I SURVIVED: I Looked Over and He Was Bleeding From the Chest

Summary

Cold Case Files Podcast Summary

Episode Title: I SURVIVED: I Looked Over and He Was Bleeding From the Chest
Host: Paula Barros
Release Date: June 28, 2025
Description: Based on the Emmy-nominated A&E series, this episode delves into harrowing survival stories from individuals who endured unsolvable murders and kidnappings. Through detailed narratives and investigative breakthroughs, the episode highlights the resilience of victims and the relentless pursuit of justice.

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1. Gracia Burnham's Ordeal in the Philippines

Timestamp: [02:22] - [19:09]

Gracia Burnham and her husband, Martin, were Christian missionaries involved in a flight program supplying tribal villages in Palawan, Philippines. Celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary with a tropical island getaway, their trip took a tragic turn on their second day at the Dos Palmas resort.

Host Introduction: Marissa Pinson sets the scene in May 2001, introducing Gracia and Martin’s mission work before their abduction.

The Abduction: On the morning following their arrival, three armed men broke into their resort room. Gracia recounts the terror of being forced onto a speedboat by the Abu Sayyaf militants, a group notorious in the Philippines for kidnappings and ransom demands.

"The fear I felt in my heart was almost paralyzing. But when there's a gun up your back, you do what they told you to do."
— Gracia Burnham [02:10]

Captivity: Over 12 hours at sea, the hostages endured harsh conditions, including limited water and rough seas. The Abu Sayyaf began negotiating ransoms, leading to the release of several Filipino hostages. However, Gracia and Martin were designated as political prisoners, with their fate tied to ransom negotiations.

Escalation and Tragedy: The situation deteriorated when the group beheaded another American hostage, Guillermo, underscoring the militants' ruthless intentions.

"We grabbed clothes and then they took me out to our mission. We had been told to comply in a hostage situation, and that's what I did."
— Gracia Burnham [02:22]

After enduring months of hardship, including multiple gun battles with the Philippine military and starvation, the couple remained steadfast. Tragically, during a final confrontation with the military, Martin was fatally shot.

"As I left Martin and laying in the rain, I just remember having a real peace because one of us was going to get to go home and raise our children."
— Gracia Burnham [17:17]

Rescue and Aftermath: Gracia was rescued by American military personnel and reunited with her children. She credits Martin’s unwavering support and their shared faith for her survival.

"I survived because Martin kept me going in the jungle and because God had mercy on us."
— Gracia Burnham [19:09]

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2. Richard's Home Invasion in Maine

Timestamp: [22:30] - [31:49]

Richard, a builder from Standish, Maine, experienced a terrifying home invasion in February 2009. Returning home late, he was attacked by an armed intruder seeking money.

The Attack: Richard describes the initial confrontation, mistaking a broomstick for a weapon, which escalated into a physical struggle. The intruder wielded a large knife, causing severe injuries to Richard.

"I grabbed the object from the side of my head. It turned out to be the barrel of a toy gun. It could have been a broomstick for all I knew."
— Richard [23:33]

Desperate Defense: Despite being overpowered and bleeding, Richard managed to evade the intruder by cutting himself free and escaping the house.

"I survived because I just wouldn't quit. I just kept trying and kept hoping as much as trying that the outcome of this would be life, as opposed to me being dead."
— Richard [31:49]

Resolution: The perpetrator, Ephraim Bennett, was apprehended shortly after and sentenced to 27 years in prison. Richard underwent multiple surgeries for his injuries but ultimately survived the ordeal.

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3. Michelle and Daniel's Wilderness Accident in Idaho

Timestamp: [34:23] - [42:50]

Michelle and her husband, Daniel, embarked on a scenic drive through the Idaho wilderness in September 2009. Their adventure turned perilous when a stray branch pierced Michelle's neck through the car window, rendering her immobile.

The Incident: While navigating a remote area, a branch forcefully entered their vehicle, injuring Michelle and incapacitating her. Daniel struggled to maintain control of the vehicle while attempting to seek help.

"There was just branches sticking all over the place. I could not see, I could not move at all."
— Michelle [35:58]

Struggle for Survival: With the vehicle immobilized and no immediate cell service, Daniel faced the daunting task of reaching the nearest lodge for assistance. The couple navigated treacherous terrain under extreme duress, enduring Michelle's severe injuries.

Arrival and Rescue: After hours of relentless effort, they reached the lodge where Michelle received emergency medical attention. The surgical team worked tirelessly to remove the branch, saving her life.

