I SURVIVED: I Lost My Life That Night... Because I Will Never Be That Person Again

Summary

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Cold Case Files: "I SURVIVED: I Lost My Life That Night... Because I Will Never Be That Person Again"

Podcast: Cold Case Files (A&E / PodcastOne)
Host: Paula Barros
Date: September 6, 2025

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Episode Overview

This harrowing episode of Cold Case Files—from the "I Survived" series—features the real-life survival stories of Michelle, Terri Lynn, and Jennifer. Each woman recounts an extraordinary trauma: abduction and sexual assault, surviving a natural disaster, and escaping a brutal child abduction. The episode delves into the terror they endured, the resilience that pulled them through, and how their experiences changed them forever.

The episode is structured into three primary survivor narratives, each marked by unfiltered personal accounts and a focus on survival, recovery, and justice. Throughout, there are powerful moments of fear, loss, and hope, as each woman reclaims her voice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Michelle’s Story: "I Lost My Life That Night" (01:52–15:42)

Attack and Abduction (02:34–06:53)

• Michelle describes her abduction after coming home from work in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1996. She spots three suspicious men outside her house, tries to avoid them, but is ultimately ambushed, beaten, and threatened at gunpoint.
• The attackers tie her up, blindfold her, gag her with a filthy rag, and throw her into the trunk of her own car.

"Fear isn't deep enough. It's not a strong enough word for that moment in time." — Michelle (03:38)

Assault and Survival Instinct (06:53–09:58)

• Michelle is taken to a garage and repeatedly raped by her kidnappers. She dissociates to survive, feeling stripped of her humanity.
• She is then forced back into the trunk and loses consciousness.

"To live through being in that garage, I had to remove myself because I don't know any other way of survival from that. Because I really feel like in that garage, I lost my life that night. Because I will never, ever be that person again." — Michelle (09:03)

Rescue and Aftermath (09:58–15:42)

• Miraculously, Michelle is discovered by an off-duty detective (Arthur Billingsley), who frees her and apprehends one attacker.
• She endures a grueling forensic examination, uncertain about HIV risk due to the attackers refusing testing.
• Michelle details the emotional and psychological scars, including fear, anger, and lost independence. She eventually regains agency through therapy and helping others.
• All three attackers are caught and given long prison sentences; Michelle finds empowerment in her victim impact statement.

"The most empowering thing that I got to do through the court process was give an impact statement. ...walking out and feeling so free of them and the situation, that I could really start living my life again." — Michelle (13:59)

Legacy and Advocacy

• Michelle rebuilds her life—getting married, naming her son after her rescuer, and winning the US DOJ Special Courage Award.
• She works to support other crime victims, believing survival gives her purpose.

"I survived because God had bigger plans for me and God nudged Detective Art Billingsley that night to come and save my life so that I could be that hope for other people..." — Michelle (15:02)

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2. Terri Lynn’s Story: "Surviving the Tornado" (17:48–30:33)

The Tornado Strikes (17:57–23:08)

• In Huntsville, Alabama, 1989, Terri Lynn and her boyfriend are at home when a sudden tornado hits. Terri experiences a strange sensation (hair standing up), followed by immense pressure as their building is lifted.
• Trapped under debris with severe injuries, they struggle to stay calm, expecting rescue.

"As he said that, I heard it for the first time, this roar behind him, like an ungodly roar. ...The bathroom mirror right next to me exploded. And then we were flying through the air." — Terri Lynn (19:14)

Trapped and Bleeding (23:08–29:19)

• Unable to move, Terri loses blood rapidly but uses her blood to help keep her boyfriend warm.
• Facing death, they say their goodbyes, convinced rescue is unlikely. A voice above suddenly calls, sparking hope.

"Knowing that you're not gonna die, then that somebody is going to help you, that was the best moment of my life." — Terri Lynn (24:26)

• Rescuers, led by a man named Scott, refuse to abandon her. Innovative use of a car jack eventually frees Terri, leading to a dramatic rescue.

Aftermath and Resilience (29:19–30:33)

• Terri's injuries are catastrophic, but amputation is avoided. She and her boyfriend are the only survivors from their building; the tornado killed 21 and injured 463.
• Her large scar becomes a source of pride, a visible symbol of survival.

"That is your heel scar. That is your tattoo from God, that you've been through it, girl, and lived. And so now I'm really proud of my scarlet." — Terri Lynn's mom (29:51)

• Terri attributes her survival to rescuers’ dedication and faith.

