote (Michelle, 23:24):

  "I survived because I'm my daughter's mother, and I survived because there's so much more life to live for me."

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Survivor Story 2: Troy & Josh – Lost at Sea for Seven Days

Setting Out & Disaster (23:45–27:09)

• In April 2004, Charleston, South Carolina, teens Troy (15) and Josh (17) take their sailboat for a fishing trip, planning to be out for only a couple of hours.
• An unexpected rip current drags them far out to sea.
• Quote (Josh, 24:31):

  "We were just trying to get into some deeper water... and we were just paddling around."

• Their boat—without a sail or motor—becomes uncontrollable in the swift current.

Surviving the Elements (27:09–32:26)

• The boys have no food, little gear, and no means of communication. Cold water, choppy waves, and freezing first nights take a toll.

• They try and fail to catch fish and lose most of their fishing gear.

• To stay warm, they huddle together and even urinate in place for short-lived warmth.

• Sun burns, dehydration, and open cuts add to their misery.

• Quote (Josh, 28:04):

  “My hands were numb and blue. I couldn't feel anything. I was shivering, you know, uncontrollably...The waves was just very choppy and there were huge swells....We just, you know, had to fight as much as possible.”

Starvation, Delirium, and Despair (32:26–39:20)

• As days stretch on, the boys battle starvation and contemplate eating parts of their own bodies in desperation.

• The lack of hope leads to discussions of death, and Troy contemplates drowning himself.

• They start eating "jelly balls"—bioluminescent sea creatures—out of hunger.

• They etch farewell notes to their families in the boat’s fiberglass.

• Quote (Josh, 34:29):

  “My whole body was aching. My face was burnt... just the pain we were in just was excruciating.”

• They witness dolphins and rainbows, which gives them fleeting hope.

Rescue & Reflection (39:20–42:13)

• On the seventh day, after seeing numerous boats pass by, a fishing vessel finally spots and rescues them, thanks to a weather-related course change.

• Troy and Josh recover, though Troy suffers permanent nerve damage and Josh is hospitalized for dehydration.

• Both attribute their survival to each other, advice from family, and divine intervention.

• Quote (Troy, 41:31):

  "If it wasn’t for the advice and the friendship and God being with us, there’s no way we would have ever made it."

• Their friendship is forever deepened by the ordeal—a “brotherhood.”

• Quote (Josh, 42:13):

  “Our friendship now turned into a brotherhood. And I mean, we're always there for each other. And we will be there for each other till the day we die.”

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “You're going to clean out the vault for us or your daughter will be murdered and you will watch and you will be next.” — Michelle recounting the threat (03:53)
• “When I saw this person's eyes with the bathroom light on, I knew that it was the same man that had been in my bank that day.” — Michelle (08:22)
• "I didn't want my daughter or myself or my roommate to end up in a million pieces." — Michelle (17:29)
• “It's never over for survivors...doesn't mean that we don't have to cope with the effects of a violent victimization almost every day of our lives.” — Michelle (23:00)
• "We tried to actually keep our hopes up...God wanted us dead, we would have been dead already." — Troy or Josh (32:15)
• “I even thought about one time to cut my own finger off. I told Josh...just to have something to chew on.” — Josh (32:43)
• “We told them, thanks for being friends with us. You know, we...shared so many good experiences…” — Josh, on notes carved into the boat (38:34)
• “If it wasn’t for the advice and the friendship and God being with us, there’s no way we would have ever made it.” — Troy (41:31)
• "Our friendship now turned into a brotherhood..." — Josh (42:13)

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Key Takeaways

• Resourcefulness, quick thinking, and attention to detail (Michelle’s observations, instructions to coworkers)
• Coping with trauma is ongoing, not finished with rescue or legal justice.
• Survival requires endurance, hope, and unity—both in extreme violence and extreme isolation.
• Memorable, emotionally intense first-person accounts immerse listeners in the survivors’ experiences.

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This episode presents visceral reminders of the power of the human will to survive, the cruelty of random violence and nature, and the lasting bonds forged by facing death together. It's a must-listen for fans of true crime and survival stories.

Transcript

[Narrator]

From 1989 to 1995, nurse Kristen Gilbert murdered four of her patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical center in Massachusetts, and she's suspected of killing dozens more. On Mind of a Monster, a podcast from ID, criminal psychologist Dr. Michelle Ward dives into Kristen Gilbert's twisted mind to try and find out why she killed her patients and and how she was able to do it in front of her colleagues. She speaks with detectives, journalists, nurses and victims families to unpack Gilbert's life and crimes on Ward C. Listen to Mind of a Monster the Killer Nurse wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Podcast Host]

Hi I Survived listeners. I'm Marissa Pinson and if you're enjoying this show, I just want to remind you that episodes of I Survived as well as the A and E classic podcast, Cold Case Files, City Confidential, and American justice are all available ad free.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

On the new A and E Crime.