"I survived because I stayed calm, I stayed aware, I stayed alert. And I was fighting for myself and for the person next to me."
— Michelle [42:18]

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Conclusion

This episode of Cold Case Files showcases the extraordinary resilience and courage of individuals who faced life-threatening situations. From being held hostage by militants to surviving brutal home invasions and wilderness accidents, each story underscores the human spirit's capacity to endure unimaginable hardships. The detailed narratives, coupled with poignant quotes and timestamps, provide a comprehensive understanding of the harrowing experiences and ultimate triumphs of the survivors.

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Notable Quotes:

• "The fear I felt in my heart was almost paralyzing. But when there's a gun up your back, you do what they told you to do."
  — Gracia Burnham [02:10]

• "I survived because I just wouldn't quit. I just kept trying and kept hoping as much as trying that the outcome of this would be life, as opposed to me being dead."
  — Richard [31:49]

• "I survived because I stayed calm, I stayed aware, I stayed alert. And I was fighting for myself and for the person next to me."
  — Michelle [42:18]

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This comprehensive summary captures the key elements, discussions, and emotional depth of the episode, providing valuable insights for listeners and those interested in true survival stories.

Transcript

[Gracia Burnham]

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[Marissa Pinson]

Hi, I Survived listeners. I'm Marissa Pinson, and before we get into this week's episode, 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 on the new A and E Crime and Investigation channel on Apple Podcasts and Apple plus for just 4.99amonth, or 39.99 a year. And now onto the show. This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Gracia Burnham]

The fear I felt in my heart was almost paralyzing. But when there's a gun up your back, you do what they told you to do.

[Daniel]

Real people, they all looked at me and their faces were just like, oh my gosh, what happened to this girl? And everybody started scattering.

[Marissa Pinson]

Who faced death?

[Richard]

Allsee would say is I ought to stick you right now. That's all I should do is just stick you. Let's just get this over with and.

[Gracia Burnham]

Live to tell how I said this isn't going to turn out well. We're sick of this. Why don't you take the money and let's all go home? But they were greedy and they hardened their hearts.

[Marissa Pinson]

This is I survived it's May 2001 in Palawan, Philippines. Gracia and her husband Martin are Christian missionaries based in the Philippines. They run a flight program supplying tribal villages with food and medicine.

[Gracia Burnham]

My husband Martin was a missionary pilot, a jungle pilot. His job was to take food and supplies and do medical evacuations from the tribal villages that we worked with.

[Marissa Pinson]

For the couple's 18th wedding anniversary, they booked a tropical island getaway.

[Gracia Burnham]

We left our children with co workers on the island that we normally lived on, and we told them, we'll be back in one week. We got to Dos Palmas, and it was a beautiful island resort, white sand beaches, and had a nice meal, went to bed that first night. And early the next morning, there was pounding on the door. Bang, bang, bang, bang. Martin grabbed shorts headed for the door. Even before he got there, these three guys with M16s broke the door in. One came over to the bed and lowered his weapon at me and yelled, go, go, go. And I grabbed clothes and then they took me out to our mission. Had kind of given us a little bit of training what to do if you're in a hard situation like that. We'd always been told that at the beginning of a hostage situation, you comply and you do exactly what you're told. And that's what was on my mind. Do what they say to do. And they were saying, go, go, go. And I was going. The fear I felt in my heart was almost paralyzing. But when there's a gun up your back, you do what they told you to do. They were taking all of us down to the pier to a waiting speedboat. And as we pulled away from the dock, they raised their weapons in the air. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. That's when we knew who had us. The Abu Sayyaf. They're a household name in the Philippines. Everyone knows who they are. Militant Muslims who declared jihad in that area of the world. But their jihad has kind of degenerated into a kidnap for ransom group. And we knew we were in big trouble. The other hostages were just people that had been at the resort. Filipinos who were there for various reasons. There was one other American taken. He was a businessman from California. We were on a big speedboat. It had three outboard motors on the back, and we were, you know, pounding up and down. So we were all kind of getting airborne, just being slapped against the bottom of the boat.

[Marissa Pinson]

After 12 hours at sea in a small speedboat, the 20 hostages were forced aboard a filthy fishing boat.

[Gracia Burnham]

Water was a problem. There wasn't enough water on the boat and ended up drinking the fishy water, you know, as the ice melted from the catch. That was not pleasant. The Abu Sayyaf said to us, what do you do for a living? They would kind of set a ransom goal for each person. They got to Martin and I and said, you will be political prisoners. We'll deal with you last. But as time went on, we saw that that really wasn't true. What they really wanted was money.

