I SURVIVED: I Felt Like There My Life Goes, That Was My Shot

Summary

Cold Case Files: I SURVIVED – “I Felt Like There My Life Goes, That Was My Shot”

Podcast: Cold Case Files
Host: Paula Barros (A&E/PodcastOne)
Episode Date: August 30, 2025

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Episode Overview

This emotionally charged episode of Cold Case Files features three harrowing stories of survival, told in the words of the survivors themselves: Amy, Tyler, and Jeff. Each faced unimaginable violence and trauma—and lived to speak of it. The episode explores not just the brutality of their ordeals, but the resilience, resourcefulness, and sometimes luck that enabled their survival.
(Listener warning: The stories discussed include violence and sexual assault, including against children.)

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Major Stories and Key Discussion Points

1. Amy’s Story – Survivor of Sexual Assault and Attempted Murder

(Desoto, Missouri, 2003)

Meeting "Texas"

• [02:00] 23-year-old Amy, mother of two, recently separated, attends a party to lift her spirits.
• She meets a charismatic man calling himself “Texas.”
  • “He seemed really nice and he was an absolute gentleman.” (Amy, 02:16)
  • They bond over being parents.

The Assault

• [03:23] After the party, Amy goes for a drive with Texas. He claims to need his debit card from his house, impressing her with talk of homeownership.
• At a dead-end street, after consensual kissing, Texas tries to undress her. She resists.
  • “In an instant, the guy that I had come to know that evening was gone. He looked at me ... evil eyes, he said, but I wanted you.” (Amy, 03:42)
• He violently sexually assaults and nearly suffocates her.
  • “Not only was I being raped and couldn’t scream, I couldn’t breathe.” (Amy, 04:01)

Fight for Survival

• Amy tries reasoning and pleading with him, invoking her own and his child.
  • “Please don’t do this. I’m a mother, and I have babies...I have to be here.” (Amy, 07:49)
• When she invokes his daughter: “You will never see her again if you kill me.” (Amy, 08:26)
• Struggles fiercely, hitting the car horn—a move that enrages him but allows her to briefly breathe.

Escape

• [09:37] She is beaten, strangled, and eventually loses consciousness.
• Wakes up alone in the car, escapes into the woods and onto the highway—barely clothed, face bloody.
  • “I was so sure the whole time that he’s right behind me that I can actually feel his fingertips touching the back of my shoulder.” (Amy, 10:42)
• A car passes but speeds off in fear.
  • “I just. I felt like, there my life goes there. That was my shot.” (Amy, 11:51)
• She finally flags down a driver willing to help, who wraps her in a blanket and calls 911.

Aftermath and Justice

• Amy provides detailed information to police (car, house location), leading to the quick identification of the assailant (real name Leonard Rosenboom).
  • All of his claims—about his house, car—were lies.
• Rosenboom is arrested and later convicted on multiple charges, serving consecutive life sentences.
• Amy returns to her family, remarries, and finds new happiness.
  • “I survived because I’m supposed to be here for my babies. They need their mother and I need them, and I was not ready to go out on them.” (Amy, 14:17)

Memorable Quotes:

• “If he was gonna kill me, he had to look me in the face while he did it.” (Amy, 08:44)
• “Everything around their faces was black. But I could see my two sons’ faces. And then they started fading as well. And then everything went black.” (Amy, 08:56)

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2. Tyler’s Story – Surviving Home Invasion, Sexual Assault, and Attempted Murder

(Altona, Manitoba, Canada, 1990)

Teenage Trust and Betrayal

• [16:37] 14-year-old Tyler befriends Curtis at a new school. They plan a sleepover while Tyler’s mother is away.
• At a town dance, they encounter Earl, a troubled 17-year-old.
• Earl later unexpectedly arrives at Tyler’s house, carrying a duffel bag.