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3. Jennifer’s Story: "Child Abduction and Survival" (31:18–40:16)

The Kidnapping (31:18–33:14)

• In Dickinson, Texas, 1990, 8-year-old Jennifer is abducted from her bed at night after, for the first time, agreeing to sleep alone.
• The kidnapper claims to be an undercover police officer to calm Jennifer, drives her to her elementary school, and then assaults her.

"I urinated all over him from being so scared. ...I was terrified, but I didn't want to do anything at all that was going to make him even more angry..." — Jennifer (33:17)

The Attack and Escape (33:14–38:13)

• The man threatens her with a knife, then rapes and attempts to kill her, slitting her throat and leaving her in a field.
• Jennifer plays dead, is left in a fire ant pile, and lies there for 12–14 hours until discovered by children.
• She survives severe injuries, including a cut voice box, and miraculously regains her voice after doctors predict permanent silence.

"I laid there for 12 to 14 hours, just bleeding to death, thinking about how my family members were going to react. ...I was an only child and hated to think of my mom and I not being together." — Jennifer (35:27)

Justice and Speaking Out (38:13–40:16)

• For 19 years, Jennifer speaks publicly about her attack, determined to see her assailant brought to justice.
• In 2008, DNA evidence links Dennis Earl Bradford to the crime; he confesses but kills himself before trial.
• On the trial date, Jennifer delivers her impact statement at his grave, continuing her mission to help others.

"I survived for a reason... I believe that I survived to speak out against crimes such as the one that was committed against me." — Jennifer (39:52)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:52 | Michelle begins her story | | 02:55 | Michelle describes encountering attackers outside her home | | 06:53 | Details of the assault and psychological trauma | | 09:58 | Rescue by off-duty detective | | 13:00 | Michelle describes the psychological aftermath and need for therapy | | 13:59 | Empowerment through the legal system; sentencing of attackers | | 14:37 | Life after survival: family and advocacy | | 17:57 | Terri Lynn introduces her tornado experience | | 19:14 | The moment the tornado hits | | 24:26 | Rescue and emotional turning point | | 29:19 | The scale of the tornado's destruction and Terri's reflection on survival | | 31:18 | Jennifer recounts her childhood abduction | | 33:14 | Assault and survival strategy | | 35:27 | Left for dead; miraculous discovery | | 38:13 | Recovery, public speaking, and pursuit of justice | | 39:52 | Delivering her impact statement and mission to support others |

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Michelle (on identity loss):
  "I lost my life that night because I will never, ever be that person again." (09:03)
• Terri Lynn (on rescue):
  "My name is Scott, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you, and I'm gonna get you out of here." (24:26)
• Jennifer (on survival’s purpose):
  "I survived for a reason... I believe that I survived to speak out against crimes such as the one that was committed against me." (39:52)
• Michelle (on survivor advocacy):
  "There is survival after trauma. There is life after trauma. You can have a happy life." (15:02)

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Tone & Language

The tone is intimate and direct, maintaining the authenticity and emotional depth of the survivors’ own words. The language is raw, honest, and often unfiltered, reflecting both the horror experienced and the unwavering strength that led each woman to survival and healing.

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Final Reflections

Each segment underscores the devastation wrought by violence and disaster, yet is equally focused on resilience. Michelle, Terri Lynn, and Jennifer all use their experiences to help others—whether through advocacy, public speaking, or direct support—proof that even the worst moments can be transformed into hope and strength for others.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Michelle]

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[Narrator]

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[Michelle]

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[Michelle]

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[Narrator]

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[Michelle]

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[Narrator]

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[Michelle]

I felt blood running down my face and this voice came at me that said, if you scream, I will use this. As he shoved a gun to my face.

[Narrator]

Real people.

[Terri Lynn]

He was screaming, it's coming, it's coming. And I'm like, what?

[Michelle]

What?

[Terri Lynn]

The bathroom mirror right next to me exploded and then we were flying through the air.

[Narrator]

Who faced death?

[Jennifer]

He was holding a knife to my throat and offering me candy. He asked me, am I scaring you, little girl? Am I scaring you? Are you scared?

[Michelle]

And live to tell how they all three took turns raping me in that garage. I lost my life that night because I will never ever be that person again.

[Narrator]

This is I survived. It's September, 1996, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Michelle is driving home after working late at the office. She is almost at her house when she sees three men on the sidewalk.

[Michelle]

Two of the guys had hoods over their heads. So I was a little bit leery on, you know, pulling up to my house. These guys to me didn't fit in to this neighborhood. I've never seen them. I don't think they belong here. I decided to go around the block and when I came back around, the three guys were gone.