[Marissa Pinson]

The rebel leader began negotiating with Philippine government officials for ransom money.

[Gracia Burnham]

We didn't know how to play the game. You pay the ransom, you go home. But we were kind of in this American mode. And of course, Americans don't pay ransom. It's not fair. It's not right. The Abu Sayyaf got mad at the government negotiator in Manila. And to prove a point, they said, if you don't get us a new negotiator in 72 hours, we will kill one of the whites. On the shore were probably 60, 80 Abu Sayyaf with all their weapons waiting for us. I asked Martin, how long do you think this is going to go on? He said, well, you know those other hostages that were taken a few years ago? I think that lasted for about six. So in my mind, I thought, okay, worst case scenario, we'll be here six weeks. They told Martin, we will ask $1 million for you, and your companion can go free. That would be me, because women have no value in that culture. Within days of us being taken hostage, the other hostages started being released. When a ransom payment would come in.

[Marissa Pinson]

The first 38 days of captivity, 11 Filipino hostages were released after ransom payments were made.

[Gracia Burnham]

We thought we would be the targets. We would be the ones that were treated poorly because we were Christian missionaries and they were Muslims. They actually saw us as good people because we were there to help the poor and the needy. Who they targeted was the other Americans. They just labeled him as a bad guy right away.

[Marissa Pinson]

The other American hostage was Guillermo, a tourist from California.

[Gracia Burnham]

Martin and Guillermo were always handcuffed at night together, so they wouldn't run. This particular night, they came and handcuffed Martin to a tree and took Guillermo away. And as they were taking Guillermo away, he threw his stuff at me. He said, take care of my stuff and till I get back. And they took him off. I kind of figured those were Guillermo's last words. I told Martin, they've killed Guillermo. And he said, oh, no, you can't think that. But later, we asked Saliman, one of the leaders of the group, if Guillermo was Dead. And he said, we released him without his head. They beheaded him just to prove a point, just to gain control. It was needless, a totally needless thing, but that's when we knew they meant business. Then we knew truly the depths of the trouble we were in.

[Marissa Pinson]

Exhausted and starving, the eight remaining hostages were marched into the mountains to avoid the Philippine army.

[Gracia Burnham]

The military was down in the lowlands, you know, where the villages were. So we would hike high up into the mountains where the military wasn't going to come because it was hard hiking to get up there. But we would starve up there. There was no food, There were no fruit trees. There was nothing. You dreamed of food all the time, but you just kept putting one foot in front of the other foot. You just had to keep going.

[Marissa Pinson]

Sleeping rough on the jungle floor, the hostages survived on tiny portions of rice and any fruit they found.

[Gracia Burnham]

There were many days we had nothing to eat. At one point, we went nine days without food. I didn't know you could go nine days without food. I thought you go three days and you drop dead, but you don't. We drank whatever we could find. We would just drink from muddy streams, we would drink from rivers. Whatever we could find to stay alive, we drank. We got diarrhea and dysentery, and there was no place to clean up. And we started to starve, and we started to look more like animals than human beings.

[Marissa Pinson]

The Philippine army used aggressive tactics in their attempts to free the hostages.

[Gracia Burnham]

Of course they were trying to rescue us, but we learned that they didn't know anything about hostage rescue. They would Rambo style, shoot up the camp. There was never selective gunfire with the Philippine military. They would find us and they would just empty their guns. Their rounds, they would just spray shoot up the camp. And we knew our days were numbered. We knew that we wouldn't survive many of those gun battles.

[Marissa Pinson]

On the run from the army, the Abu Sayyaf invaded a local hospital.

[Gracia Burnham]

We burst into the hospital, broke all the windows and took hostages there. One by one, they let the patients go. But then the military just started bombing from overhead and shooting at us. And the hospital was a war zone.

[Marissa Pinson]

The army attacked the hospital, firing mortars from a helicopter.

[Gracia Burnham]

At one point, when they started bombing us, we all hit the ground and pulled a sheet over us. And I started blacking out. I just had enough. And I told Martin, you know, maybe I'm going to die here, but I can't lay in this blood. I thought, at least I'll die with my head up.

[Marissa Pinson]

After attacking the hospital for Two days, the Philippine army pulled back and the terrorists escaped.