The Horror Unfolds

• Earl confesses to recent crimes, brandishes a stolen handgun.
• After a tense, awkward evening, Earl ties up and blindfolds both boys, then separates them.
• He sexually assaults Tyler and photographs the assault.
  • “At that point, he stood me up and pulled my pants down and then sexually assaulted me.” (Tyler, 19:54)

Murder Attempt and Arson

• Earl returns, claims to have killed Curtis, then cuts Tyler’s throat.
  • “I can see blood squirting everywhere and now hear myself breathing through my neck because there’s a big hole in my neck.” (Tyler, 20:43)
• Covers Tyler with a blanket, sets it on fire.
• Tyler, on fire and severely wounded, miraculously finds the will to escape:
  • “...wasn’t like I heard the big voice from the sky come down or say anything. It was just, you know what, get up and go. And that’s all I heard. And I rolled over.” (Tyler, 23:15)

Escape and Rescue

• Makes his way—burned, with throat slashed, wrists bound—to a neighbor’s house at 4:30 am.
  • Writes out details and names, unable to speak after his throat injury.
• Sees his own house engulfed in flames as emergency services arrive.

Aftermath and Reflection

• Tyler receives 200 stitches, survives thanks to sheer luck (major arteries spared).
• Struggles with survivor’s guilt: “It was a horrible feeling...something that I dealt with for a number of years.” (Tyler, 25:37)
• Earl is caught and sentenced to two life sentences for attempted murder and murder.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Had those two things not happened, I wouldn’t even get out of the house. A series of fortunate things that allowed me to survive.” (Tyler, 26:00)
• “I survived because I was fortunate in that Earl stopped short of cutting my jugular and my carotid artery by a dime’s width.” (Tyler, 26:00)

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3. Jeff’s Story – Surviving a Deadly Avalanche

(Fernie, British Columbia, 2008)

A Day of Adventure Turns Deadly

• [28:21] Jeff and six friends go snowmobiling after a heavy snowfall, enjoying camaraderie and deep powder.
  • “It was almost a perfect day ... it was fun.” (Jeff, 28:46)
• During lunch, they hear an avalanche in the distance, decide to pack up.

Avalanche Strikes – Survival and Rescue

• [29:30] An avalanche engulfs Jeff’s friend Mike—then Jeff himself.
  • “When you’re buried like that, you have no air. ... I tried to move, and I just couldn’t.” (Jeff, 29:46)
• Jeff is found and dug out by a friend.
  • “Just hold on. We’re gonna get you out. Don’t worry.” (Jeff, 30:49)
• The party uses a beacon to find Mike, and are joined coincidentally by four other snowmobilers.

Second and Third Avalanches

• While digging for Mike, a second, more massive avalanche buries Jeff and most of the group again.
  • “You don’t know where you are. Like, you’re up, you’re down, you’re sideways...But after I tumbled, I knew I was on my back.” (Jeff, 32:00)
• Jeff manages, despite mouth and nostrils packed with snow, to dig himself out.

The Aftermath

• He finds and rescues two friends, Jeremy and James, narrowly avoiding further disaster from a third avalanche.
  • “Him screaming, don’t leave me here to die. Don’t leave me here to die. And we have no choice. Like, we’re running for our lives.” (Jeff, 36:23)
• Eight of Jeff’s friends remain buried and cannot be rescued at that time.

Coping, Healing, Moving Forward

• Survivor’s guilt and trauma follow; Jeff takes to drinking before finally seeking help and getting sober.
  • “It definitely took a toll. It ate away at me slowly, which I was in denial of.” (Jeff, 37:00)
• Still snowmobiles today, now aware of the risks.
  • “I believe I survived just from luck. I’m a firm believer now that when your time’s up, your time is up.” (Jeff, 37:34)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Amy’s moment of despair and resolve:
  “If he was gonna kill me, he had to look me in the face while he did it.” (08:44)
• Tyler’s will to survive:
  “It was just, you know what, get up and go. And that’s all I heard. And I rolled over.” (23:15)
• Jeff on survivor’s guilt:
  “It ate away at me slowly, which I was in denial of...There was nothing no one could do until I wanted to do something for myself.” (37:00)
• Amy after survival:
  “I survived because I’m supposed to be here for my babies.” (14:17)

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Key Timestamps

• Amy’s Attack and Escape: 02:00–14:27
• Tyler’s Ordeal and Survival: 16:37–26:00
• Jeff’s Avalanche Experience: 28:21–37:34

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Summary & Takeaway

In this intense episode of Cold Case Files, the stories of Amy, Tyler, and Jeff underscore the horrific violence and dangers that befall ordinary people—and the extraordinary mental and physical strength required to survive them. Whether it was the strategic thinking of a mother, the indomitable will of a teenager, or the resilience (and luck) of an outdoorsman, each account reinforces not only the darkness that exists, but also the unyielding spirit of survival.