[Narrator]

Michelle's roommate was out and the house was dark.

[Michelle]

I got my things out of my trunk and out of my backseat and walked up to my door. And the next thing you know, I was on the ground. And I had absolutely no idea what hit me. I lifted my head and I felt the warmth of the blood running down my face. And this voice came at me that said, if you scream, I will use this. As he shoved a gun to my face. Fear isn't deep enough. It's not a strong enough word for that moment in time, I felt like I was going to die. I begged him to leave me alone and to take my belongings, to take my car. He grabbed my purse and he picked me up and drugged me down my steps and took me to my backyard. Looking down, I saw four other feet on the ground. And I realized it was the three guys that were walking down my street. I was too afraid to run, to scream. My sense was at that time, if I did any wrong move, that I was going to be shot and killed right there.

[Narrator]

One of the men drove Michelle's car down the alley behind her house.

[Michelle]

The house that I lived in had a fenced in backyard and an alley down the back. And I heard my car come down the alley and that's when they started to tie my hands behind my back and blindfold me and gag me with one of the mustiest rags. It was almost like full of oil and gasoline. And I still remember that smell. It's like a garage smell. They drug me across my backyard and they told me to climb the fence. And the fence was probably about 4ft high and it was a chain link fence. And they took my shoes off. However, with my hands tied me behind my back, I wasn't able to climb the fence. So they picked me up and threw me over the fence. And then they climbed the fence and then picked me up and I heard the trunk open and they threw me in the trunk of my car. Being in the trunk is suffocating. And once it closed, that's how I felt it was claustrophobic. It was suffocated. I managed to get my hands free, and I took off the blindfold and took off the gag and started to search for a way out of that trunk. Every time they hit the brake, the light came on in the trunk. And so that gave me a much better vision and view of, you know, is there a way out? There was no trunk release, and I was too afraid to really kick or make any noise. I took off a bracelet that was given to me from the guy that I was dating at the time and a ring from my grandma that was very valuable. And I put those in the crevice of the trunk, hoping that if I wasn't found, that at least they would trace me back to being in the trunk of my car. And I began to think about how my mom would feel, me dying this way. And I prayed that I would live through it so I could tell her that I loved her one more time. The car stopped, and the trunk opened, and they saw that my hands were free. I had the blindfold off and the gag, gag off. They grabbed me out of the trunk and threw me down on the ground. And they proceeded to tie my hands behind my back tighter, Put the blindfold on tighter, and the gag on.

[Narrator]

The men forced Michelle down a dark alley.

[Michelle]

And as they ran me down this gravelly, rocky alley, they took me into a garage, and they ripped my clothes off and began shoving me, pushing me, throwing me down on the ground. And they all three took turns raping me in every which way they could figure out. I still had my hands tied behind my back, and the blindfold was still on, and the gag was still on. Not only did I have the smell of the musty rag that had gagged me, but they reeked of alcohol. And when they had me in the garage and were raping me, I wasn't human to them. I wasn't like one of them. I was some kind of toy or doll or. I was clearly not human. And they treated me like that. They were almost, you know, pushing each other away to get to me, you know, one after the other, like, you know, it's my turn now. It's, you know, and it one raped me, and then the next one raped me, and then the next one raped me, and then the other one came back. There was not much conversation going on other than, let me have her or it's my turn. I felt like I was a rag doll because I didn't feel like I could react back to them or scream or hit or. Because it was a mission to save my life. If I threw up any fight, I felt like they would kill me. I was too afraid to do anything to even make a movement. I was almost too scared to breathe, to live through being in that garage. I had to remove myself because I don't know any other way of survival from that. Because I really feel like in that garage, I lost my life that night. Because I will never, ever be that person again. After they were all done, one of the guys came up to me and said that he would help me put my clothes back on. And he told me that he had my skirt that night. I was wearing a suit, a red suit, and they had ripped it off of me. So it was very hard to put it back on. So they drug me back down to my car and opened up the trunk again and threw me in the trunk of the car. I was either gonna die in the trunk or they were gonna shoot me and leave me somewhere. I was so exhausted emotionally, physically, and I think I lost so much blood that I just passed out. I blacked out in the trunk of my car.

[Narrator]

Michelle awoke to angry shouting from outside the trunk.

