Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: VICTIM TRAPPED IN STORAGE CONTAINER, BOUND, ABUSED BY BIBLE GROUP FLUNKY

Date: October 13, 2025
Host: Nancy Grace
Guest: Samantha Stites

Episode Overview

This gripping episode dives into the chilling real-life story of Samantha Stites, a college student whose friendly gesture toward an awkward Bible group acquaintance snowballs into years of stalking, culminating in her abduction and captivity in a custom-built storage container. With Samantha telling her story in her own voice, Nancy Grace explores the failures of the legal system to protect stalking victims and highlights the extraordinary resilience it takes to survive and heal, offering a message of hope and practical advice to other survivors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Encounter and the Red Flags Missed

• Background: Samantha, a friendly and outgoing college student, befriends Christopher Thomas, whom she meets at a campus Christian group.
  • “I think the word ‘befriend’ is maybe a bit strong. I wouldn't ever say we were actually friends. I think it was an acquaintance at best...he quickly became obsessed with me and stalked me for years.” — Samantha Stites, 01:58
• No initial warning: Thomas was socially awkward but did not show obvious early red flags.
  • “He had difficulty carrying on conversation in groups...He'd sort of look down. He didn't really have too many close friends from what I could see.” — Samantha Stites, 03:15

2. Progression from Unwanted Attention to Obsessive Stalking

• Escalation: The first unusual incident is a single rose left on Samantha’s car. This quickly leads to relentless text messages, showing up at her work and other places.
  • “He was following me to my work, following me to my internship...frisbee practice.” — Samantha Stites, 04:21
  • “At the beginning, in college, it was...just common places around campus. Then every week from there, I'd pass him at that same kind of time period...then grocery stores, gyms, bars, anywhere.” — Samantha Stites, 10:04
• Stalking Tactics:
  • Thomas used technology, including placing trackers on her friends' and roommate's cars, to monitor her every move.
  • Friends tried to locate trackers and support her but couldn't find conclusive evidence early on.

3. Legal System’s Lapses and Continued Risk

• Restraining Order Obstacles:
  • Samantha initially obtains a Personal Protection Order (PPO), but after it expires and she moves cities, Thomas resurfaces, having relocated himself.
  • “The court denied the ex parte order, which meant I would have had to appear in court with Christopher...I chose not to pursue that option because...I potentially am, you know, letting this...dangerous person, know that I'm on to him.” — Samantha Stites, 14:12
• Feeling Unsafe Despite Legal Action: Restraining orders alone prove ineffective and sometimes increase risk for stalking victims due to necessary court contact.

4. The Abduction: Terror and Survival

• Attack in Her Home:
  • On an October morning, Samantha is attacked in her own bedroom after hearing someone in the hall, expecting her roommate.
  • “I decided not to reach for the hatchet. I figured, you know, if this person doesn't have a weapon, now I'm introducing one...At that point, he flung open the door and jumped on me in bed, and I began screaming, and he put his hands around my throat to get me to stop screaming.” — Samantha Stites, 17:34
• Held in a Storage Container:
  • Thomas gags, duct tapes, and transports Samantha to a custom-built, soundproof storage unit, planning to keep her for two weeks before disposing of her.
  • “He had blindfolded me while we were in the car...I figured if I could get an idea of where I was...in the event I could escape, then I would know maybe what direction is better to run than another.” — Samantha Stites, 19:40
  • “I had no idea that he had constructed this whole soundproof bunker just for me.” — Samantha Stites, 20:47

5. Survival Through Psychological Tactics

• Using Her Professional Skills:
  • Despite intense fear, Samantha, a therapist and social worker, manages to reason with her captor, using motivational interviewing skills and appearing sympathetic to manipulate him into releasing her.
  • “Survival. I mean, I think anyone is capable of...doing what they need to do to get out of a deadly situation...using my mind was the only thing that was really going to get me out of that situation.” — Samantha Stites, 24:19
  • “The only way he was going to let me out was by having sex with me. I tried everything I could to get out of that situation.” — Samantha Stites, 25:32

6. Escape, Aftermath, and Law Enforcement Response

• Immediate Actions:
  • After being released, Samantha brilliantly avoids leading her attacker back to her close friends or direct police contact, instead calling a professional acquaintance to get to the hospital and preserve evidence.
  • “I knew he had a tracker on my vehicle. I couldn't just drive to the hospital. I couldn't go to the police station for fear of him following me...So I called a coworker who was also a neighbor and a nurse. And I knew I needed to get to the hospital to...hopefully put this person behind bars.” — Samantha Stites, 29:37
• Swift Police Action:
  • Law enforcement promptly searches the storage unit and Thomas’s home, collecting key evidence, including the ball gag, duct tape, and bed sheets.

