The Missing Boy: The Kidnapping of Chris Carrier (Part 1) | Ep. 73

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Miracle Files – True Miracle Stories Episode 73: The Missing Boy: The Kidnapping of Chris Carrier (Part 1) Date: July 6, 2026

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Overview

This gripping episode of The Miracle Files recounts the harrowing abduction and miraculous survival of 10-year-old Chris Carrier in Coral Gables, Florida, in 1974. Hosts Emily Jones and Holly Worthington guide listeners through Chris’s firsthand retelling of his kidnapping, near-fatal ordeal in the Everglades, and the incredible faith and perseverance that saw him through. Blending true crime intensity with faith-based inspiration, the story leads up to a dramatic cliffhanger, with promises of further miracles to be explored in Part 2.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Kidnapping (00:56–12:01)

• Setting the Scene
  • A gray-haired man is seen pacing in Coral Gables as young Chris Carrier gets off his school bus, days before Christmas (00:56).
• Encounter with the Kidnapper
  • The man approaches Chris, claims to know his father, and lures him with a story about picking a gift for Chris’s dad. Chris, raised to respect adults, reluctantly agrees despite unease (03:45–05:13).
  • Quote:
    • Chris Carrier (03:45): "I heard him say, 'Hey, aren't you Hugh Carrier's son?' That kind of startled me. I was like, yes, yes, sir."
• The Ride and Growing Suspicion
  • The man leads Chris to a parked RV, referencing his supposed connection to Chris's father. As they drive, Chris notices the wrong route and the declining ease of conversation (05:13–07:52).
  • The abductor stalls at a Coast Guard station to delay, raising further red flags for Chris (07:07).
• The Assault
  • In a deserted lot, the man feigns confusion about directions, handing Chris a map, then attacks him with an ice pick (09:31–10:45).
  • Quote:
    • Chris Carrier (10:35): "Here he was standing behind me with an ice pick in his hand."
  • The attack is brutal and quick, as Chris pleads for his life, laying injured and confused (10:45–11:25).
  • Quote:
    • Chris Carrier (11:25): "Look, if you'll just stop, if you'll let me go, I won't tell anybody."

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Chris’s Faith in Crisis (15:00–16:51)

• Realization and Helplessness
  • Trapped, wounded, and unable to escape, Chris reflects on his inability to save himself and turns to prayer, shifting from his parents’ faith to his own (15:00–16:30).
  • Quote:
    • Chris Carrier (16:30): "There wasn't anything profound about my prayer...it was as simple as simply looking at the inside of that RV and praying, Father. Well, you know."
• Miraculous Mental Peace
  • Amidst suffering and fear, Chris experiences a sense of comfort and clings to hope for his father’s rescue.

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The Ordeal in the Everglades (17:35–18:53, 20:21–24:02)

• Left for Dead
  • Chris is led into the Everglades under the pretense that his father would soon arrive. He is shot in the head and left unconscious in the wilderness (18:53).
  • Quote:
    • Chris Carrier (18:53): “He pulled the gun right up to the temple of my head and pulled the trigger.”
• Miraculous Survival
  • Despite a gunshot wound, stabbing injuries, no food or water, and exposure to predators (alligators and panthers), Chris regains consciousness fully six days later (21:39–22:54).
  • Chris, disoriented but unharmed by animals or infection, sits by the road awaiting his father—unaware of how much time has passed.

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Reflections on Danger and Survival (24:15–27:11)

• The Everglades as a Death Trap
  • Holly describes her experience in the area, highlighting the density of alligators (25:04).
  • Chris likens his survival to Daniel in the lion’s den, crediting a divine presence for his protection (25:27).
  • Quote:
    • Chris Carrier (25:27): "The idea that I could have a head injury and be lying there not much bigger than a baby deer doesn't make sense. Other than the fact that I trust that there were angels on guard."
  • The hosts marvel at the miracle of Chris’s survival and encourage parents to discuss safety with their children in light of the story (27:11).

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The Role of Faith and Prayer (16:30; 26:19–26:44)

• Innocent Faith
  • The hosts are deeply touched by Chris’s simple, heartfelt prayer, noting its sincerity and power (26:19–26:44).
  • Quote:
    • Holly Worthington (26:44): "That was so sweet and so innocent...you don’t have the words."

