Cold Case Files: I SURVIVED – "Is This What Death Is Like?"

Episode Date: November 22, 2025
Host: Paula Barros / A&E, PodcastOne

Episode Overview

This gripping episode of Cold Case Files presents three harrowing accounts of survival—each tale told firsthand by survivors of shocking violence or near-lethal attack. Maggie, Barbara, and Gary recount distressing incidents that left them physically and emotionally scarred, yet alive against great odds. Their stories explore the horror and randomness of violent crime, the arbitrary nature of survival, the human will to fight, and the long shadows left by trauma.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Maggie: A Teenage Runner's Ordeal

[00:44 – 39:50]

• Setting: September 1994, Gallion, Ohio. Fifteen-year-old Maggie recounts her abduction and assault during an early morning run with her cross-country team.
• The Attack:
  • Maggie leaves her group, is ambushed, and forcibly dragged off the sidewalk by a stranger ([01:02]).
  • She is bound, stripped, and assaulted at gunpoint behind a local YMCA ([02:03], [02:33]).
  • Describes the physical and emotional trauma:

    "To suddenly be raped was so painful. And...traumatizing to see." (Maggie, [08:10])

• Ongoing Captivity:
  • Forced to walk naked, at gunpoint, through dense brush. She focuses on stalling for time, hoping for daylight and rescue ([08:24 – 09:44]).
  • Her abductor torments her psychologically, threatening her with a knife, vacillating between violence and bizarrely tender gestures ([10:14]).
  • She strategizes survival by stalling, complying, and calming her attacker.
• Assault Escalates:
  • The abductor further assaults Maggie and attempts to strangle her ([15:57]).
  • She’s buried under brush but survives the strangulation attempt.
  • Her mother joins the search, calling Maggie’s name; Maggie stays silent to avoid putting her at risk ([23:25]).
  • The perpetrator, panicking as the police net closes in, prepares to kill her.
• Survival and Rescue:
  • Maggie is shot twice in the head, twice in the back, and once in the arm, but survives ([30:16]).

    “I was still alive. And wow. Wow for two reasons. Wow, I’m still alive. And wow, he actually shot me. He did it. It happened.” (Maggie, [30:38])

  • Staggers toward rescuers, collapses, and is found by police ([31:59]).
  • Later, she spends 13 days in hospital, undergoes surgeries, and returns with grit to life and running ([39:01]).

    “I survived because there was no other choice. That was who I was raised to be.” (Maggie, [39:50])

2. Gary: Chimpanzee Attack in Sierra Leone

[03:16 – 38:38, interspersed segments]

• Setting: April 2006, Sierra Leone, West Africa. Gary and friends travel to a chimpanzee sanctuary near the mountains ([03:29]).
• Attack by Bruno:
  • A massive, escaped chimp named Bruno attacks their car, smashing mirrors, breaking windows, and entering the vehicle ([04:21], [04:04 – 05:39]).

    “The fangs on this thing were huge. And his eyes...You were seeing the devil there.” (Gary, [04:21])

  • Melvin, a companion, is dragged out and suffers severe bites ([11:19]).
  • Gary aids Melvin, using a tree branch as a weapon to fight off the chimp ([19:57], [26:16]).
• Climactic Battle and Escape:
  • Gary and the beast confront each other; he manages to knock Bruno down with the makeshift spear ([26:39]).
  • The party is surrounded by more chimps, eventually rescued by local soldiers ([34:25]).
• Aftermath:
  • Melvin survives after surgery, though mutilated ([38:30]).
  • Issa, the driver, is discovered killed and dismembered by the pack ([37:39]).

    “His jaw was missing both hands, feet, groin. He was disembowelled, just a bloody mess.” (Gary, [37:39])

  • Gary reflects on the experience and the instinct to help a friend:

    “I survived because how could you turn your back on somebody yelling for help? That changed everything in me.” (Gary, [38:38])

3. Barbara: Surviving Execution in a Coffee Shop Robbery

[05:39 – 36:51]

• Setting: March 2002, Davie, Florida. Barbara, a chef, recounts a predawn robbery at her coffee shop ([05:39]).
• The Robbery:
  • Two men, acquaintances of the staff, force Barbara and her co-workers at gunpoint into a walk-in freezer ([07:03]).
  • Barbara fears for their lives as she realizes she can identify the robbers ([07:38], [13:07]).
• The Shooting:
  • The robber returns, orders the three onto their knees. Barbara resists, pleads, and is shot in the head ([13:42], [14:27]):

    "And on one of those come ons and turn your head, he shot me." (Barbara, [14:27])

  • In an out-of-body moment, she questions her fate:

    "I could hear myself out loud saying, is this what death is like?" (Barbara, [21:11])

  • Christina and Willie, her co-workers, are killed beside her ([21:54], [22:03]).
• Escape and Aftermath:
  • Despite bleeding profusely, Barbara pushes past bodies, escapes the freezer, and staggers across the street for help ([28:54], [35:21]).

    "I'm coming home. I made it to that gas station." (Barbara, [35:21])

  • She is hospitalized with partial loss of vision, but survives ([36:23]).
  • Identifies her attackers; both are sentenced to life or death ([36:51]).
  • Barbara reflects on survivor’s guilt and the mystery of why she lived:

    "I don't know why I survived. But people tell me all the time that I have a purpose." (Barbara, [36:51])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On facing death:

  "Is this what death is like?" (Barbara, [21:11])

• On evil in the eyes:

  “The eyes are the windows of the soul...when I looked in his eyes, it was just...I just saw evil.” (Maggie, [10:46])

• On survival and purpose:

  “I survived because there was no other choice.” (Maggie, [39:50])
  "People tell me all the time that I have a purpose. I don't know." (Barbara, [36:51])

• On trauma and resilience:

  "I wanted to thrive. That's what I'm doing today." (Maggie, [39:50])

• On heroism:

  "I survived because how could you turn your back on somebody yelling for help?...What better way to go that someone lives even if you have to pass away?" (Gary, [38:38])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:44] – Opening: Survivors’ voices and traumatic events previewed
• [01:02] – Maggie’s abduction
• [02:33]/[08:10] – Details of Maggie’s assault
• [10:18] – Knife threat and psychological torment
• [13:42] – Barbara’s face-off with the gunman
• [14:27]/[21:11] – Barbara shot, near-death experience
• [15:57] – Maggie is raped again and survives attempted strangulation
• [23:25] – Searchers and Maggie’s mother call for her
• [30:16] – Maggie is shot five times
• [30:38] – Maggie’s realization upon surviving
• [32:14] – Gary’s team surrounded by chimps
• [34:25] – Rescue by local military
• [36:23] – Barbara’s hospital recovery and long-term disability
• [38:30] – Aftermath for Gary and Melvin
• [39:50] – Maggie’s reflection on survival and thriving

Conclusion

This episode stands out for its raw, first-person accounts of terror and survival. The courage of Maggie, Barbara, and Gary in the face of near-certain death is vividly rendered through their own words, with the narrative structured to draw out the psychological aftermath as much as the physical ordeal. Their stories serve both as cautionary tales and affirmations of resilience, and they leave the listener with haunting, unforgettable images of both horror and perseverance.