[Podcast Host]

And Investigation channel on Apple Podcasts and.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Apple plus for just $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year.

[Podcast Host]

And now onto the show. This episode contains subject matter that may.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

They grabbed me by my hair and put guns to my head and forced me face down on the floor.

[Podcast Host]

Real people.

[Josh (Survivor)]

We had cuts, both of us, all over our bodies. I mean, just the pain we were in just was excruciating.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Who faced death?

[Troy (Survivor)]

You'd be in the water for 20 minutes and the next thing you know you'll see sharks swimming around you and.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

Live to tell how they said you're going to clean out the vault for us or your daughter will be murdered and you will watch and you will be next.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

This is I survived. It's November 2000 in East Vista, California. Michelle is an assistant vice president of a bank and a single mom.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

It started out as a very normal day, rushing out the door, getting my daughter to school, getting to work. A lot of loan documents that day I remember. And one thing really stood out during the day is a gentleman came in that just seemed Odd. And that was really the only thing that stood out. And after he left, I didn't think anything else about it.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

After work, Michelle picked up her seven.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

Year old daughter Bria from school before making dinner. I thought it would be a good idea to just relax on the couch and have a little fun. And we sat down on the couch and she took my boots off. And we were just laughing and giggling. And the next thing I heard was the most unbelievable loud thundering sound. Just one big crash or boom or just thundering sound that I cannot explain in words. And turned in the direction of that noise and saw them coming in SWAT style, all dressed in black and masks and guns and wood was everywhere. And they had kicked in the door and broke right through the lock and everything.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Three armed men had broken into her house.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

And when I turned towards Brea, who was to my left at the time, she was running towards the bedroom. And before I could even get up and go to move with her, it was that quick that they grabbed me by my hair and put guns to my head and forced me face down on the floor. I was screaming, no, no, no. And they were telling me to be quiet. Don't make us pistol whip you in front of your kid. They were saying, do you know why we're here? We know that you're the manager of the bank down the street. We are going to be here with you all night long until you get it into your head that exactly what we want you to do. You're going to clean out the vault for us or. Or your daughter will be murdered. And you will watch and you will be next. The largest man of the three was on my back with his knee in my back. And I could hear duct tape unrolling. I could feel myself being duct taped. And I could hear the duct tape continue to unroll once I was taped. So I knew that they were probably taping my daughter as well. I was just asking them, where is my daughter? Where is she? And I'll do anything. They were asking me questions and saying, we already know the answers. We're checking to see if you're going to lie to us. So that was when they began asking questions about when does Brinks drop off money in the morning. We need you to get this much money. How much money is in the vault? They said, we've been watching everything you do. We know where you eat, we know where you get ice cream. We know where your daughter goes to school. They had been casing the bank and me for two months.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Michelle was begging to See her seven.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

Year old daughter, when I first saw her was when they pulled me up to my knees and spun me around. And I saw that she was laying on the floor face down, she was duct taped and one of the men was standing over her with a gun pointing down at her. And she wasn't talking. And I just wanted to run to her. And you could tell she was just in absolute shock and terror and shaking. And at the time she was only seven years old. They had a duffel bag filled with, filled with ammunition, filled with, they all had guns. And the ringleader pulled out a bag and came over and pulled out what looked like, like dynamite, sticks of dynamite and said, what does this look like? And I said it looks like dynamite. And he said, that's exactly what it is. And we're going to put these on your body, we're going to put these on your daughter's body. And showed us a detonation device and said, if you do not do every single thing we tell you to do and do everything right with no mistakes, you will disintegrate almost immediately. I kicked into paying attention to every single little detail. Face down on the carpet, I noticed he was wearing black Doc Martin boots. When I was pulled up to my knees, I began noticing the types of clothing they were wearing or the little tags on the back of their pants. I started immediately grabbing hold of anything I could have control over so that in case we did make it out alive and survive this, I could do whatever I could possibly do to help the police apprehend them. They would ask me to repeat their plan back to them. What are you going to do? This is what you're going to do. So I would repeat their words and their plan back to them. Their language throughout the night was just very sexually explicit. They were saying, we want to do this, this and this to you. I was just so scared that they were going to rape myself or my daughter. They were in constant contact with who they said was a team of people, six people outside of the house on walkie talkies saying money one to money two, money two to money three. So that was sort of their demeanor and their language throughout the night.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Eventually, the intruders allowed Breea to join Michelle on the couch.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