[Michelle]

What's going on? Is this a drug deal? Are they taking me somewhere else? That they're going to get me out of the trunk again and the same thing is going to happen. And I didn't know if I could live through that. Any more of that trauma that night. I don't care who this is. I'm going to take a chance and I'm going to kick on the trunk of my car. I have got nothing to lose by now. As I kicked on the trunk of the car, I said, you know, please help me. And the voice came back and said, I'm detective Billingsley. I'm going to get you out.

[Narrator]

The off duty detective had noticed the three men acting suspiciously.

[Michelle]

And when he approached the car, the light came on as two of them got out of the car and ran. And that's when he apprehended one of the guys that night that was in the backseat of my car in the. It seemed like it was hours before he got me out of the trunk of the car. When the trunk opened, I saw nothing but lights and sirens and police officers.

[Narrator]

Michelle was hospitalized and had to go through a forensic exam.

[Michelle]

I went through the exam, but that feels like it's almost being assaulted all over again. I didn't realize it was a seven hour ordeal and everything that they had to do to collect evidence because your body, you're nothing but evidence. I had a pretty severe head trauma, but I had a lot of handprints on my body throughout, on my legs, on my inner legs and my arms and my chest. They asked me to come back for a blood test. And that's when I found out that one of them had spit on one of the guards at the jail and said that he had aids.

[Narrator]

Michelle was the fifth and final victim of the three men known as the trunk rapists.

[Michelle]

There had been four other girls that had been traumatized and raped by them. And their cases they seemed to get more severe because at first with the first two girls, they didn't use a weapon. Then they used a knife, and then with me, it was a gun. So it seemed like they were getting more severe as they were going on. The youngest guy, the one that was caught that evening, he gave the other two guys up. And the next day they apprehended one of them in the morning, and then they apprehended the second one in the evening. I asked if they could all be tested. And because they had more rights than I did, they had to agree to a test. And they didn't. So I never found out. I continue to this day to still get tested, but I have been cleared that I clearly do not have. You know, I'm not HIV positive.

[Narrator]

Michelle moved to a new home after the attack, but still lived in fear.

[Michelle]

I knew that the guys were in prison, but I still felt like they had a way of getting to me somehow. I was imprisoned in my own home because some of the after effects of that night of horror was I couldn't go out after six once it became dark and I couldn't be alone. So I lost all my independence. And I had to learn how to regain that because I wasn't living life. I was ugly, I was angry, I was uncooperative. I was mad at the world. I couldn't. Nobody could relate to me. And I begged them to. I begged them to feel what I was going through or feel what I was feeling. And I thought, I've got to find somebody that has been through something similar so that I know that they survive this, that I know that they have a happy, good life.

[Narrator]

Michelle's attackers faced so many charges that the trial took three years.

[Michelle]

The three guys pretty much got put away, put in prison for life. Antwan Netherly got 320 years. James Irby got 210, and Benny Copeland got 70 years. The most empowering thing that I got to do through the court process was give an impact statement. And I remember walking out of the courthouse, my very last court date, walking out and feeling so free of them and the situation that I could really start living my life again.

[Narrator]

Michelle is now married and has two children.

[Michelle]

On October 12, my husband's birthday is when our son was born and we named him after Detective Arthur Billingsley. The only name that I could name him is after Art Billingslee. For saving my life that night in.

[Narrator]

2010, Michelle was awarded the Special Courage Award by the US Department of Justice. This is the highest honor awarded to victims of crime by the U.S. department of Justice.

[Michelle]

I work at an agency that assists victims of crime and I am also blessed to have a voice for victims. I survived because God had bigger plans for me and God nudged Detective Art Billingslee that night to come and save my life so that I could be that hope for other people who have experienced rape, sexual assault, or some kind of trauma in their life to let them know that, you know, there is survival after trauma. There is life after trauma. There you can have a happy life.

[Jennifer]

Foreign.

[Narrator]

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. When something stressful happens in life, who do you turn to first? For me, it's usually my group chat, which means I get a chaotic mix of memes. Have you tried yoga? And the occasional surprisingly wise take. And you know, sometimes that's fun, but it's definitely not the same as talking to someone who's actually trained to help you sort through your thoughts in a calm, grounded way. That's what I love about therapy. A licensed therapist isn't just giving you hot takes. They've spent years learning real tools and strategies to help. And BetterHelp has been making that connection easier for over a decade. They've already helped more than 5 million people with over 30,000 licensed therapists on their platform. With over 30,000 licensed therapists on the platform, the best part is after answering a short questionnaire, they do the heavy lifting of matching you based on your needs. If the match isn't quite right, you can switch anytime with no extra stress. Plus, it's fully online. You can start a session from your couch or on your lunch break. And if you ever need to pause or change therapists, that's totally flexible, too. No awkward scheduling headaches. BetterHelp has an amazing 4.9 rating across 1.7 million reviews, which says a lot. If you've been curious about therapy, this could be a comfortable first step. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of Expertise. Find the one with better help. Our listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] survived. That's better. H E L P.com survived. 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. And I really love my bombas. They do feel that good. And they do good too. One item purchased equals one item donated. To feel good and do good, go to bombas.com and use code audio for 20% off your first purchase.