7. Failure of the Legal System to Fully Deliver Justice

• Thomas’s Excuses and Legal Maneuvering:
  • During interrogation, Christopher Thomas lies, first saying he was “hunting,” then claiming it was a role-play fantasy.
  • “He had to tell the police something that wasn't...I abducted her because I'm stalking her and have been hopelessly in love with her. I'm not surprised. And I'm also disgusted at that...pitiful excuse.” — Samantha Stites, 34:03
• Outcome:
  • Thomas accepts a plea deal, which drops several major charges.

8. Long-Term Trauma & Empowerment

• Struggles with PTSD:
  • Samantha is candid about her struggles after the attack: nightmares, hypervigilance, and the challenge of reclaiming a “new normal.”
  • “You have to make a new normal...At the beginning [it was] difficult...trouble sleeping, scared by every little noise. Therapy has helped me a lot...decrease that stress response...as sad as it is...I feel very thankful overall that I'm alive.” — Samantha Stites, 35:46
• Message for Survivors:
  • Advocacy for therapy, legal support, and self-compassion.
  • “There's not one single solution...but it's worth trying. It's worth trying to feel safe every day...you deserve that as a victim. You deserve that as a human.” — Samantha Stites, 39:20

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Rationalizing with Her Captor:
  • “My mind is the only thing that's gonna get me out of here.” — Samantha Stites, 22:49/Narrator
• On Early Red Flags:
  • “I don't know that that in itself is a red flag...there was nothing that really indicated to me that he was potentially dangerous.” — Samantha Stites, 02:53
• On Legal System Roadblocks:
  • “The court denied the ex parte order...I chose not to pursue that option...if they don't rule in my favor, I potentially am...letting this...dangerous person, know that I'm on to him.” — Samantha Stites, 14:12
• Nancy Grace’s Admiration:
  • “You're amazing. You're amazing. I've dealt with so many kidnap, stalking, rape victims. They cannot or will not testify. They don't have the strength.” — Nancy Grace, 38:11
• Advice for Survivors:
  • “It's worth trying to feel safe every day...you deserve that as a victim...when someone has wronged you...that's my one piece of encouragement.” — Samantha Stites, 39:20
• Final Empowerment Message:
  • “Look at her. She has survived and triumphed. If she can do it, you can do it.” — Nancy Grace, 40:32

Important Timestamps for Key Segments

• Early Red Flags and Friendship: 00:56–03:34
• First Rose Incident, Stalking Escalates: 04:00–06:37
• Restraining Orders, System's Failures: 12:44–15:29
• Abduction and Captivity: 15:56–21:35
• Psychological Survival and Bargaining: 23:04–27:31
• Escape and Aftermath: 28:35–31:14
• Thomas’s Interrogation and Plea Deal: 31:59–34:03
• Surviving Trauma and Moving Forward: 35:10–40:32

Summary Tone and Impact

The episode maintains Nancy Grace’s relentless, empathetic, and advocacy-focused tone, centering survivor testimony and urgently illuminating systemic failings. Samantha’s composed, insightful recounting serves as both cautionary tale and inspiration. The conversational format, punctuated by documentary narration and law enforcement commentary, immerses the listener in both the emotional and procedural realities of stalking, abduction, and survival.

Takeaways for Listeners

1. Stalking is insidious, persistent, and dangerous; early “awkwardness” can mask catastrophic risk.
2. Legal protections (PPOs) have severe limitations and can sometimes place greater burden on or risk to the victim.
3. Survival can require extraordinary psychological strength; reaching out for professional help and support is vital.
4. Even after physical survival, the path to recovery is long, but healing is possible and worth pursuing.
5. Samantha’s bravery in sharing her story empowers other victims to seek help, assert their right to safety, and know they are not alone.

Closing Words

Samantha’s story, as told to Nancy Grace, is harrowing yet ultimately one of courage and survival against all odds. The episode serves as an essential listen for those seeking to understand stalking’s dangers, the system’s shortcomings, and the indomitable will it sometimes takes simply to survive—and then rebuild.