And I was just stroking her hair and telling her I loved her. And I was just crying. I mean, I was just crying the whole time and she was shaking and just curled up and we sat there for a really long time until I let them know I needed to use, I needed to go to the bathroom. And the ringleader, the short, stocky one, said, I will take her. And he took me to the restroom. And when I saw this person's eyes with the bathroom light on, I knew that it was the same man that had been in my bank that day. That was the odd man that, you know, I was very uncomfortable around him when he was at my desk that day. One of the most disturbing things about him at my desk, or one of the things that made me the most uncomfortable were his eyes. He had very distinct, large, round, bulging, red, almost droopy, watery eyes. Really distinctive eyes. And so for me to turn the light on in the bathroom and see those very distinct set of eyes was just. I mean, it was like a. Like a light went on. And I sort of flashed back to him giving me a business card. I put it in my top right drawer of my desk and right then I counted the tiles on the bathroom wall to know how tall he was. I went back into the living room and told my daughter right then at that time, sweetie, if we make it out alive, everything's going to be okay.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

At 11:30pm Michelle's roommate returned home from a party.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

My roommate came in and they grabbed her and drug her into her room. She was screaming, get out of my house. How dare you. She was cussing at them and calling them all kinds of vulgar names. And she was very intoxicated and really heightened their level of aggression. They began pacing, they began holding guns in our faces. Put the gun right up her nose and told her she needed to listen and told her that they were going to blow her head off if she did not cooperate. It was about 4:30 in the morning when my daughter said, mommy, I want to go lay in your bed. Please can we go lay in your bed? You know, that was our little sanctuary. So I asked them, can I please take her into my room? Can we please just go lay down in the room for a little while? And the ringleader said yes, and sat at the end of the bed watching us with the gun at us while we were able to go in there and just rest and lay in my bed for a little while. And I just. I was just smelling her hair and stroking her hair. And you know when you're just there and you're with your child and you're holding your child and you don't know if this is the very last time you're ever going to be able to hold them, it's really, really excruciating. The ringleader came over and stood over me at about 6:30 and said, Time to get up. Time to get ready for work.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The men said they'd kill them all unless Michelle robbed her bank where she worked.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

I was blow drying my hair and he was watching. And he unplugged the blow dryer and said, that's good, and it's time to put the dynamite on your body. And they brought the dynamite in, and the big guy was the one who actually brought it in and duct taped it to my back, really, really tight into my ribs to where you couldn't hardly breathe. It was really painful.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The intruders strapped two sticks of dynamite.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

Onto Michelle, and they said, it's time to put it on your daughter. And they did the same thing to her. That's the only. That's when she really started to tear up because it was so painful. Mommy, it hurts. Mommy, it hurts. What are they putting on me? I didn't want to tell, you know, of course I wasn't going to say it's explosives. I said, it's just something so that they'll be able to keep track of where you are and everything's going to be okay. And it was right then when the ringleader took my arm, said, let's go to the living room, sat me on the couch and said, you have 10 minutes to say everything you need to say to your daughter, because this, this is gonna be the last time you'll ever see her alive if you mess this up. We were on the couch together, and I was just telling her that she was. She's perfect for me, that she was exactly everything I'd ever hoped for when I planned to be a mom. And then he came out and he said, time to put your daughter in the closet, and led us into her room where he forced her into the closet. I just couldn't imagine her in the closet, you know what I mean? Just sitting there, sort of waiting to explode. And I just wanted to keep her mind off of that and somehow give her something, you know? So I got her a little piece of paper and pen and just said, write Mommy a note. Write Mommy a letter because I'm coming back. And I pinky promise I'll be back as soon as I can. And she said, don't go. And that was when she started crying and screaming for the very first time, Please don't leave me. Please don't go. And in that moment, I just became totally robotic, totally numb, Checked out. The only way I got through that moment is knowing that I had to go do everything they told me to do to perfection without any mistakes to save her life and get back to her. I just remember him grabbing my arm and saying, time to go to work. And I stood up and I turned and just started walking towards the door and I could hear her screaming going, no, mommy, no, don't leave. Don't leave me. And just wailing and crying for the first time, time. And the with every step that I took towards the door, that was it. It was fading.

