The Hand in the Window – Episode 2: The Survivor

Podcast: The Hand in the Window
Host: John Quinones (ABC News)
Episode Title: The Survivor
Date: November 11, 2025

Overview

This gripping episode traces the harrowing aftermath of a woman’s daring escape from her kidnapper in Ashland, Ohio. After being held captive and enduring repeated assaults, “Jane Doe” risks her life to call 911—setting in motion a police investigation that quickly spirals into something much larger. Detective Kim Major, the only female detective in the Ashland Police Department, emerges as a key figure in piecing together Jane’s story, her connection to the kidnapper Shawn Grate, and unsettling ties to other missing women in the community. As the episode unfolds, layers of Ashland’s small-town character and its most vulnerable residents come vividly into focus.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Life in Ashland and Introduction to Detective Kim Major

• Ashland’s small-town identity—the annual county fair and its sense of community, shaped by economic booms and subsequent decline (00:32–05:50).
• Detective Kim Major's background: 20 years in law enforcement, specializing in sex offenses, known for her empathetic interviewing style (05:50–08:43).
• “It lets people actually see us as human and come up and interact with us.” – Det. Kim Major on community policing at the fair (01:23).
• Major’s morning is interrupted by the urgent rescue of a woman—Jane Doe—who called 911 from inside an abandoned house (02:29–02:49).

2. The Aftermath of the 911 Call

• First Impressions – Jane Doe’s Trauma:
  • Jane is found in distress: mid-30s, battered, and traumatized (06:11–06:59).
  • Memorable Quote:
    “Not her, but I could smell the scent of her perpetrator...his sweat.” – Det. Kim Major (06:59)
• Major moves the interview to her own comforting, thoughtfully designed office, equipped with fidget objects to encourage open conversation (08:43–09:07).
• Major’s Interview Approach:
  • “I try to create an environment so that I can peel away that onion, just get them to talk to me.” – Det. Kim Major (08:53)

3. Uncovering Jane Doe’s Story

• Jane’s Background and Relationship With Shawn Grate (10:03–11:56):
  • Jane ate daily at the Kroc Center, where she met Shawn Grate. They appeared to have a friendly, platonic relationship, shaped by Jane’s strong Christian faith.
  • Quote:
    “This is a woman who is so strong in her Christian faith that no man's phone number's in her phone. Not one. No man crosses the threshold of her door.” – Det. Kim Major (11:23)
  • Jane paints scenes from the Bible and sings scripture, underscoring her innocent, trusting nature.
• The Abduction
  • Grate invites Jane to his home under the pretense of giving her clothes. She’s reluctant, but enters (12:24–12:39).
  • The house is dark, messy, and smells off; Grate claims it’s from forgotten food.
  • Escalation to Violence:
    • While reading scripture together, Grate becomes agitated, seizes Jane's Bible, then attacks and sexually assaults her in “every way imaginable” (13:12–13:46).
    • Jane is tied to the bed for 40 hours, enduring repeated assaults until she escapes and calls 911 as Grate sleeps deeply (13:56).

4. Connecting to Other Missing Women: Elizabeth Griffith

• During her interview, Jane Doe brings up Elizabeth Griffith, a local woman gone missing weeks before (15:10–15:19, resumes at 18:13):
  • Griffith is well-known in Ashland, frequently calling the police for help (18:24–19:29).
  • Jessica Anderson, Griffith’s friend and caseworker at LifeWorks, describes Elizabeth’s outgoing nature but also her mental health struggles and tendency to share too much with strangers (19:07–21:03).
  • Griffith and Jane Doe have overlapping social circles — same apartment complex, both eat at the Kroc Center, strong faith.
  • Jane warns Elizabeth about oversharing:
    • “You can't be telling everybody everything about you. You're going to make yourself a victim.” – Jane Doe, relayed by Det. Kim Major (22:15)
  • Griffith had recently mentioned a mysterious new man, whom friends now realize was likely Shawn Grate (23:10–23:55).
  • Griffith’s disappearance grows more alarming when she fails to appear at LifeWorks and misses meetings with her caseworker (24:03–25:12).
  • The police search intensifies, but the case is unsolved until Jane’s testimony provides a new thread (25:12–25:55).

5. Expanding the Scope: More Missing Girls?

• The realization that Jane Doe and Elizabeth Griffith aren’t the only connections to Shawn Grate.
  • “This is the kind of town where everybody knows everybody.” – John Quinones (26:06)
• Detective Major is asked to confront Grate herself to extract information about “missing girls”—plural—implying potential connections to other disappearances (27:20–28:20).
• Quotable Moment:
  • “This might be your moment to do the right thing. To do the right thing, Sean.” – Det. Kim Major (28:20)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the Human Touch in Policing:
  • “Sometimes I'm trying to talk to somebody about the most intimate, difficult, heinous thing in their entire life.”—Det. Kim Major (08:53)
• On Jane Doe’s Innocence:
  • “She sings. She sang the bible playing her guitar. … She's so wholesome. She's so strong in what she believes in. It's incredible.” – Det. Kim Major (11:39)
• Jane’s Escape:
  • “He was so exhausted that he slept deeply and didn’t hear Jane wriggling free of her restraints, finding his phone and calling 911.” – John Quinones (13:56)
• On Ashland’s Small Town Nature:
  • “There's been time periods where I can roll down the road and if I see someone I don't recognize, I do a double take.” – Det. Kim Major (25:55)
• Challenge Ahead:
  • “The right thing is to tell us where she is.” – Det. Kim Major, pressing Shawn Grate (28:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:32–02:49 – Setting the stage: Ashland, the fair, introduction to Det. Kim Major
• 06:11–09:07 – First meeting with Jane Doe; Major’s trauma-informed interview approach
• 10:03–13:56 – Jane Doe’s backstory with Shawn Grate and details of the abduction/escape
• 15:10–15:19 & 18:13–24:27 – Introduction of Elizabeth Griffith and her disappearance
• 22:15 – Jane’s warning to Elizabeth about oversharing
• 27:20–28:33 – Detectives prepare to question Shawn Grate, alluding to wider connections

Tone and Style

The episode’s tone is respectful, empathetic, and investigative, driven by John Quinones’ narration and Det. Kim Major’s quietly fierce commitment to survivors. The style weaves together trauma, small town life, and the slow-building dread that comes with realizing a local predator may be connected to multiple missing women.

Summary

This installment of “The Hand in the Window” is a powerful exploration of resilience, community vulnerability, and the dogged pursuit of justice. Through Det. Kim Major’s eyes, listeners experience the immediate aftermath of a shocking abduction, the methodical piecing together of overlapping lives, and the dawning horror that one man—Shawn Grate—might be responsible for tragedies far beyond a single crime. As the investigation widens, the episode sets the stage for deeper revelations in the ongoing series.