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Parental Anguish and Divine Comfort (13:44–14:47, 28:32–30:06)

• The Search and Family’s Agony
  • Chris’s parents, immediately worried, launch a search with the police and community’s help.
  • Emily shares a personal parental scare, relating the intense fear and eventual relief to what Chris's parents endured (28:32–29:06).
• Theological Reflection
  • Listeners' questions about suffering are addressed. The hosts reaffirm belief in God’s presence and comfort during trials (29:06–29:57).

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Miracles as God’s Intervention (30:02–30:52)

• Chris’s Belief in Miracles
  • Chris reflects on miracles as God providing help when humans are powerless, often working behind the scenes (30:06).
  • Quote:
    • Chris Carrier (30:06): "I think there's a lot of miracles we just don't see. I think we need to train our eyes to understand. He's been doing and will continue to be doing a lot behind the scenes to build us up..."

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Cliffhanger & Preview of Part Two (31:01–31:49)

• Unanswered Questions Remain
  • The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with teasers about the investigation and the identity of Chris’s attacker in the forthcoming episode (31:01–31:49).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Chris’s prayer:
  • “Father. Well, you know.” (Chris Carrier, 16:30–16:51, 26:29–26:44)
• Surviving in the Everglades:
  • “The idea that I could have a head injury and be lying there not much bigger than a baby deer doesn't make sense. Other than the fact that I trust that there were angels on guard.” (Chris Carrier, 25:27)
• On miracles:
  • “I believe that miracles are a wonderful way of God reaching into circumstances in real life in which we feel powerless…He’s been doing and will continue to be doing a lot behind the scenes.” (Chris Carrier, 30:06–30:52)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Kidnapping and Assault: 00:56–12:01
• Chris’s Prayer and Shift in Faith: 15:00–16:51
• Shooting and Desertion in Everglades: 17:35–18:53
• Chris Regains Consciousness, Survives Six Days: 21:39–22:54
• Discussion of Miracle and Alligator Danger: 24:15–27:11
• Discussion of Parental Fear: 28:32–29:06
• Reflections on Divine Presence & Miracles: 30:02–30:52
• Preview for Next Episode / Cliffhanger: 31:01–31:49

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Tone and Style

The episode maintains an emotional, empathetic, and faith-filled tone, blending suspenseful true-crime style narration with uplifting spiritual insight. The hosts’ genuine reactions and personal anecdotes help listeners connect emotionally with the story, while Chris Carrier’s soft-spoken resilience offers inspiration and hope.

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Conclusion

Part one of Chris Carrier’s story is a breathtaking account of unspeakable hardship and extraordinary survival, emphasizing the persistence of faith, the comfort of prayer, and the quiet presence of miracles even in the darkest moments. The Miracle Files invites listeners to await the next episode to learn “the rest of the miracle,” promising further revelation about Chris’s recovery and the outcome of the investigation.

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For more miraculous stories, subscribe to The Miracle Files and join the hosts on future Miracle Mondays.

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Transcript

[Holly Worthington]

This episode is brought to you by bond charge. Visit boncharge.com using promo code Miracle to show your support.

[Chris Carrier]

And I remember saying, look, if you'll just let me go, I won't tell anybody.

[Emily Jones]

The man ordered Chris to the back of the RV and told him to sit on the floor and stay still.

[Chris Carrier]

And he gave me a stern warning and saying, look, you can't try to get anybody's attention. No screaming, no trying to escape. If you do anything like that, I'm just gonna come back there and shoot you.

[Emily Jones]

Chris nodded and stayed where he was. He heard the engine roar to life again. This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones.

[Holly Worthington]

And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a captivating true story. But we're also seeking more light in our lives.

[Emily Jones]

So. So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us on this journey.

[Holly Worthington]

Welcome back to the Miracle Files. We have such a powerful episode for you today and it's one that I've just thought about over and over again.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah, this one is intense and emotional and all the feels, but we also want to give parents a heads up. This is one you may want to listen to beforehand. There may be some graphics can scary parts, but so good, so good.

[Holly Worthington]

Please stick with us to the end because you will not be disappointed. Rarely has an episode affected me and literally changed me like this one has.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah, same. And also we want to give you a heads up that this episode is two parts. If you've listened to our other two part episodes, you know, there's a reason why we do it. And yeah, you know, sometimes there's just two miracles that are so incredible we want to give them each their own episode. So this is one of those.

[Holly Worthington]

Yeah. All right, let's get started.