[Michelle]

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[Narrator]

It's November 1989. In Huntsville, Alabama, Terri Lynn and her boyfriend are at home in their first floor apartment.

[Terri Lynn]

I was living in a two story apartment complex. There was, you know, four apartments on the bottom, four on top of the. It was, you know, an afternoon. We had had our pictures taken, my boyfriend and I. So this was the day that we were going to pick them up from the studio and a girlfriend of ours was coming over to drive us there. So I was in the shower late in the day, you know, it was like 3:30.

[Narrator]

Terri Lynn showered while her boyfriend waited for their friend to arrive.

[Terri Lynn]

I was rinsing my hair out, you know, and it just, it was really heavy, wet still. And it just started to stick stand up, like wet. As heavy and long as it was, it was just standing up. And that was to me, I was shocked. Like, what is going on? And then as my hair started to stand up, I started to get this feeling of being squished. Like I was being hugged on both sides by some really heavy people. As I stepped out of the shower, I didn't even have time to reach for a towel. My boyfriend was banging on the bathroom door, trying to open it. And I was trying to open it too. And we just weren't getting anywhere. And the pressure was building. I mean, I wasn't being able to breathe very well at this point because I was just being squished and he was screaming, it's here, it's here, it's coming, it's coming. And I'm like, what?

[Michelle]

What?

[Terri Lynn]

I was so panicked by his fear that I was in complete panic mode. And especially with my hair standing up on end wet. That was crazy. And for the pressure that felt feeling of being just squished and his panic, I was completely irrational with fear. I was out of my mind. I wasn't even thinking about grabbing a towel and covering up my naked body. I just was focused on getting that door open and finding out what was wrong with him. Finally, the door flies open, and I jump back so I don't get hit by it. And he grabs me and he says, it's here. And as he said that, I heard it for the first time, this roar behind him, like an ungodly roar. They say a tornado as like a train horn, but to me, it was just like a lion was right next to my head, like it was roaring. And that is the sound that filled my ears. I heard the roar, and he grabbed my shoulders. The bathroom mirror right next to me exploded. And then we were flying through the air. We were flying through the air. It seemed, you know, it couldn't have been very long, but it seemed like slow motion, like I could feel myself tumble like an acrobat. And then we landed. As we landed, everything hit me. Everything landed on top of me, and I felt this intense pain in my legs. I start to scream, and he starts to scream. And all the pain at this point is so unbearable. I'm screaming about the pain, and I'm just screaming I'm petrified. And he gets control first. He's like, calm down, calm down. If you don't calm down, we're not gonna be able to figure this out. My boyfriend, he's like, can you crawl up here to me? I can't. I need help digging out of here. And I said, I can't crawl. I said, the bathroom sink is on my leg, and I can't move. I think the wall is above me, so I can't sit up. What about you? And he said, well, I can't seem to dig ahead of me. There's too much stuff in the way, and it's heavy. And then I started to feel up, and I felt his legs, so he had been pinned right next to me. We kept each other calm for a few minutes, thinking, well, our friend who's going to take us on our errands today, she'll come to the door, she'll knock, and we won't answer, and she'll go around and she'll see that our bathroom is caved in, and she'll be able to get us help. At this point, we just thought, the bathroom has been fallen in. You know, our bathroom's caved in.

[Narrator]

Terri Lynn did not realize the toilet had demolished the entire building.

[Terri Lynn]

We're trying to keep ourselves positive at that point. And we. When I finally was like, she's not coming. It's been too long. There's not even been a knock at the door. Have you heard anything? No. He said, I haven't heard anything. I said, it's been too long. She's not coming. I don't know what we're going to do now. It's so black under there. We're not being able to comprehend, why is it so dark? We assumed that only our bathroom wall had caved in on us. We could not fathom the fact of anything else. We just couldn't. I am so petrified. I've never been that scared. I was irrationally scared. I couldn't put into logic what had just happened. I knew at that point that it was a tornado, but I couldn't logically understand it because I'd never been through one. We had no idea. We had no idea what was coming. We didn't watch tv, you know, we didn't watch the news. My boyfriend played a lot of video games, and we had no idea.