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For listeners seeking true-crime survival stories or insights into trauma, resilience, and justice, this episode is a powerful and moving listen.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Amy]

He didn't even say anything. He just put his hands around my throat and started squeezing.

[Narrator]

Real people.

[Jeff]

I've been buried twice already. There's no way I can survive getting hit again.

[Narrator]

Who faced death.

[Tyler]

That's when he taken a knife and.

[Narrator]

Cut my throat and live to tell how I felt.

[Amy]

Like there my life goes. That was my shot.

[Narrator]

This is I survived. It's September 2003 in Desoto, Missouri. 23 year old Amy is the mother of two little boys. She has recently broken up with the boy's father.

[Amy]

I was pretty upset and I needed what I thought would be just a night out so my mother agreed to keep my children and I went out for the night.

[Narrator]

Amy went to a party held by a friend. At the party she met a man who introduced himself as Texas.

[Amy]

He seemed really nice and he was an absolute gentleman. He informed me he had a little girl and I told him I had two boys. He was so proud of his daughter. He acted like he was just the best father in the world and he had the best daughter in the world and he only wanted to do right by her.

[Narrator]

When the party ended, Amy agreed to go for a drive with Texas.

[Amy]

I mean that's basically all we did Was we just drove around and listening to music and talking and having a good time like young people do. We started getting low on gas, and he said that he had left his debit card at home, so we needed to go to his house so he could get his card and fill up on gas. When we got to his house, I noticed that it was a nice house.

[Narrator]

Tex told Amy he owned the house.

[Amy]

It was in a private lake subdivision. And I just thought, wow, you know, this guy's 23 years old. I was just really impressed.

[Narrator]

After getting the debit card, Tex drove to a dead end street nearby.

[Amy]

We were parked there for about 20 minutes. We had been talking, and he leaned over and kissed me. I was okay with that. But as he was kissing me, he started to unbutton my pants. So my instinct was to push him off me. When I did that, he jumped off of me and started apologizing. I told him that was okay. And then I told him that, you know, I thought he was a nice guy, that I was okay with him kissing me, but I just wasn't that kind of girl. And to be honest, if that's all he wanted that night, then he should have picked someone different. In an instant, the guy that I had come to know that evening was gone. He looked at me, and just with these evil eyes, he said, but I wanted you. Immediately after he said that, he jumped out of the driver's seat on top of me and pinned me down to the passenger seat and put his hand over my mouth and took my pants off and raped me. While he was raping me, he had his hand over my mouth, but then he felt the air coming in and out of my nose and decided to pinch my nose closed as well. So not only was I being raped and couldn't scream, I couldn't breathe. I tried as hard as I could to fight him. He had me pinned down in the seat. After the rape, he climbed off of me, and initially he started to actually apologize. He started saying, you know, oh, my gosh, I can't believe I did this. My first reaction was, I just. I just have to live through this. I have to get through this. And if I can talk to him, you know, and let him feel like everything is okay and just get back to my car, that's all I need to do. So I proceeded to tell him, you know, it's fine. It's okay. He put the car in reverse and started to drive. And I could tell he was kind of going back and forth. He was almost like talking to himself. About what he was going to do with me. I was pleading with him to just take me back to my car and that I wouldn't go to the police. He wouldn't say anything for long periods of time. But then out of nowhere, he would say, you're lying. You're lying, bitch. You're gonna go to the cops. He drove probably 10, 15 minutes down the highway, and it was in the direction that we needed to be to go back to my car. It wasn't until he turned, going the opposite direction towards town, that I knew his mind was made that he wasn't going to let me go. I completely lost it. I started screaming. I knew. I knew it was going to happen. And in an instant, he just jerked the car off the road into the woods and attacked me. He didn't even say anything. He just put his hands around my throat and started squeezing. That moment was the most heightened sense of fear I had the entire night. His face was just pure evil. The person that I had come to know that night was completely gone. It was like a monster. I fought him as hard as I could, and I was doing anything I could. And my last attempt was to reach with my foot and hit the horn. And when I did that, it worked. And he. He became just completely enraged as soon as he heard that. He let go of my throat and just started with both fists beating my face. I'll remember forever that. That the beating was actually welcome because he had to let go of my throat so I could breathe. I never closed my eyes for anything. And when he was done beating me, I was still looking straight at him.