[Podcast Host]

This episode is sponsored by better help. October 10th is World Mental Health Day. And this year it's all about saying thank you, Therapist. Think about how many lives have been touched by those moments in therapy. The time someone felt safe enough to cry, or when the right question brought clarity. Or when a tiny step forward suddenly felt like hope. Better Help therapists have been part of over 5 million journeys like that all around the world. That's 5 million people who had someone.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Narrator/Interviewer]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Narrator/Interviewer]

Michelle and her daughter have been strapped with explosives by gunmen. Michelle has been taken at gunpoint to rob the bank where she works.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

When I walked into the bank and went immediately over to my desk, I pulled, I opened up that right hand drawer and I saw his card sitting there. I shut the drawer and I immediately picked up the phone to Call and check on voicemail.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Michelle had been warned not to use the phone and not to call the.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

Police, which is when I just immediately hung up and thought, oh, my gosh, I wasn't supposed to use the phone. I already made a mistake. I messed up. What's going to happen? Am I going to blow up any minute now? And I was just frozen there for a second and staring at the picture of my daughter on my desk. And just. I was just. You just die inside.

[Troy (Survivor)]

You.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

You just die inside. I was just wandering around the bank with dynamite on my body, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say. Trying to help my employees as much as I could without alerting them, because I didn't want. I didn't want my daughter or myself or my roommate to end up in a million pieces.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The Brinks truck dropped off the money at the bank. Michelle went into the vault with a colleague.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

I brought one of my employees in there with me because everything's in dual control. I had to tell her, this is what's going on. This is what happened all night. I lifted my shirt. I showed her the dynamite on my back and said, if there's any kind of serial numbers or any kind of distinctive markings, write it down as evidence, and please wait until I call you and I know my daughter's alive before you call the police or we might be blown up. She began to panic. I actually had to calm her down and say, just calm down. You can do this. Call corporate security. Do not call the police. My daughter's in a closet. My roommate's duct taped with dynamite. Please do not do anything that is going to jeopardize our lives any further.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Michelle began to put money in a duffel bag.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

I didn't know how much money I was grabbing. I didn't know how much money I was giving them.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

I had absolutely no idea Michelle had taken $340,000.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

During the course of the night, when they were going over their instructions, over and over and over, they continually said, you need to put it in a specific order. Hundreds, 50s, 20s, tens, the rest on top. They specifically said, no funny money. No marked money. If we find out that you put any of that, any marked money in the bag, don't make us have to come back here and kill you. Don't make us have to come back here to hurt you. So there was no way I was going to do anything to further jeopardize my life, my daughter's life, my roommate's life. I was going to do everything in my power to do everything perfect, perfect and right exactly the way they said it, whether or not it was against bank policy or not. So I come out of the bank and I throw the duffel bag full of money into the passenger seat.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Michelle drove the gunman to a drop off point and is then told to drive home.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

At this point, I had been away from my daughter for approximately an hour. And getting into my car and driving with the stick still on my back, not knowing if she's dead or alive, what am I going to find when I get home. Wanting to get there as fast as I could, wanting to alert anybody at the stoplights that I could. And just there were so many things going through my mind. And I had to drive past the bank to get back to my house, which was only about two miles away, so. And driving up the back roads and through the windy roads to get home. And as soon as I drove up, my roommate's car was gone. They had barricaded the front door with the chairs and I just had to struggle my way in and scream, hello, hello. And that's when I heard my daughter say, mommy, we're back here. Just hearing her voice was just. My adrenaline was so high. I had just got done forcing my way in the door and knowing that she's alive and getting back there just to figure out what to do. Is she still duct taped? Is. Do we all still have dynamite on us? I ran into the bedroom and my daughter was still curled up in the closet. My roommate was still on the bed. And I immediately ran to my daughter, just grabbing her face and kissing her and saying, is the dynamite still on you? No, mommy. They took it off, but she still had duct tape on her hands and her feet. So I immediately began to get that off of her feet and her hands. And then we both began to untape and unductape my roommate who was on the bed. And I told them, the dynamite's still on me. You guys need to go for help. You guys go for help. I'll stay here. I don't know if this thing's going to detonate. I don't know what's going to happen. And my daughter was going, no, Mommy, no, I'm not leaving you. My roommate said, michelle, they took it off of our body so fast, they just carelessly ripped it off of our bodies. I know I can do this. And I was saying, no, just go run for help. And she's like, let me just cut it off of you. And at that point I just wanted it off my body. I Was saying, just take it off of me. Just get it off of me. And she ran and got sick and cut it off of me and took the duct tape and the dynamite and put it outside on the retaining wall, and we ran to the neighbors for help. Began recalling a lot, a lot of detail. And the FBI and the police were really, really happy. But I immediately began to tell them to cover my desk and get the card out of the right hand drawer of my desk, that I know that one of the people who did this to us was a man named Christopher Butler.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The men were captured within nine days. Christopher Butler was sentenced to two consecutive life terms, plus 64 years for kidnapping and armed robbery. His accomplices received life sentences, plus 32 years.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