[Narrator]

All over the city, the race to find survivors has begun. Trapped above her in the debris, Terry Lynn's boyfriend was going into shock.

[Terri Lynn]

He's telling me now that he's cold. Cause he was just wearing some blue jeans, you know, he didn't have a shirt on. He'd been playing a video game in the house. We were just relaxing I. At home, you know, so he's just wearing some blue jeans and he's cold. And I'm thinking, I'm not cold. But I realize at this point that I'm laying in a puddle of warmness. And I start to feel on myself and this. My shoulder is ripped open like it's all bone here. And my skin is, you know, down past my arm. And I realize that my blood is just flowing and that's keeping me warm. I didn't panic about it. I didn't even feel it. I just thought, well, if this is keeping me warm, I'm gonna help keep him warm. So I started rubbing my blood on his feet. And he never questioned, what was I rubbing on him. I think he would have lost it if he knew, you know, I kept rubbing it on him, and I was on his ankles, and he was like, that's good. That's warm. And, you know, that was just. That was where we were at at that moment. And we started to get a little scared that no one was gonna come. And at this point, I realized, if I'm laying in this much blood, I've lost this much blood, and I'm not knowing how long I'm gonna make it like this I just kept losing more blood. I was putting my hands in my wound to kind of keep myself occupied. I wasn't even hurt or freaked out by it. I just was playing with my bones, playing with my skin. It's like a sponge. It's so thick when it comes off your body. And keeping myself busy with that because I knew that I was going somewhere else. I wasn't probably going to make it. And so I. You know, I said, this is about time. We need to start taking God into our hearts. And we started to say our goodbyes to each other. You know, we just. We weren't going to make it much longer. I told my boyfriend, I said, well, I'm going to close my eyes. I'm going to say goodbye, and I love you and I hope to see you again. But I'm gonna close my eyes now because I'm just real tired and I can't go anymore. And as I'm closing my eyes, I hear a voice, and it's really close. And so I start yelling really loud like, I'm down here. I'm down here. Can you hear me? I'm down here. And the voice said, we got a live one here. And they found us. Oh, my God. Knowing that you're not gonna die, then that somebody is going to help you, that was the best moment of my life. So it took him a while to get to us. I had a lot of debris on me. I had a lot of. He was telling me, you know, there's a wall. We got to get this wall off. There was a car above the wall. They had to move a car. They had to move the wall. And then he could. He created a hole that brought him to the other side of my sink. He tried to move the sink, and it made the wall that was leaning on it that was trapping us, it made it move. And his boss from up above said, get out. It's not stable. I need you to get out. It's going to collapse. And he said, I'm not going anywhere. He said to me, my name is Scott, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you, and I'm gonna get you out of here. I heard saws. I heard men grunting and yelling and lifting. I heard things being tossed. I heard creaking sounds. But I knew that they were getting real close to my boyfriend. They couldn't figure out how to get that sink off me without moving that wall and making it come down and crushing us. And then a sheriff showed up on the scene, and he Said, well, I have a carjack in my trunk. Why don't we try that? You know, we can put some wood underneath the sink as we jack it up and maybe make it more stable and give her some room to pull her out. And that's what they did. My boyfriend was rescued from above, and he called down, don't you pull her out before you get a sheet. She's naked. And I was like, I don't care if the world sees me. Get me out of here. And they were. The sink was up enough. There was enough space. And then Scott was like, ooh, we got a little problem here. So much blood had seeped down from me that it was sticking a little bit, so they had to pry that up. And they're like, it's going to hurt. I looked around, and I couldn't understand why I was. There was no building. There was. It looked like a war field. It was all rubble and debris. Then they got me into the ambulance, and they took me straight into the emergency room as they were cleaning out my wounds, and they stopped in the hall of the emergency room and stitched me up from the bone up. They did my surgery right there in the hall because it was such a mess. There was so much disarray. The hospital had been hit, but they did it right there, and they. They did a good job. You know, the next morning I woke up and they said, you know, we're having a little problem with your leg. And they were right. My leg was gray, gray as the concrete. And they said, you know, we're gonna have to take your leg. And I said, no, you're not. I said, God put me through that tornado, and I lived. If he'd have wanted my leg taken off of me, he'd have took it, and you're not going to. And I wouldn't do it. I would not. I would not agree to my amputation. But the third morning, the doctor came in and he called another doctor in, and he's like, terri Lynn, your blood is flowing in your leg, and your leg's gonna be saved. Oh, I was so excited. It was the best thing I'd ever heard.