[Narrator]

Amy's attacker began strangling her again.

[Amy]

I tried to make as much noise as I could. I tried screaming. I tried scratching his face. He just kept squeezing harder and harder. But every now and then, he would loosen up and I would get something out. And any chance I had to say anything to him, I would say, please, you know, please don't do this. I'm a mother, and I have babies, you know, I've got my babies. I have to be here.

[Narrator]

Amy had two sons then, aged two and four.

[Amy]

And it didn't matter. It didn't faze him. So when that wouldn't work, I thought, well, if my kids don't matter to him, maybe I'll use his daughter. So I brought up his daughter and I said, you know, what about your little girl? You have a baby girl. You can't do this. I said, you will never see her again if you kill me. And he just kept looking Right at me and just squeezed tighter and tighter. I never stopped fighting. Even though the only thing I had left to do was stare at him, I refused to close my eyes. And if he was gonna kill me, he had to look me in the face while he did it. While I had my eyes open, everything changed. Like everything that I saw changed. It went from looking at him and seeing his face to the pictures of my babies. And everything around their faces was black. But I could see my two sons faces. And then they started fading as well. And then everything went black. When I woke up in his car, I actually thought that I had passed. It took several seconds for me to even realize that I was still alive. I started to see the outline of the dome light in the car. And I knew I was exactly in the same spot where the attack took place. My reaction was, of course, oh my God, I'm alive, You know, I'm here. And then instant fear rushed over me about, is he right next to me? What's. Does he see me with my eyes open? I was too scared to even look next to me to see if he was there. I felt with my hand for the door handle. And when I reached it, I just remember feeling that door handle in my hands and thinking, this is it. I've got to go, you know, I've got to run. I opened up the door and as soon as I did that, the dome light went on and I just ran. I was tripping over limbs and just everything in my way. I was actually crawling at one point on all fours through the woods just like an animal, until my hands felt pavement. And I knew then that I had reached the highway. I just took off running, just running in the direction towards town. My face is completely beaten bloody. I'm half naked from the waist down. I'm completely naked. And I'm so sure the whole time that he's right behind me that I can actually feel his fingertips touching the back of my shoulder. And then finally I saw headlights coming towards me. So I start waving my arms in the air and screaming to. To please help, please help. Then when the car approaches, they almost come to a complete stop. And they took one look at me and slammed the locks down on their door and took off. And watching their tail lights as they drove away was. I just. I felt like, there my life goes there. That was my shot. I can't tell you how long I ran after that. I just kept running. And then another car came. And at this point, I decided that I was going to be in the middle of the highway. And if, you know, they were going to have to run me over if they didn't stop. And that's what I did. And this time it was a man. And he stopped and he got out and he let me in his truck. And I remember him saying to me, you know, my God, girl, what happened to you? And all I kept saying was, he's gonna kill me. He's still out there, he's gonna kill me. And the man put me in his truck and gave me a blanket to cover me up and called 911.

[Narrator]

After being taken to the hospital, Amy was interviewed by the police.

[Amy]

I was able to tell the cops every single thing I had learned that night. I told them where his house was, what kind of vehicle he drove, that it had Texas plates. When the police went searching for his house, they found it with the car parked there, the same vehicle that I had described. And when they went to knock on the door, a man answered. And come to find out it was actually Tex's parents. So obviously it was Tex's parents house and not his own. And the vehicles were all his parents and not his. Everything he had described that night as his was actually somebody else's.

[Narrator]

Tex had fled, but was found and arrested the next day. His real name was Leonard Rosenboom.

[Amy]

He was found guilty on all charges and convicted to three consecutive life sentences and then a consecutive 15 year sentence. After that, he was found guilty of first degree assault, two counts of forcible rape, and kidnapping. After all this took place, I got back together with my boyfriend, who's now my husband, and we just had another baby two years ago and our lives have just blossomed. I survived because I'm supposed to be here for my babies. They need their mother and I need them, and I was not ready to go out on them.

[Narrator]

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[Tyler]

High school, Curtis was his name and we just hit it off with a lot of the same interests and just a friendly, friendly, easygoing type kid that everyone loved.

[Narrator]

Tyler's mother and her boyfriend arranged to go away for a weekend. It was agreed that Tyler and Curtis could stay home alone at Tyler's place that Friday night.