[Gracia Burnham]

I began begging God not to make us go through any more gun battles because they were traumatizing. And in those gun battles, we would have dead, we would have wounded that we needed to deal with until we could get to a Muslim village where they could handle the problem. They were awful, every single one of them.

[Marissa Pinson]

The hospital siege was the first of 17 gun battles the terrorists would have with the military.

[Gracia Burnham]

One day, I had just washed some things at the river. We'd hiked back up and thrown our wet clothes over the bushes to dry, and the gunfire started in on us. The military found us again, and we had to run and drop and run and drop and leave all of our stuff behind. We lost everything. The emotional roller coaster was awful. They would tell us every week, Friday there will be news, or Friday you will be released. And our hopes would get up and we would live for Friday. And then Friday nothing would happen. There were some days I would sit and I would say, martin, I'm done. I'm not going on. They can shoot me if they want to, but I'm finished. And Martin would say, gracia, what would the kids say if you had a phone right now? They would say, mom, keep going today because tomorrow you might get to go home.

[Marissa Pinson]

Gracia and Martin wondered if they would ever see their three children again.

[Gracia Burnham]

Our children were ages 9, 11, and 13 when we were taken hostage. And we wondered about them. But I didn't allow my mind to worry about them because if I had gone there in my mind, I would have been paralyzed with fear or it would have been emotional overload. I just couldn't think about my children. I just kept telling myself, they are fine. We talked about escape, but we weren't going to escape unless we were sure we could get away. If we could kill the guard or whatever that was with us, we had to be sure to be to get out of there. Because they always told us, if you try to escape, we will kill you. And we didn't want our children to grow up orphans.

[Marissa Pinson]

Using their missionary training, the couple built friendships with their captors.

[Gracia Burnham]

God started changing my heart. He started letting me see these kids. I call them the kids for who they really are. Not all of them were bent on jihad. I think there was this great disconnect between them being terrorists and them being like our friends, because we almost became a family, which makes no sense at all. And we always said, you know, who are the good guys? The good guys are the ones coming in shooting at you, who are the bad guys. The bad guys are the ones feeding you, shielding you in a gun battle and telling you what to do. When you live with someone and you walk with them and you endure terror with them, you kind of become a family. But they were the enemy. But on the other hand, they were our family.

[Marissa Pinson]

Another six months of intense suffering passed, with no sign of freedom.

[Gracia Burnham]

The year mark was really low for us. We couldn't believe we were still there. After a year. We were weak. We were exhausted. Every day we would say, this cannot get any worse. And then it would get worse. And I found myself just stuffing the emotion of everything back somewhere in my mind. We told stupid stories. Martin would sing me funny songs. He often sang songs to get me to sleep because I couldn't sleep well. And he would sing me to sleep. They let all the remaining hostages go, except Martin and I and a Filipina nurse named Edebora. They kept us three and let everyone else go.

[Marissa Pinson]

Finally, news of a ransom payment filtered into the camp.

[Gracia Burnham]

This is it. It's what we'd been waiting for. The leaders all sat around deciding what to do. And then they called Martin and I, and we sat down with them. And they said, someone's paid a ransom for, but we've decided it's not enough and we're going to ask for more. And I begged them not to do that. I said, this isn't going to turn out well. We're sick of this. You're sick of this. Why don't you take the money and let's all go home? But they were greedy and they hardened their hearts. We started thinking that neither of us would get out of their life. We started planning life without each other. My goal in life had always been to grow old with Martin. And that's what happened in the jungle. We grew old. We started looking old and wrinkled and shriveled. And we started walking like old people. We had to move slower, and we couldn't run as fast. There never seemed to be a plan, and that's what bothered me here we were running out of energy. We were getting thinner and thinner. We were this ragtag group with no plan.

[Marissa Pinson]

The harsh living conditions also caused some of their captors to lose hope.

[Gracia Burnham]

A lot of the Abu Sayyaf started going awol. The leaders, of course, were committed because there was a fat paycheck at the end for them. But they even got sick of it. Late one night, we decided to cross a road. Well, I knew that was a bad mistake, because we would leave our tracks the next Morning, we realized that we were being followed.

[Marissa Pinson]

The Philippine army had located the Abu Sayyaf hideout and closed in.