[Emily Jones]

Let's go. It was the afternoon on December 20, 1974. A gray haired man paced up and down the sidewalk on a quiet street in the sleepy town of Coral Gables, Florida. He flicked ashes from his cigarette, walking back and forth, pondering his options. As time passed, the man stopped and stared through dark sunglasses at a house. He walked to the front door, then hesitated. He walked back toward the street and began pacing up and down the sidewalk again. In the distance he heard the roar of a school bus coming down the road. 10 year old Chris Carrier gave gazed out the window of his school bus full of anticipation for Christmas. It was only five days away. As the brakes squealed, the bus eased to a stop and the doors creaked open. It was his turn to get off. The bus dropped Chris off every weekday at the same corner, just six houses from his home. His parents had no reason to worry. The bus stop was close enough to be seen from their family's front porch. Chris started the short walk home carrying a couple of folders and an empty cupcake tray from a party they'd had at school that day. His attention began drifting toward what might be waiting for him in the packages under their family's Christmas tree. As his thoughts wandered, Chris paid little attention to the scruffy, overweight man in sunglasses who walked toward him silently. The man passed by on the sidewalk, but then Chris heard the man's footsteps stop.

[Chris Carrier]

I heard him say, hey, aren't you Hugh Carrier's son? That kind of startled me. I was like, yes, yes, sir.

[Emily Jones]

Chris turned around as the man stepped back toward him, his face completely unfamiliar,

[Chris Carrier]

and he introduced himself by the name Chuck. He asked me, how's your mother doing? Which was common because mom had multiple sclerosis and was just shifting into a wheelchair over the holidays. And he told me that he was a friend of my father's, had done some work with dad, and then he just kind of had this aha moment where he said, hey, you might be able to help me. There's a party that your father and I were going to be at for Christmas and I would love to give him a gift. I've got two or three, but I'm not sure which gift he liked the most. Would you be willing to come help me to just pick out the one that you think he'd like the most?

[Emily Jones]

Chris hesitated as a quiet sense of unease settled over him. But he couldn't keep the man waiting.

[Chris Carrier]

And of course as a 10 year old kid, I didn't want to, but those were different times and you respected every adult, especially the ones that knew your family. And so, reluctantly, I said yes.

[Emily Jones]

The man led Chris to a nearby parking lot where a motorhome was parked across several spaces.

[Chris Carrier]

And I remember just walking with him, awkward conversation, small talk, and we got into the rv. I put my things down, he let me sit in the front seat, passenger seat, and he had told me, he said, yeah, it shouldn't take us more than 30 minutes or so to go do this.

[Emily Jones]

Chris didn't question the man's motives, but as they drove, he began to notice the man's demeanor shift to quiet nervousness.

[Chris Carrier]

So we drove out. And of course the fact that he had referenced working with my dad led Me to think we're going to be going downtown Miami, which I was accustomed to going there with dad.

[Emily Jones]

But Chris had been to his father's office in Miami enough times to know the way there. This felt unfamiliar. The roads weren't the ones he was used to taking with his father. When he saw a sign for Opa Loca, he knew they were heading north, away from where he had assumed they would go.

[Chris Carrier]

And I just remember thinking, well, that's not normal. But I have to trust him. He knows where he's going, he's going to his office or wherever it is, he's got these things. And so I resigned myself to just realize, now I can trust him.

[Emily Jones]

The man continued driving, smoking one cigarette after another, the conversation fading until there wasn't much left to say.

[Chris Carrier]

It quickly grew awkward because, you know, how many things do I have in common with a gentleman who's gray haired and weathered, heavy smoker and you know, I don't, I don't know him and he doesn't know me. His. And so the small talk kind of ran out probably 30 minutes or so in.

[Emily Jones]

After a while, the man noticed there was a Coast Guard station up ahead.

[Chris Carrier]

And so he asked me, he said, would you like to stop and see the big Coast Guard helicopters? I'm a 10 year old kid. Got my attention. I was like, sure. And so we pulled up alongside the Coast Guard station. I remember pulling in straight. There was a fence in front of us. And we just sat there, probably for a good 10 minutes or so, just looking at those, hoping that maybe one of those big ginormous white helicopters would begin to take off or one would be coming in. And I didn't realize, I didn't necessarily think, what's he doing? You know, why are we stalling? But we sat there for a few minutes and nothing happened.

[Emily Jones]

Finally, the man said it was time to move on. They continued down the road again until they pulled into a quiet, overgrown parking lot in the middle of nowhere.