It's never over for survivors. Even though we did survive, and we're choosing a very positive path, it doesn't mean that we don't have to cope with the effects of a violent victimization almost every day of our lives.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Michelle never returned to her house or to her bank job. She and her daughter suffered severe post traumatic stress.

[Michelle (Survivor)]

I survived because I'm my daughter's mother, and I survived because there's so much more life to live for me.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

It's April 2004. In Charleston, South Carolina. Troy and Josh set out for a fishing trip in their boat.

[Troy (Survivor)]

Well, Troy and I have gone fishing probably hundreds of times. We used to live in a neighborhood that was backed up to the water. The boat that Troy and I had was just an old fiberglass sailboat that my uncle had given to me that we were fixing up just for fishing.

[Josh (Survivor)]

We were gonna go take the boat to the beach, and we were just gonna have a short little fishing trip because it was on a Sunday. I had school the next day.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Troy was 15 and Josh was 17.

[Troy (Survivor)]

We didn't take any food because we didn't plan on being out there for a long time. We planned on going for about an hour or two, fish for, you know, anything, really, just anything. I'd bite.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The boys had never fished before in.

[Josh (Survivor)]

The inlet, and we were just trying to get into some deeper water because, you know, sharks will come and swim and eat bait that get stuck in the lagoon and stuff. And we were just paddling around.

[Troy (Survivor)]

We were probably 30, 40 minutes after we put in, we started getting caught in the current, which led us out to the ocean. And, you know, we tried to paddle off to the side. You know, we tried to fight it, but it just, every time you paddle, it just turned the boat around on you. You couldn't control the boat at all. And it eventually pulled us into the rip current, which actually just shot straight out into the ocean.

[Josh (Survivor)]

We had no sails on the boat. We had no motor. It was just the frame, the body of the boat, us. And we had some paddles. We had a total of four paddles. When the boat started drifting away and getting into that rough current, I kind of started laughing, you know, Josh, you know, started yelling at me and telling me, we gotta get out of it, we gotta get out of it. And I was kinda laughing. Thought it was all fun because the waves were bouncing us around or whatnot. And then, you know, it started sucking us away.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

A rip current pulls water from the shore out to the sea as fast.

[Podcast Host]

As 8ft a second.

[Josh (Survivor)]

I knew what a rip current was, but, I mean, I really didn't know the seriousness of it. Cause I never experienced how powerful it was until that day.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Rip currents cause nearly 100 deaths a year.

[Josh (Survivor)]

And then I looked back at the beach and then we were just a couple hundred yards off the beach line. And then I realized, you know, we're not getting out of this palan.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Both boys had left their cell phones in their truck.

[Troy (Survivor)]

When we first realized we were in trouble, I really didn't worry about it too much. I figured that, you know, once, six, seven o', clock, you know, I. Our parents would realize that something might happen. They'll be looking for us. So I wasn't too worried. The water was really cold when we first got into the current. The sandbar wasn't very far away from us.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The sandbar was 100 yards away.

[Troy (Survivor)]

I jumped in with a rope, trying to swim back to the sandbar, which I figured if we got to the sandbar, I could pull the boat back with us. But I was halfway there and Troy looked like he was about to drop. He just couldn't swim no more.

[Josh (Survivor)]

I started panicking. My hands started becoming numb. I'd actually bite my finger and I couldn't feel anything.

[Troy (Survivor)]

And I ended up turning back around, tried to help Troy and all that, but. So once we realized we couldn't swim against the current, we just figured the best bet was to stay with the boat.

[Josh (Survivor)]

We screamed for help for a long time and no one saw us. And we just drifted all the way off the beach line where we couldn't see the beach no more.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

On board, the boys had some fishing gear.

[Josh (Survivor)]

Josh, he decided, you know, why waste time? Let's just fish while we're out here. And he thought he saw a fin. So he went to go fish. And A wave hit the boat and he fell and lost his balance.

[Troy (Survivor)]

You know, I lost my pole in the water because I knocked me over and I dropped the pole and my tackle box and my bait all went out of the side of the boat. So we had nothing. We had fishing bowls but no hooks and no boat bait.