[Gracia Burnham]

One of the unwritten rules between the Abu Sayyaf and the military was they never fought in the rain. And this was the tropics. It was clouding up to rain, so we thought we were okay. So we stopped and put up our hammocks and put up our plastic sheeting to wait out the rain. And the military didn't stop. They came over the hill. And I think we surprised them as much as they surprised us. And they just opened fire on us. And it was just instantaneous gunfire like it had always been, indiscriminate, Rambo style. Shoot up the camp. Shoot or be shot. Before I could even get to the ground, I was shot in the leg and fell out of the hammock and slid down the hill because it was slippery and wet. And I came to rest beside Martin, and I looked over at him, and he was bleeding from his chest. I don't know how long that gun battle lasted, but I was trying to do what Martin had always taught me in a gun battle. Stay down till someone tells you what to do. I was trying to look down, dead. Sometime during the gun battle, I felt Martin's body get very heavy. The weight of death, I think, is what I felt. But I didn't know. I'd never seen a person die. The soldiers came down and drugged me up the hill, and as they were dragging me away, I looked at Martin and he was white. That's when I knew he was dead. As I left Martin and laying in the rain, I just remember having a real peace because one of us was going to get to go home and raise our children. And that's what we'd been begging God for. And you know, that's not the answer I would have chosen.

[Marissa Pinson]

Martin Burnham died from a single gunshot wound to his chest.

[Gracia Burnham]

A helicopter came in and took me to a US army field unit, and it was American military personnel. And I was so glad to see them. And they did surgery right there and then right away, after they found my children, I was able to call the children, and I wanted them to hear details from me about their dad's death. I know I wouldn't have survived this experience without Martin there to just keep me going, keep me focused. Kept telling me, keep going today, tomorrow you might get to go home. I have Martin to thank for getting through that. He was a good man. I survived because Martin kept me going in the jungle and because God had mercy on us.

[Marissa Pinson]

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[Gracia Burnham]

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[Marissa Pinson]

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[Gracia Burnham]

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[Marissa Pinson]

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[Gracia Burnham]

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[Marissa Pinson]

It'S February 2009 in Standish, Maine Richard is a builder working on a new house in the middle of winter. Finishing early on Saturday, Richard heads home.

[Richard]

Did a little grocery shopping on the way and it was about an hour commute. I probably got home around 2:00, 2:30.

[Marissa Pinson]

Richard lived alone in a small lakefront cottage. Five minutes drive to his neighbor's.

[Richard]

It's very peaceful, very rural and very quiet, particularly in the wintertime. Laid down on the couch, turned the TV on. At this time it's still light out. That was it. I just fell asleep. The next thing that I remember is a man standing over me just screaming. And the gist of it was money, you know, I want your money. I was looking up at this guy at this point, he's got a mask on. I don't know who this man is. You know, it's just total shock.

[Marissa Pinson]

The intruder jabbed a gun against Richard's face.

[Richard]

I'm in a world of trouble here right now. I grabbed the object from the side of my head. It turned out to be the barrel of a toy gun. It could have been a broomstick for all I knew. And in the process of doing that, he came at me. We both went over my coffee table in front of the couch that was in splinters and it was just punch for punch, one after the other. Me then him, then me, then him. I do remember going down to the ground and that was the first time I saw a knife. Not was I only out fisted here, but now there's a knife in the equation. And it was turned out to be not like a hunting knife or anything like that. It was like a knife you carve a turkey with 12 inch blade. And he stabbed me in the back next to my kidney. He missed. I think it was almost shock. Head set in at this point it's like, whoa, this has escalated way beyond a simple robbery. This guy is out to hurt me. He got the knife to my throat and he was directly behind me at that point. Without even thinking, I grabbed the end of the blade with my hand and pushed it away that way.

[Marissa Pinson]

The blade sliced Richard's hand to the bone.

[Richard]

I'm in a ball on the floor and he's just sort of circling me. No fists at this point, just his feet, just a barrage, one after the other after the other. He's got three, four inches on me. He's probably twice as wide as I am. He's got me by age, he's got me by size, by strength. It's a no match, it's a no brainer. There is absolutely no Point in prolonging this fight. I've lost, you know, I am bleeding from everywhere. When I tried to get up and get to my knees, I knew there was something seriously wrong because of my back. I just couldn't move. Any chance that I thought I might be able to run for the front door or the back door was gone. He left the room. And he went in a very short distance into my kitchen and left me laying on the floor. And I stayed there for a minute. Could have been five minutes. He just kept rambling on about money, what he was gonna do. He was going to Europe. He was. He had another job lined up there.

[Marissa Pinson]

Bleeding heavily, Richard crawled to his couch and listened as the intruder ransacked the kitchen.