[Tyler]

My parents left earlier in the afternoon and we finished up school and the town had a tradition of every, I think every other month or so they'd have town hall dances or elks dances they were called and just gave the youth of the town a place to go and hang out. So came home from school and got ourselves together and kind of made the plan, talked to the friends and decided that we were gonna head to the dance for a little bit and showed up at the dance and hung out there for a little bit.

[Narrator]

Another high school student, 17 year old Earl, arrived at the dance.

[Tyler]

Earl's reputation or how it Was explained to me when I first got to town was just simply that he was trouble. But I was always the type of kid who would give people the benefit of the doubt. And we had a brief conversation in amongst the group of friends that we had there.

[Narrator]

Afterwards, Tyler and Curtis went back to Tyler's place to watch a movie.

[Tyler]

It was around 12 or 12:30, and there was a knock at the door and opened the door to find Earl standing there. He was dressed all in black and carrying a duffel bag. And I looked at Curtis and just thought of wonder in my mind, of, okay, well, I don't think we invited him. Was one of those awkward moments where we stood at the door for a while and wondered, okay, what do we do now?

[Narrator]

Tyler invited Earl to come inside and watch the movie with them.

[Tyler]

And sitting there and watching this movie, it was more of a painful experience of trying to figure out what to talk about. One of the two of us just asked, well, what, you know, you're dressed all in black. What's in the bag? You? And Earl had just made the statement at that point that they were the tricks of the trade. And he said he'd been out doing breaking enters that night after he'd left the dance. Then he also pulled out a.357 Magnum handgun and said that he had stolen that. He asked if we wanted to see it and hold it. It was loaded at the time, and he took the bullets out of it. And I held it for a few seconds and gave it back and. And he put it back in the.

[Narrator]

Bag, hoping Earl would leave. Tyler and Curtis said they were going to bed. Earl followed them into Tyler's bedroom.

[Tyler]

And as we turned around, we noticed Earl standing in the doorway pointing the gun at us. He'd reloaded the gun and was standing in the doorway pointing at us. Earl came in and tied Curtis with his hands up behind his back and kept him there. And then put masking tape over his eyes and then did the same thing to me. Tied me up with my hands behind my back and put masking tape over my eyes. We were both very scared of, well, what. What are you doing? He has a gun. He's tying us up. Earl separated us. He took Curtis and put him in my mom's room and left me in my. In my room. At the time, There was a period of time where he would be in my room and then he'd be in the living room. It sounded like he was unhooking things and making it like he was going to be taking things or Stealing things. Came back into my room. I was just actually sitting on the floor in my room and came back in and said that it was time for some sex. At that point, he stood me up and pulled my pants down and then sexually assaulted me.

[Narrator]

Earl took photographs of the assault and.

[Tyler]

Had just pulled my pants back up and left the room. And again heard a bunch of noises in the other parts of the house. And this time, like, significantly louder banging type stuff from the room next door, which would have been my mom's room where Curtis was.

[Narrator]

A few minutes later, Earl came back into Tyler's room.

[Tyler]

So he actually came in a room, and he took the masking tape off my eyes and said, okay, I'm gonna let you guys go. So he wanted me to kneel down and turn around and said he was gonna cut the tape off my hands. As I kneeled down and turned around, he actually told me that he had killed Curtis. And as I kind of said no, that's when he taken a knife and cut my throat. I can see blood squirting everywhere and now hear myself breathing through my neck because there's a big hole in my neck. And I just kind of went limp. So he was in behind me, and I just kind of went limp, not to his arms, but just kind of fell back into him. And he stopped cutting at that point. And I just kind of laid back.

[Narrator]

On the floor, believing Tyler was dead. Earl got up and left the room.

[Tyler]