[Josh (Survivor)]

He got really, really mad and just started, you know, cussing and throwing stuff off the boat and like crazy, man.

[Troy (Survivor)]

I felt bad that, you know, we made that mistake and I should have been responsible on and say, you know, we shouldn't go out there because something could happen. But we just didn't think about it at the time. You know, we're excited. We're going fishing. Well, the first night that we were out there, it was really cold. It went down to a record temperature at that time of year. It was below freezing.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The boys didn't have any warm clothing.

[Josh (Survivor)]

My hands were numb and blue. I couldn't feel anything. I was shivering, you know, uncontrollably. We hugged each other to get body heat. Even when we were laying down, you know, we just, you know, pee right where we were just so we could get warm and just for that five minutes. But then when the water came in back in the boat, it would wash, you know, wash the pee away. So, you know, we got cold again. The waves was just very choppy and there were huge swells. I mean, it was just, it was just like it was a big beast and we couldn't do anything. We just, you know, had to fight as much as possible.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The boat was 14ft long.

[Troy (Survivor)]

It's an unsinkable boat. You can't sink it, even if it broke in half. It's got a sealed hull which is filled with foam. And so they had what's called self bailing, where the water, if it came in, it goes out by itself. Instead of having a pump on it.

[Josh (Survivor)]

It had two little holes down at the bottom of it. So water would come in and it would go back out. And it was just like an ongoing process.

[Troy (Survivor)]

And sometimes when a wave, you know, because it was rough, a wave would come over on the boat. We'd have to get out and open the bail holes up, let the water run out and then, you know, scoop the rest of it out. But it'd be constantly wet the whole time.

[Josh (Survivor)]

On the second day, the first thing that we did, you know, we looked to see if we could see anybody, any boats, any land, and unfortunately we didn't. And we realized, well, maybe that they didn't search, you know, last night they're just waiting for a new day and then they're going to start searching.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The Coast Guard was searching off the South Carolina coast, but the boys had been swept farther north.

[Troy (Survivor)]

Well, during the second day, you know, we were both hungry. We hadn't eaten since that morning, which we didn't even eat a good breakfast. So we were talking about food, we were talking about drinks. You're out in the ocean and the water looks like blue Gatorade that you wish you could drink, but you can't.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The salt and seawater dehydrates cells in the body.

[Troy (Survivor)]

We had one little hook in the boat. I mean, it wasn't even. It was just the tiniest little hook for a little baby fish. We actually peeled pieces of skin off our finger and tried to catch like a little fish or something with it. Of course they ended up just grabbing it. The hook was so small, it wouldn't have done any good anyways.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

During the day, the temperature went up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Troy (Survivor)]

I jumped in the water and swam around. Of course, we couldn't stay in there long because you'd be in the water for 20 minutes and the next thing you know you'll see sharks swimming around you.

[Josh (Survivor)]

But when that night came and we didn't see nobody the second day, you know, my hope really got blasted away. I told Josh, I said, that's not good. You know, it's the second night and no one's, you know, we haven't seen nobody.

[Podcast Host]

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[Narrator/Interviewer]

Troy and Josh have been lost at sea in a small boat for two days.

[Troy (Survivor)]

We didn't think we were going to make it too much longer. You know, we're tired, we're worn out, we had no food, no water, dehydrated. We gargle salt water, try to keep our mouths, you know, some type of moisture in there, but it ended up just drying your mouth out even worse.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Normally the body needs 2.6 quart quarts of fluid a day.

[Josh (Survivor)]

We were getting nervous, you know, we didn't think anyone was going to find us. We've seen tugboats go by. They were just really far from us. And since our boat was so small, we were like a needle in a haystack compared to them. But, I mean, we waved at everyone we saw and screamed and yelled. But, I mean, it just never worked.

[Troy (Survivor)]

We tried to actually keep our hopes up, you know, saying that, you know, we. God wanted us dead, we would have been dead already, you know, somebody's gonna find us shortly. It's not gonna take much longer.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The boy's parents feared they had drowned.

[Josh (Survivor)]

Josh and I, we cry all the time. We cried mainly because of our family and our friends that we wouldn't, you know, ever get to see him again. It was horrible.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Troy and Josh have had no food or water for three days.