[Richard]

I don't know if he expected to open one of my cabinet drawers and find thousands of dollars just sitting there. It's like, are you kidding? All's I want is him out of the house. You can take anything you want here. I said. My wallet was on the table. I said, there's credit cards in there. My truck is out there. The keys are in it. He's desperate. He's cold, he's broke, he's hungry. He could be on drugs, or he could, you know, just be mentally disturbed. I don't know. Being very careful with what I say not to aggravate him. And he's got a 12 inch knife, so I am not going to in any way try to piss this guy off any more than he already is.

[Marissa Pinson]

Frustrated at not finding money, the intruder demanded that Richard drive him to a gas station.

[Richard]

I just flat out said, no. I can't even get up, really. Get off this couch. I am not going anywhere with you. You know, I need a doctor is what I need. He's obviously totally broke. Not a penny to his name. But he's confused. I don't think he knows what exactly to do. He's not all right. He's not a together human being.

[Marissa Pinson]

The intruder's behavior became bizarre.

[Richard]

He wanted a mop to try to clean this place up. The kitchen and the bathroom are a bloody mess. There's blood on the walls, on doors. The floor is just completely covered with my blood. I had a little dry mop thing. I told him where it was. He used it for just a couple minutes, maybe not even that long, and realized that he was making more of a mess. He was making things worse. I thought he was just out of his mind. That's what making you happy, Keeping you away from me and keeping that knife away from me. You go ahead and you mop all night. At some point during his mopping adventure, he realized that he was covered in blood as well. He goes, I gotta wash my clothes. He literally strips down, puts all his clothes in the washer, gets it going. I made the mistake now, and I regret it, of asking him, well, who. What's your name? That. That was not a smart thing for me to have done. He just was enraged. It was much worse than the fight and actually being stabbed. But now it's a whole different story. Now I know where he's coming from. Now he's got this knife waving in front of me. Alzey would say is, I ought to stick you right now. That's all I should do, is just stick you. Let's just get this over with and just stick you. I did everything I could to calm him down verbally, absolutely everything. Like, look, let's go back. You don't want to do this type thing. You're going to regret it. He goes and starts getting dressed, back to his outdoor gear. His clothes are as clean as he can get them. And he tells me that he is going to take me in the bedroom and he's got to tie me up. He duct taped my ankles together very tightly and then told me that he was going to tie my legs together. But he didn't use the duct tape. He used a piece of rope.

[Marissa Pinson]

Richard heard the intruder leave the bedroom and make some phone calls.

[Richard]

I don't know if he's going to come back in the room with the knife or he's on his way out the front door. A period of time passed. The house is quiet. I knew there was only going to be two outcomes. One, he was going to leave this house and make a run for it, or two, he was going to come back in that room with that knife and kill me. I got to try to make a move here. So in a matter of no time at all, with my teeth, even though the two front ones were knocked out, I managed to get the tape off my wrist very, very quickly.

[Marissa Pinson]

Richard hobbled into the kitchen, unsure if the intruder was still present.

[Richard]

I could see out my front window and door. My truck was still there. I couldn't believe it. Now he could be right outside the front door, but he is not in the house.

[Marissa Pinson]

After cutting his legs free with a kitchen knife, Richard grabbed the spare key to his truck.

[Richard]

It took me a little while to get in, but got into it and within minutes, I was down the street with my neighbors. I didn't knock or anything. I just plowed through the front door. The woman of the house just took one look at me and just started screaming. Chris just came bolting downstairs and the two of them, I think were both on a cell phone at this point. 91 1. The next thing, I'm in the back of an ambulance on my way to a trauma center.

[Marissa Pinson]

Richard suffered multiple stab wounds, broken ribs, and required facial reconstruction. Ephraim Bennett was apprehended two hours later and sentenced to 27 years in prison for the attack.

[Richard]

I survived because I just, I wouldn't quit. I just kept trying and kept hoping as much as trying that the outcome of this would be life, as opposed to me being dead.

[Gracia Burnham]

For weeks now, New Jersey residents have been plagued by unexplained drones flying overhead. Is there intelligent alien life? And if so, has the government been covering it up? All right.

[Marissa Pinson]

UFO sightings the military can't explain, Congressional hearings, Pentagon whistleblower. What does it all mean?

[Gracia Burnham]

What does it all mean? We are here to try and figure it all out with our new Ancient Aliens podcast. There is a doorway in the universe. Beyond it is the promise of truth.

[Richard]

It demands we question everything we have ever been taught.