And at this point, I have no idea how bad my wounds are or anything like that. I got up, and he was in the living room, which was right next to my room. And I could see him standing there. And he came back into my room and pushed me down on the floor. I still have my hands taped behind my back at this point. And he had brought with him a fireplace shovel. Pushed me down on the ground and stuck it on the inside of kind of the side of my neck, not into the hole in my neck. And I just laid there. So he stopped that actually rather quickly. And. And I closed my eyes and didn't necessarily see where he went. I knew he wasn't in my room. And in my mind, I'm just sitting and thinking, okay, just play dead. He'll think you're. He'll think you're dying, and he'll go away. And I have no idea whether I'm bleeding to death or not. I obviously know it's pretty bad and that I need help. He did come back in my room again moments later. And on my bed, I had a feather down filled blanket. So a down filled blanket that he grabbed off the bed and covered me up with and then doused it in something I could smell. I could smell something that smelled like gasoline or like a kerosene type thing. Within an instant after that you could hear it go foonk. And he had lit the blanket on fire that I was lying under. I'm lying there and I'm being burnt alive. Up until that point I even thought I was going to die. Never thought that that would be how I'd never thought that'd be how I'd end my life. Whether it was a thought or I just prayed to myself that you know what, this is it, I'm done, just come take me now is the words I remember saying in my brain. And it wasn't an audible voice, wasn't like I heard the big voice from the sky come down or say anything. It was just you know what, get up and go. And that's all I heard. And I rolled over.

[Narrator]

Tyler managed to push off the burning blanket and stand up.

[Tyler]

And by now I could feel my chest had been burnt and the lights were off in the house. Now when I came out of my room into the living room, Earl was again standing in the living room. He had been lighting fires in the rest of the house. So as I came out of the room he was actually lighting a fire in the living room on the floor. He looked at me. Now this is the first time he had been angry really all evening or seemed to attempt he would be angry. And he grabbed me and said a few choice words, why won't you die? And he hit me a couple times. And now the smoke level is now probably down to about head height and you could hear him coughing and he just went out the back door. In my mind I figured I don't care if I have to break a window or whatever. If he went that way, I'm going a different way. Still had my hands tied behind my back. So it took me a little bit and I got myself out the front door and, and just ran to my neighbor's place.

[Narrator]

Tyler rang the doorbell until his neighbor opened the door.

[Tyler]

By now it was about 4:30 in the morning. His eyes were bigger than saucers because I'm standing there, my chest is all burnt, I'm still steaming and I have a big gaping hole in my neck and there's blood everywhere and there's blood on his outside of his door. He just grabbed me and brought me inside and grabbed a tee to and put a tea towel around my Neck. I couldn't talk now because anytime I tried to talk, the air just came out of my throat. I just motioned to him, get me a pen and a piece of paper. And I just started writing everything down. I just said, who had done this, that my friend was still inside. You know, my parents were here in town. This is who you can call and anything and everything. I didn't know whether I was gonna. Gonna make it or not. And I wanted to make sure that I had all the. I had as much as I could have written down. And by now you could see out the window. The fire had breached the windows, and it was all coming out the windows. He'd called the fire department, and just about the time I'd finished writing everything down, the ambulance showed up and was backing into the driveway.

[Narrator]

Tyler was rushed to the trauma center. The wound in his throat required 200 stitches. When Tyler woke up, he was told that his friend Curtis was dead.

[Tyler]

So waking up three days later in the hospital and then hearing the first thing is that your friend had been killed, definitely struggled with the fact that, okay, I'm still here and he's not. It was a horrible feeling, and it was something that I dealt with for a number of years.

[Narrator]

The killer, Earl Giesbrecht, was arrested the day after the attack. He is serving two life sentences for attempted murder and first degree murder.

[Tyler]

I survived because I was fortunate in that Earl stopped short of cutting my jugular and my carotid artery by a dime's width. Fortunate that when I came out of my room still conscious and alive, the smoke had gotten to the point where we were both almost coughing and he went out the back door. Had those two things not happened, I wouldn't even get out of the house. A series of fortunate things that allowed me to survive.

[Narrator]

Finding the one can feel impossible. And in today's world, it's even harder. False profiles, inaccurate pictures, Incompatibilities. Ghosting on dates. Is this sounding familiar? But if you're ready to make your move to a new place, it doesn't have to feel like dating. All it takes is a simple search on apartments.com to find your perfect match. Whether you're looking for a three bedroom condo downtown, a two bedroom duplex in a quiet neighborhood, a cozy studio in a walkable city, or even a single family home in a cul de sac, you can find a place that checks all the right boxes. So whichever stage of life you're in, settle down in your perfect home by using apartments.com. no more swiping and awkward first dates make it easier to get a place that gets you visit apartments.com, the place to find a place.