[Josh (Survivor)]

When I would think about food, it would hurt just as bad. Because, I mean, I like to eat. I'm a big guy. You know, me not having food is not good because I get really mad and I get frustrated. But, I mean, I was starving, you know, I just would think about. I even thought about one time to cut my own finger off. I told Josh, you know, if he would do it, just to have something to chew on. I wasn't hallucinating or anything. I just needed something in my mouth, something with meat on it just to chew. And Josh, you know, he'd tell me to shut up and. And that he wasn't gonna do it, you know, and that, you know, if I keep asking him or saying anything about it, that he's gonna knock me out, you know.

[Troy (Survivor)]

He kept on talking about it, and finally I had to take the knives away from him. Cause I didn't trust him. I figured if I turned my back, he might be over there sawing his finger off. Troy goes, if you die, do you want me to eat you? I said, I really don't care if you eat me or not. I said, just take my clothes off and throw me in the water. So he was pretty hungry. He's always been a biggie year, you know, There was nothing out there in the ocean to block the sun from you, you know. So basically, you're sitting directly under. It was pretty warm. You know, when you're laying on that boat, getting all the heat and, you.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Know, the sun and seawater dried their skin and caused painful cuts.

[Josh (Survivor)]

My whole body was aching. My face was burnt, you know, really, really bad. We had cuts, both of us, all over our bodies. I mean, just the pain we were in just was excruciating. I mean, it was just horrible. The Salt water getting cuts and would sting really, really bad and burn. I was drinking salt water when Josh told me not to. But, I mean, you know, I kind of would sneak it here and there. And he knew that, you know, it wasn't good for me, and I knew it wasn't good for me. But, I mean, what can you do when it's nice and cold and blue and it looks like Gatorade? You just want to drink it just to have something that texture in your mouth.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Drinking seawater increases the chance of death by 36%. They are now entering the fourth night at sea.

[Josh (Survivor)]

On the fourth night, there was no waves, period. I mean, it was like a huge lake that was glassy, and I'd never seen the ocean so calm in my life. But I had a really, really, you know, awkward feeling that said, you know, something is not right about tonight. And I told Josh about it. I said, you know, something's telling me that tonight, you know, something's gonna end up happening. You know, I just don't feel right. And so I said, well, let's just start praying, you know? And he said, all right, I'll pray.

[Troy (Survivor)]

We just dozed off. I heard a real loud noise, and I looked up, and it was just the front of a cargo ship. It looked like a hotel. It was, you know, just so tall, and it was, you know, coming right at us. And I. So I couldn't even say nothing. I was stunned. You know, I thought we were getting ready to get crushed by this boat. And I just grabbed Troy's leg and just squeezed as hard as I could. He came out and left, looked at, and, I mean, both of us were just speechless. We pretty much thought we were getting ready to get crushed.

[Josh (Survivor)]

There's this huge cargo ship that just was right next to us. I mean, it was a crazy experience just seeing something that big, that close to you.

[Troy (Survivor)]

The wave coming off the front of the boat eventually just pushed us off to the side, and, you know, we started yelling and everything else. I was trying to take the anchor. I was trying to get it untangled. I wasn't trying to throw it out to the side of the boat or hopefully it hooked to something, but couldn't get anything, you know, couldn't signal anybody. After about the fifth day, I finally. Every time we saw a boat, I wouldn't even care. I wouldn't even look at them because we've seen so many boats, and they just pass right by. You know, the ocean's so big, there's no way of tracking where we are. So we just figured that there's no if they hadn't found us yet, they're not going to find us. After about the fourth day, I knew I was waiting to die. In fact, I asked, I was like, why haven't I died? You know, because the body's not supposed to live more than three days without water.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Depending on the heat, people can survive up to 10 days without water.

[Troy (Survivor)]

I tried to jump into water one day, and I said, you know, I can't commit suicide just because I don't believe in it. But I figured if I swam down as deep as I can go and I ran out of air before I made it to the surface, then it wasn't committing suicide, which it is. But, you know, I tried, and it's so hard to kill yourself. It's hard to drown yourself. At least when you hear something go, I'm starving. You know, Troy and I, you know, we'll just look at each other and say, they really don't know what it's like to be starving. You know, basically the way it feels is that your stomach's eating your stomach, really. You're, you know, sitting there. You look at anything, you know, you look at your fingers, you look at your hand, you look at Troy, or he looked at me, you know, you're thinking, you know what? He might taste good. We found these little jelly balls, and they'll, you know, floating beside us, just like they're actually in little strands. They, you know, they'll connect to each other. It's, you know, no bigger than eraser on a pencil. I mean, that's how little they are. And, you know, they'll strand together and they actually glow at night. They like a little green color.

[Josh (Survivor)]

And we weren't sure what they were. And so I was gonna eat something. And it was like another thing that if they were poisonous and it would kill me, I would go to heaven and I wouldn't be lost out at sea anymore.