[Gracia Burnham]

The evidence is all around us. The future is right before our eyes. We are not alone. We have never been alone. Listen to the Ancient Aliens podcast available wherever you get your podcasts. Craving your next action packed adventure? Audible delivers thrills of every kind on your command. Like Project Hail Mary by Andy Weird where a lone astronaut must save humanity from extinction. Narrated with stunning intensity by Ray Porter. From electrifying suspense and daring quests to spine tingling horror and romance in far off realms. Unleash your adventure aside with gripping titles that'll keep you guessing. Discover exclusive Audible originals, hotly anticipated new releases and must listen bestsellers that hook you from the first minute. Because Audible knows there's no greater thrill than the one that speaks to to you. Discover what lies beyond the edge of your seat. Start your free 30 day trial at audible.com wonderyus that's audible.com wonderyus Bombas makes the most comfortable socks, underwear and T shirts. Warning. Bombas are so absurdly comfortable you may throw out all your other clothes. Sorry, do we legally have to say that? No, this is just how I talk.

[Marissa Pinson]

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[Gracia Burnham]

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[Marissa Pinson]

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[Gracia Burnham]

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[Marissa Pinson]

It's September 2009 in Kamiyah, Idaho. 20 year old Michelle and her husband Daniel take a scenic drive on a Saturday morning. The couple's plan is to follow the Lochsa river into the Idaho wilderness. Two hours away.

[Daniel]

You had to have at least a pickup and in most times and most seasons, probably four wheel drive. We were in four wheel drive on this day. We went really slow all the way up. We were looking at the mountains, looking for animals, looking just. We went really, really slow all the way up there. By the time we did get up there, the Loch saw lodges, their little store was open. So we stopped to get like chips and pop and things and he topped off the tank.

[Marissa Pinson]

It was a bright sunny day, so the couple took time to check out the scenery.

[Daniel]

We stopped at a creek and he went down to the creek and we went and looked. It was kind of cool. There was like a little waterfall in this little creek thing. And we were probably there for 10 minutes or something. And we got back in the truck and there was like, you know, rocks growing in the road that had fell off the banks and trees that were just kind of laid in the ditches. This was like the Montana wilderness. I mean, this was just huge green, green trees everywhere. We were probably going 10, 15 miles an hour, which is kind of fast for that kind of road. We were really laughing like hysterically. My mouth was wide open and I was laughing so hard. And all of a sudden, like everything just stopped.

[Marissa Pinson]

A stray branch had burst through the window of the car, pinning Michelle to her seat.

[Daniel]

There was just branches sticking all over the place. I mean, I could not see, I could not move at all. Like I was pinned completely and all I could feel was like pressure, like horrible pressure. And I said, where is it? My husband goes, it's in your neck. There was a branch in my neck. Oh my gosh, what am I gonna do? It went in like right here. There's. It went into here and it kind of went sideways out to about right here. And it was pushing my skin, but it wasn't exactly like poking through it yet. I immediately grabbed it just as a reaction. And when I grabbed it, I seen him come gonna grab it. And I just said, don't touch it. Daniel was screaming like awful scream. I've never heard anything like that. My husband did all of a sudden start talking to me and saying I love you and kind of like goodbye without saying you're dying, you know, but that's what he Thought I kept getting irritated that he was talking to me, but it felt good at the same time that he was talking to me, because I'd have to answer, and it would hurt the nurse. Hospital's two and a half hours away, and there's no cell phone service until you get to the town where the hospital is. I tell my husband, you know, you have to get me to the lodge to a phone. I need to call an ambulance. I need a helicopter. I was telling him all the stuff I needed. I had my hand on it the whole time, and I never took it off. And when I was trying to comprehend what was happening, kind of closed my eyes and was like, if I'm gonna die, I'm just gonna do it. Now it's only 8 to 10 miles away, but with this stick and my neck, we can only go so fast. It wasn't a gravel road at all. It was kind of like there was grass and rocks and trees, and it was worse than just bumpy. I mean, you were going over top of, like, boulders and things like that.

[Marissa Pinson]

Michelle's husband Daniel, was so shocked by her injury that he struggled to drive.

[Daniel]

We were going around a corner right after we started driving, and he goes, I'm gonna pass out. And I said, no, you can't pass out. You gotta get me to a phone. He just kept saying, I love you. And when he would say, I love you, you could hear that he was cracking and crying in his voice. I had never seen him with that look on his face. I have never seen anybody with that look on their face ever. My husband asked me, you know, you want me to roll your window up? No, I don't want to see myself. I can't see myself. I thought I was gonna die.