[Jeff]

What if the stories of gods, angels and ancient technology weren't myths, but memories of alien contact? On Ancient Aliens, we investigate the evidence, from mysterious ruins to strange celestial alignments, Asking bold questions about humanity's origins. Could visitors from the stars have influenced our greatest civilizations? Journey into the unknown and and challenge what you think you know about history in episodes like Secrets of the Sumerians, Mysteries of the Mayo, or the Chosen. We are not alone. Download Ancient Aliens every Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Narrator]

It's December 2008 in Fernie, British Columbia. 29 year old Jeff grew up in a small Canadian town.

[Jeff]

Friendships that you build in a small community are. It's very hard to explain. You start out at kindergarten, you go right through grade school, high school, you know, when everyone graduates and you still hang out, party, snowmobile, dirt bike, camp. It was a great lifestyle to live in.

[Narrator]

Jeff and six of his friends left town early one morning to go snowmobiling. Overnight. There had been a heavy snowfall.

[Jeff]

The snow was so, so deep. It was just unreal to ride in it is a lot of fun, but then when someone gets stuck, it's a lot of work. And I mean, everyone was getting stuck. It was just, it was almost a perfect day, you know, no one was mad, no one was getting angry. It was just, it was fun.

[Narrator]

The snowmobilers rode for four hours before stopping for lunch.

[Jeff]

We were sitting there and we were eating and we heard a slide let go.

[Narrator]

Jeff and his friends heard the sound of an avalanche.

[Jeff]

It was way over, way, way over, probably a kilometer away in the basin. And we decided, you know, like, let's pack up, let's get out of here.

[Narrator]

Jeff's friend Mike was digging his snowmobile out of the snow 500ft away.

[Jeff]

Michael's dad was actually standing right beside me and I had my head down. Michael's dad said, it's gonna get Mike. And just as I, when I looked up, I could see Mike's head was turned up the mountain. And then within a split second, he disappeared. I watched Michael disappear into this big cloud of snow. And it comes at you so fast. It was like you blink once and it's, you know, it's that much closer. I stood there figuring, you know, there's no way this is gonna get to me. I'm way too far away. And then the wind, the first thing that hit me was the wind and the cloud of snow. And I kind of just kind of put my head down, and I just felt this big impact. And, you know, the next thing I know, I'm face down, buried in snow, and I can't move. When you're buried like that, you have no air. You have just the air that's in your lungs, basically. I tried to move, and I just couldn't. I couldn't move. I was really panicky, like, you know, kind of trying to shake, see if I could wiggle. And there was just nothing. I was just laying there. And then I could hear some noises of the snow. Like, when you walk on the snow, it makes a sound. I could hear it. And then I just felt, like, right between my helmet and my mouth, I felt a hand. I heard, you know, just hold. Just hold on. We're gonna get you out. Don't worry. We're gonna get you out. And I could hear them starting to dig. From the voice, I could tell it was my best friend.

[Narrator]

Jeff was dug out unhurt from under the snow.

[Jeff]

And I asked Danny, I said, who are we missing? He just said, michael.

[Narrator]

Their friend Michael was buried somewhere nearby. The men had a beacon that was picking up a signal.

[Jeff]

Beacon is designed to send out a signal in the event that you do get buried. And when there's other people around, you can switch it to search, which then allows you to pick up the signal of the person under the snow.

[Narrator]

From the signal, they were able to identify where Michael was buried.

[Jeff]

We just started to dig, and Danny said, you want me to yell at those guys to come up and help? I remember saying to Danny, you know what, guys? He says, those four guys down there. I said, yeah, holler at them. And when they started to ride up, that's when we realized that they were four of our friends from Sparwood. They knew where we were, so they were just coming to see how our day was going. They pulled up and we just said, you know, Michael. We got Michael in the snow. And they all jumped off right away and just. And started to help.

[Narrator]

While digging, the men heard the sound of another avalanche.

[Jeff]