[Narrator]

The tornado had struck Huntsville at 4:35pm More than 500 homes were destroyed or damaged. 463 people were injured, 21 people died.

[Terri Lynn]

Nobody in our building made it except for me and my boyfriend. We were the only survivors. The building had been picked off of its foundation and tossed through the air so that it landed in the alley behind it on its roof. The entire building was destroyed. I know in retrospect that people were completely caught off guard. Everybody was. And we didn't have sirens in our town at that point, so everybody was caught off guard.

[Narrator]

Terri Lynn still carries the scars of that day.

[Terri Lynn]

It's a huge scar from the top of my shoulder all the way down to into my back. I was embarrassed about it at first and my mom said, that is your heel scar. That is your tattoo from God, that you've been through it, girl, and lived. And so now I'm really proud of my Scarlet. I survived because of the people around me that day, the dedicated women and men who were rescuing us. Not because of anything I did, because of Scott and his not leaving me, his staying with me. And I survived because God wanted me to. That's why.

[Narrator]

I survived. Is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. It's August 1990 in Dickinson, Texas. Eight year old Jennifer and her mother live in a first floor apartment. Jennifer never sleeps in her own bedroom.

[Jennifer]

I was just afraid of the dark in general. I didn't have a specific reason. I just had always slept with my mom since I was little and was just too scared to sleep in my own room by myself. In the middle of the night I woke her up because I was itching my mosquito bites in my sleep and was kicking her in the process. She was very exhausted and asked me in an almost pleading voice to go and sleep in my own room because she had to work in the morning. I got out of bed and even though I was very scared, I walked to her bedroom door and I said, just because I love you mom, I'm going to go sleep in my own room tonight. And I did. I walked right next door to my bedroom and I got out books in my piggy bank. I turned my big lamp on and fell asleep reading. I woke up and was outside of the apartment complex being carried like a baby by a man who was running down the sidewalk with me.

[Narrator]

The man had reached through the window and snatched the eight year old from her bed.

[Jennifer]

He was running with me down the sidewalk of the apartments. He was carrying Me across his arms like a baby. At 8 years old, I weighed 45 pounds. I was a tiny little girl. He had such a strong hold on me that I couldn't, you know, get him off. I tried to scream and fight him off, but he covered my nose and mouth and ran with me to his vehicle, where then we drove off. I was very frantic and wanting to scream for my mother. And once we got in his car, he was calming me down by telling me that he was an undercover police officer. And in school at that age, you always learned to trust the police. And so I. I wanted to believe him, but at the same time, in the back of my mind, I just knew that something was wrong.

[Narrator]

The man made Jennifer sit on his lap.

[Jennifer]

I urinated all over him from being so scared. He kind of moved me off of him. And I thought about getting. How I could get away from him. I was trying to figure out where in Dickinson I was so that I could get away. But I just knew that if I did try to escape, that he would be even more angry. We continued to keep driving and pulled into my elementary school, where I had just finished second grade and was going to start my third grade year in Just A. I did ask him to prove to me that he was an undercover cop and that I wanted to see his gun, because at eight years old, you know that police officers carry that for protection. So I wanted him to prove that to me. And as I asked him that, he told me that the gun was actually in the back seat. I leaned over the front seat to look into the back seat for this gun that he supposedly had. And when I did that, he ripped my clothing off of me and laid me down in the front seat and started to lick me all over and then raped me. I remember, like, crying for my mom and wanting my mother. She was all that I knew. And it had just been us two. So, I mean, I was terrified, but I didn't want to do anything at all that was going to make him even more angry than what, you know, he could already be. I blacked out at this point, but when I came to, he was holding a knife to my throat and offering me candy. Even though it was just a little pocket knife, he was holding it to my throat. So I was beyond terrified. He was young, kind of had. He had facial hair, a mustache. He did have dark hair, dark eyes. And that's when he asked me, am I scaring you, little girl? Am I scaring you? Are you scared? And I knew then that something really horrible was about to happen.

[Narrator]

Jennifer's attacker strangled her until she passed out and then slit her throat.