[Marissa Pinson]

Driving slowly, their only hope was to reach the wilderness lodge and raise the alarm.

[Daniel]

We get down to this bridge, and it is completely packed, crowded, full of four wheelers. We couldn't get through it. And Daniel's out the window screaming, get out of the way. Get out of the way. Once we got stopped, they all looked at me, and their faces were just like, oh, my gosh, what happened to this girl? And everybody started scattering. They were screaming, go, go, go. It's gonna take us an hour, an hour and a half to get there, to even get help on the way. It was starting to, like, sting around the outside more than anything. My jaw, where these little tiny branches were poking into, were just sore. It was so sore. It hurt so bad. It felt like a broken bone with pressure like hundreds of pounds of pressure just on this collarbone is what it felt like. This branch was underneath the collarbone, Kind of with the leverage of the weight on it. It was kind of just pulling, like, pushing on my collarbone, like, up. And so that's why there was so much pain there.

[Marissa Pinson]

After an hour driving along old logging tracks, the couple pulled into the lodge.

[Daniel]

There's people looking and opening their mouths and covering their mouths and things like that. And I'm getting a little more scared because it would just get scarier and scarier. Waited forever for Daniel to come back out of the lodge. It was like, what's going on? Don't they have a phone? I know they have a phone. What's taking so long? Does he not want to be out here? Is he just. What's going on? And then finally, this lady comes up to me. She ran out of the lodge. She was in there talking to Daniel. She goes, daniel's not doing very good, honey. He's trying to calm down. He doesn't want to see you right now. He can't look at you. She put her hand, like, on the other side of my neck and checked my wrists and was checking vitals. And she goes, have you blacked out? And she kept asking me, what's my husband's name? When is my anniversary? When's my birthday? What's my sister's name? Just tons of questions to try to keep me coherent. Just take care of me. Don't make me do this anymore. Where's the helicopter? Where's the ambulance? Where's the first response where something. I need something. I have branches poking into my jaw. I don't want to talk. It's kind of mean. But I was starting to get pain, and she let me be mean to her. It was so sore. It hurt so bad. I mean, even more than the pressure on my shoulder. I was getting really upset. Like, I was actually at this point, like, getting so mad that I was getting teared up because I was getting so, like, mad because I was starting to hurt.

[Marissa Pinson]

Michelle's spirits were raised when she heard the rescue helicopter land.

[Daniel]

And so then I have, like, four or five different people coming at me to touch me. And I'm screaming, don't touch me. Don't touch me. I was really, really scared that somebody was going to touch my stick. The helicopter guys would not let me walk. They didn't want me walking. They wanted, you know, to move me themselves, and I wouldn't let them. I kind of just turned around and jumped out of the truck as fast as I could. I Was completely like, oh, my God, I can walk. I can't believe I can walk. I can do this. I can do this. They were cutting branches with these scissors. And every time they would cut, it would wiggle. And I was screaming, stop, stop. That hurts. That hurts. Quit doing that. Don't touch it. Finally said, I've been coherent for by this time, three and a half hours and I am ready to go to sleep. I want to wake up and this be over. And all of a sudden I see this white cloud coming at me. And it's the anesthesia.

[Marissa Pinson]

It took surgeons seven hours to remove the branch from Michelle's neck.

[Daniel]

The way that branch was shaped, it moved every artery, every vein, everything. They don't know how it missed. Like those main arteries in there. And if they would have hit him, I was so far from the hospital, I would have been done. I survived because I stayed calm, I stayed aware, I stayed alert. And I was fighting for myself and for the person next to me.

[Gracia Burnham]

This summer, Pluto TV is exploding with thousands of free movies.

[Richard]

Summer of cinema is here.

[Gracia Burnham]

Feel the explosive action all summer long with movies like Gladiator, Mission Impossible, Beverly Hills Cop, Good Burger and Dark of the Moon. Bring the action with you and stream for free from all your favorite devices. Pluto tv stream now pay never. What is dedication?

[Richard]

The thing that drives me every day.

[Gracia Burnham]

As a dad is Dariona. We call him Day Date for short.

[Richard]

Every day he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge.

[Gracia Burnham]

And there's this huge responsibility in making sure that when he's no longer under.

[Richard]

My wing that he's a good person. I want him to be able to sit back one day and go, we worked together. We did a good job.

[Gracia Burnham]

That's dedication. Find out more at Fatherhood Gov. Brought to you by the U. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council.