We heard this big, thunderous. The crack and the boom. And the area we were in, you couldn't see the top of the mountain. It was low clouds, and it literally just. It was like it fell out of the sky like a waterfall of snow coming out of the sky. And we just yelled, avalanche. And then it hit. I felt it hit the back of my legs first. But I mean, this. This happens so quick. It's. It's not like, you know, this. This hap. This hit me, and then two seconds later, this. It's just bang, bang, bang. You don't know where you are. Like, you're up, you're down, you're sideways, your head down, you know? But after I tumbled, I knew I was on my back. It was like a second wave of snow come over and. And the weight. The weight was just unexplainable. It was just like having people stand on your chest. And it went completely pitch black. And at that point, I closed my eyes. I said goodbye to my two kids, to my fiance at the time, said, you know, this is it. This is where they're gonna find me. I'm out doing something I love, and I've had a good 29 years. And then I could feel the wind on my fingers. I kind of opened my eyes, and I could see. I could see daylight through the snow. And I thought I was telling myself, you know, stay calm, stay calm. So I tried to move, and I could move. I got my arms free, and I just. Basically, I started going like this, digging. My mouth was packed full of snow. My nostrils were packed full. I remember the sensation of scratching my face, trying to get snow. And I got one finger down the side of my mouth. It was packed full of snow. I couldn't dig it out or nothing. And I took a breath in, and as I took the breath in, I could feel the gurgling in my lungs, and I thought, oh, this. This isn't good. I went poof to spit out the snow out of my mouth, and it was just red. I could see, you know, out this little, basically, hole that I've dug for my face. I just kept working and working and working, and finally, you know, after about five minutes of continuous effort, I finally got myself out. I sat up and I rolled over, and I'm now facing the mountain. I'm looking around, and everything's basically just white. I can't see anybody. I look over, and there's a ski of a snowmobile sticking out and the track of another snowmobile.

[Narrator]

Jeff's 10 friends were missing, buried under the snow.

[Jeff]

I remember saying to myself, where do I start? I got no gloves. I got no shovel. I got nothing. And I just yelled, you know, I just hollered, hello. And I heard somebody. I went running for where I heard it, and when I got over there, it was Jeremy. I could see his shoulders, both arms and his head, and. And he's yelling at me, get me out of here. Get me out of here.

[Narrator]

Jeff managed to dig Jeremy out of the snow with his bare hands.

[Jeff]

And I just kind of rolled onto my back. At this point, I'm fully exhausted. I'm spitting up blood. And Jeremy got out of the hole and he hollered, hello. And you heard this faint mumble sound, like just a. Ooh, you know, type of. And Jeremy said to me, did you hear that? And I said, yeah.

[Narrator]

They found their friend James wedged down a hole in the snow nearby.

[Jeff]

As soon as we started digging, we just kept going and we got James, you know, his whole torso. I said, well, there's two of us. Let's just try and. Let's give him a pull and see what happens. And just as we went to pull, we heard that boom, that crack again. And here it comes again. Looked up and we seen it coming and looking at James and saying, sorry, we gotta run. And him screaming, don't leave me here to die. Don't leave me here to die. And we have no choice. Like, we're running for our lives. I've been buried twice already. There's no way I can survive getting hit again. So me and Jeremy, we ran as far as we could to the side. I remember sitting there and just. And James just screaming. And there's nothing we can do for him at this point. Clouds like a whiteout. Just this big cloud of snow. Blowing snow comes. And then the slide stopped 10ft above James. It just stopped. We ran back in, we dug James's legs out, we got him out and kind of carried him over to the side, sat him down, and he was in a lot of pain. I kind of looked around real quick to see if I could see anything, you know, a glove, hand, foot sticking up, and there was nothing.

[Narrator]

Eight of Jeff's friends were missing. Buried under the snow.

[Jeff]

You know, by this point, 40, 45 minutes has gone by. As a group of three, we made that gut wrenching decision that we had no choice but to leave. There was nothing, nothing we could do at that point. It definitely took a toll. It ate away at me slowly, which I was in denial of it. People around me could see it was happening. I did start to drink, started to party pretty hard, and then it just started to. Just started to unravel so quick, like. And I didn't even. Didn't even realize it until point when it was. My relationship ended. There was nothing no one could do until I wanted to do something for myself.

[Narrator]

Jeff sought help and got sober. He still likes to go snowmobiling.

[Jeff]

When I bought my first snowmobile, I knew part of the risk was avalanches. Unfortunately, this time when it happened, it was just so absolutely tragic. It was overwhelming. I believe I survived just from luck. I'm a firm believer now that when your time's up, your time is up. Just when you thought summer couldn't get any hotter, Pluto TV is turning up the heat with thousands of free movies presenting Summer of Cinema. Stream your favorite blockbuster films like Gladiator. I will have My Vineyards. Good Burger. This is what I do. Fast food, Beverly Hills Cop, the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, and Julie and Julia. All for free on your favorite devices. Pluto tv Stream now pay. Never.