[Jennifer]

I awoke being dragged by my ankles through this field that was very overground. The brush was so tall that I could not have been seen. And when I awoke, because I was being pierced in the back by thorns and sticks were hitting me in the face and I wanted to scream out, but I knew I had to be as quiet as possible. I could kind of feel his movements even though I couldn't see him. And I knew that he was going to turn to look down at me. And that's when I closed my eyes really quickly and played dead. And he continued to drag me and then dropped my legs eventually and went to his car. I heard his car door slam and him drive off. I remember feeling dew on my body and waking up to fire ants stinging me everywhere. He'd actually left me in a fire ant pile. So I had fire ants crawling all over my body and I wanted to get them off of me, but I couldn't. And I didn't know why. I didn't know at this point that my throat had been cut from ear to ear. So I was trying to get up. I couldn't lift my head, I couldn't stand, I couldn't do anything. And I finally just gathered up enough strength to just take my right hand and just kind of throw it on my neck. And that's when I felt this huge opening and realized that I was going to lay there and die. That I didn't have a way to get help. I could hear cars. My head was kind of turned to the side and I could see cars driving by through the blades of grass. But there was no way for me to get any kind of help. I laid there for 12 to 14 hours, just bleeding to death, thinking about how my family members were going to react. I was an only child and hated to think of my mom and I not being together. And I just knew that I was going to die in that field. The sun was starting to set. It had been sprinkling that afternoon, and the rain had stopped. And these children came outside to play hide and go seek in this field. And one of them, I felt one of them trip over my foot. And she thought that she had found one of her other playmates. But it was me that she found. I was life flighted to a hospital in Galveston, Texas. I had a lacerated throat and trachea, and my voice box was cut. And when I came out of surgery, the doctors informed my mother that I was silenced forever. That I would never be able to speak again.

[Narrator]

Even after she was told of the diagnosis, Jennifer kept trying to talk.

[Jennifer]

And when I did, a small sound came out. And my mom was sitting at my bedside and heard that. Everyone just thought that, you know, we were both crazy. And they said that there, you know, there was nothing going on. But the next morning I awoke and I had my voice back.

[Narrator]

For the next 19 years, Jennifer spoke publicly about the attack on her.

[Jennifer]

I knew I had this responsibility. This was something that I had to do, and I wanted to do. I wanted this person to know that there would be a consequence for his actions and that he could not do something like this and get away with it.

[Narrator]

In 2008, a DNA match was made and Dennis Earl Bradford was interviewed by detectives.

[Terri Lynn]

I took that little girl out there and I raped her and I cut her throat. I don't know why. I've never known why.

[Narrator]

A month before his trial, Bradford committed suicide in his cell.

[Jennifer]

Everything I had worked so hard for was gone. I felt like it had been ripped away from me. I was looking forward to being face to face with him in the courtroom. I wanted to show Dennis Bradford and my victim impact statement how strong I was to say what I had been wanting to say all these years and to show him how many positive things I had done and how many thousands of people I had helped.

[Narrator]

On the day the trial would have begun, Jennifer delivered her victim impact statement at Bradford's grave.

[Jennifer]

I survived for a reason that I'm here for a reason. And I believe that I survived to speak out against crimes such as the one that was committed against me. And I hope that I can help others by sharing my story of survival.

[Michelle]

This September, CBS hits are streaming free on Pluto tv.

[Terri Lynn]

I'm coming in for this month only.

[Michelle]

Stream full episodes of Madlock.

[Terri Lynn]

I'm a lawyer.

[Narrator]

Like the old TV show Fire Country.

[Michelle]

Elsbeth.

[Terri Lynn]

I do love a mystery.

[Michelle]

NCIS Origins, Watson and Ghosts.

[Narrator]

What the hell?

[Michelle]

This is the most amazing sight I've never seen. All for free. The CBS shows you love. This month only on Pluto tv. Stream now.

[Jennifer]

Pay Never.

[Narrator]

Shopify's point of sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. Need a fast and secure way to take payments in person? We've got you covered. How about card readers you can rely on anywhere you sell?

[Terri Lynn]

Thanks.

[Narrator]

Have a good one. Yep, that too. Want one place to manage all your online and in person sales? That's kind of our thing. Wherever you sell. Businesses that grow grow with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 a month [e-mail] Listen. Shopify.com Listen Mr. Gecko, you're a huge.

[Michelle]

Inspiration to us all, but who was your muse?

[Narrator]

My dear old Nan.

[Jennifer]

She.

[Narrator]

She would tell me, always remember to.

[Michelle]

Be true to yourself and to use.

[Narrator]

That fast and friendly claim support on the Geico app.

[Jennifer]

I follow her advice to this day.

[Terri Lynn]

Get more than just savings.

[Narrator]

Get more with Geico.