[Holly Worthington]

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[Emily Jones]

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[Holly Worthington]

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[Emily Jones]

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[Holly Worthington]

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[Emily Jones]

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[Holly Worthington]

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[Emily Jones]

They continued down the road again until they pulled into a quiet, overgrown parking lot in the middle of nowhere. The man reached for a map, handed it to Chris and asked him to find a highway.

[Chris Carrier]

And he told me, he said, I think I've missed my turn, but I need to get something in the back of the rv.

[Emily Jones]

This struck Chris as strange was this man lost.

[Chris Carrier]

It made me wonder, you know, who forgets where they live or where they work? And so I just, I had to resign myself to saying, all adults in my life have been worthy of my trust, so go with what I know.

[Emily Jones]

As Chris puzzled over the map, the man walked through the galley of the motorhome. That's when Chris experienced a strange sensation.

[Chris Carrier]

I felt a quick sting in my shoulder. Came and went. I mean, nothing like a base sting necessarily, nothing lingering. But then it happened again. And I remember thinking, you know what? That's kind of awkward. I don't know what that was, if it was something caught in my shirt. And I turned around, looked over my shoulder, and here he was standing behind me with an ice pick in his hand.

[Emily Jones]

Everything that followed happened quickly. The man grabbed Chris by the shirt, pulled him out of the passenger seat and threw him down onto the floor in the middle of the rv.

[Chris Carrier]

And next thing I knew, I was on my back on the floor looking up at him as he got down on one knee and began to just continue to stab me in the chest with his ice pick. It's happening so fast, I didn't know what to think. And I remember just looking up at him, trying to block his hand, and he'd pull my arm away and stab again. And I remember saying something to the effect of, look, I don't know who you are, I don't know what you're trying to do. I don't know why you're doing this. I'm out of words. I think I fumbled through saying something to the effect of, look, if you'll just stop, if you'll let me go, I won't tell anybody.

[Emily Jones]

Chris struggled beneath the man's weight, staring into his cold eyes, wondering if it would ever stop. And then, at last, it did. The man straightened and stood over him. Chris lay there, shocked and bleeding, bracing for what was to come. But what happened next surprised him and

[Chris Carrier]

he said, son, I'm going to take you somewhere and I'm going to drop you off in a safe place and I will call your daddy so that he can come pick you up.

[Emily Jones]

Chris lay in shocked silence. Then relief washed over him. The promise that his father was coming was all he needed to hear. He couldn't wait for his dad to get there. He desperately wanted to go home.

[Chris Carrier]

I knew my father would be wherever he needed to be as fast as he could. There was never a doubt of his love, never a doubt of his provision and care.

[Emily Jones]

The man ordered Chris to the back of the RV and told him to sit on the floor and stay still. The man then warned him not to make any noise and he gave me

[Chris Carrier]

a stern warning and saying, look, you can't jump up. You can't try to get anybody's attention. No screaming, no yelling, no trying to escape. If you do anything like that, I'm just going to come back there and shoot you.

[Emily Jones]

Chris nodded and stayed where he was. He heard the engine roar to life again. As the RV began to move, Chris looked down at his dark green polo shirt, now speckled with blood. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Meanwhile, back in Coral Gables, Chris's parents were growing frantic with worry when their 10 year old son still hadn't come home from school. Chris was not the type to run away or play pranks and they knew it immediately. Something was wrong. They called the police without hesitation. Where was their precious boy? From where Chris sat in the back of the rv, he could see very little. He had no idea where this man was taking him.

[Chris Carrier]

And as time would pass, I would try to kind of sneak up and look over the dashboard, see where we were or what was going on. But of course all the windows were higher than where I was sitting. But when I'd look over the dashboard I could only see a limited number of things, usually trees or lights.

[Emily Jones]

The RV rumbled along, passing through stretches of road with fewer sounds of traffic the farther they went.

[Chris Carrier]

I think we went through a toll booth. At one point we stopped at a gas station and he again reiterated, don't say anything, don't do anything. And of course, that was back in the day when there were gas station attendants who would pump your gas.

[Emily Jones]

Chris could hear the gas station attendant's voice outside the rv. If he could hear the gas station attendant, the attendant could likely hear him too. Chris wondered what would happen if he called out for help. But he remembered his captor's warning. He was too scared to make a sound.

[Chris Carrier]

He ordered what he needed out the side window, paid for it with cash, and we were back on the road.

[Emily Jones]

As the next half hour passed, Chris considered his options.