[Troy (Survivor)]

He ate one, and the next morning he was fine, and he was like, I'll eat some more. So I took my hat off, and I'd scoop him up by the hat full, and he'd eat them.

[Josh (Survivor)]

I slurped a few hundred down, and it tastes like an oyster, just really fishy, and has probably twice as bad aftertaste.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Jelly balls are considered a delicacy in Asian cuisine. They are always eaten dried or cooked.

[Josh (Survivor)]

Every day was the same ordeal. We always looked for boats, always looked for rescuers. We always prayed, we always cried. We always thought of our family. You know, that was just like an everyday process.

[Troy (Survivor)]

We swam around a little bit. I told Troy, you know, we saw some sharks. I said, if a shark grabs me, I said, don't even try to help me. I said, just let him eat me. I said, I'm just. If it kills me faster. I said, it's fine.

[Josh (Survivor)]

Josh and I wrote notes in the boat to our parents with three ounce weights. It was tackle that was left over from the tackle box that we threw in the water. It was a shape of a pyramid, and we'd use the point of it, and we'd actually get on the fiberglass inside the boat and we'd just engrave letters to our friends. We told them, thanks for being friends with us. You know, we. We've shared so many good experiences with each other. And then when we talk about our family, we tell them, you know, how much we loved them, how much we care for them. But, I mean, after writing those notes, you know, just, you know, we cried, and it was hard to cry because we didn't have any tears, basically. You know, it was just like. It was just our hearts were crushed, you know, that now I'm not going to see my dad no more. I'm not going to see my mom, you know, any of my family, you.

[Troy (Survivor)]

Know, on the seventh day, when I woke up, I looked out and there was a big old rainbow. And the next thing, I looked down in the water and there was three or four dolphins and then two little baby dolphins swimming around. So I woke Troy up. He was still dead asleep, and I had to show him. It was just an awesome sight. Troy and I sat there that morning, watched some dolphins for probably two or three hours.

[Josh (Survivor)]

It was like all these signs were being thrown at us. And I told Josh, you know, either we were going to die and go to heaven or someone's going to find us. And it was almost like I knew I was going to die that night. I knew I didn't have it in me to go another night.

[Troy (Survivor)]

And we started praying, and I just started saying, well, God, I said, if you're going to rescue us and do it. I said, not just let us die. I basically gave him an option. He had no other options. And it wasn't five minutes later, Troy goes, I hear an engine. I was like, well, it's probably gonna be like every other boat. They're just gonna go right past us.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The boys had seen at least 10 other boats while they were lost at sea.

[Josh (Survivor)]

You know, something told me to stand up and to see where it was, and When I stood up and I realized it was coming right for us, it was like a burst of energy in me and I started going crazy and I told Josh to stand up. We started waving our paddles and screaming and it was like they went straight for us. And it was just. It was an amazing feeling.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

A bad weather forecast had forced the fishing boat to change course.

[Troy (Survivor)]

As soon as I got on the boat, you know, it felt like our whole everything was just lifted off our shoulders. We couldn't hardly walk. It felt like it just hit us then that, you know, how miserable we were or how close to dying we really were.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

The boys had drifted 111 miles to the North Carolina coast. The searchers in South Carolina no longer expected to find them alive.

[Josh (Survivor)]

The first phone call I made was to my dad. And, you know, I told him, I said, dad, you know, I'm alive, I'm alive. He just screamed my name, Troy, really loud. And after that he hung up. And I guess he was just really excited to hear that, you know, I'm still alive and still on the earth.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Josh spent two days in the hospital recovering from severe dehydration.

[Troy (Survivor)]

I survived because my granddad and my dad and all that, they always told us my whole life that, you know, if you get in a situation, don't panic. Think about it, you know, stay with the boat, especially if you're on the water. Always stay with your boat. And if it wasn't for the advice and the friendship and God being with us, there's no way we would have ever made it.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Drinking salt water and having fair skin caused Troy's condition to be worse. He had third degree burns and his feet had permanent nerve damage.

[Josh (Survivor)]

I survived this trip mainly, and I believe this is because of God, the grace of God. There's a reason why, you know, I'm on this earth.

[Narrator/Interviewer]

Troy and Josh remain very close and still go fishing together.

[Josh (Survivor)]

Our friendship now turned into a brotherhood. And I mean, we're always there for each other. And we will be there for each other till the day we die.

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[Michelle (Survivor)]

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[Josh (Survivor)]

This is my kind of place.

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