[Chris Carrier]

I remember sitting in the back and Even as a 10 year old boy, looking at my environment, looking at the situation I was in and thinking, how do I escape? How do I get out? Who can rescue me? What are my options here? Can I overpower him? I'm a 10 year old boy who's undersized, still waiting on my latest growth spurt that's passed me by. So no, I can't overpower him. He's a full adult. Can I outsmart him? Can I pull some kind of MacGyver tactic? No. I looked around and there wasn't anything within reach that I could grab to hit him with. But even if I did, are we going to go off the road and into a canal? The odds of me surviving any one of those options was not good. There was a realization that even though I'd been raised in church and even even though I knew the stories of the Bible and knew who Jesus was, that was a moment in which I had to shift from saying, I trust what my parents believe and I rely on their faith to realizing I need to step up and do something myself.

[Emily Jones]

In that instant, Chris stopped trying to find a way to escape. Instead, he reached for every ounce of faith that lay deep within him and he prayed.

[Chris Carrier]

There wasn't anything profound about my prayer. They weren't great words. In fact, it was as simple as simply looking at the inside of that RV and praying, Father. Well, you know,

[Emily Jones]

As a 10 year old boy, this was all Chris could do. And somehow it felt like enough. The RV continued down the road, which eventually changed beneath them. The smooth pavement gave way to a bumpy surface as Chris felt the RV turn onto a different road. Gravel crunched under the tires and dust rose behind them as they moved farther away from from civilization. After a short distance, the RV stopped. The man opened the door and motioned for Chris to step out. Chris had no idea where he was. In reality, the man had driven him out to the northern part of the Florida Everglades.

[Chris Carrier]

And he led me out. And it was just a beautiful environment. Nothing but small palms and wonderful, beautiful trees. There were no homes. There was nothing out there, just a country road. And I thought, okay, this is safe. It's fine. There's nobody around. I'm not worried about traffic or anything. And I remember him looking both ways, making sure it was safe. And. And then we walked out. He must have walked me probably 40 or so feet into this tall, marshy sawgrass, the kind that when you step on it, it breaks. And some of the grass was well over my hips in terms of height. And we walked out to the edge where a few trees were. And he said, why don't you just sit down right here, and this will be where I'll call your dad and let him know where you are.

[Emily Jones]

Chris sat down, looking briefly at the ground around him, noticing small details without thinking much about them. He began trying to estimate how far they had driven and how long it might take his father to reach him once he got the call behind him, the man reached into his pocket. Chris, trusting, young, naive, had no idea what was coming.

[Chris Carrier]

What I didn't anticipate was that that gentleman pulled a small pistol, stole from his pocket, and I think waited for me to not be looking at him, and pulled the gun right up to the temple of my head and pulled the trigger.

[Holly Worthington]

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[Emily Jones]

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[Holly Worthington]

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[Emily Jones]

In Coral Gables. Hours passed with no no sign of Chris anywhere. Police canvassed the neighborhood and interviewed classmates, friends, neighbors, and the bus driver. Chris's church sent out a citywide prayer request. Family and friends searched everywhere they could think of, spreading out for miles, vacant homes and Abandoned buildings were combed through with the help of the department's K9 unit. But it was as if Chris is had simply vanished. With each passing hour, their hope dimmed. Deep in the Everglades, young Chris lay unconscious in the thick, swampy wilderness with a single gunshot wound through his head. For a time, everything was still, only the sound of insects buzzing and wind blowing through the reeds. Then Chris stirred. He blinked his eyes open. He sat up slowly. The light had changed. The sun was lower, filtered through trees. And the air had the feel of late afternoon

[Chris Carrier]

in my mind, completely unaware of what had happened in terms of the shooting. It was still Friday, December 20th. And I remember waking up thinking, I wonder how long I was asleep. I wonder where dad is. And I wasn't worried. I wasn't hungry. I was still coming off of my sugar rush from all those cupcakes and cookies. Christmas was five days away. I felt all right, and I sat there.

[Emily Jones]

Finally, Chris stood up and wondered if he should find a better spot to wait.

[Chris Carrier]

And I remember thinking, if Dad's going to be close, I better get out to the edge of that road. So I walked through that tall grass and got on the edge of that road, found a large rock that was probably the size of a basketball that was kind of shaped that way. And so I sat down on the edge of that dusty country country road, figuring, I'll wait for dad. And of course, my father, my mother, and everybody in Miami had no clue where I'd been for the last six days. Because when I woke up, it was December 26th.

[Emily Jones]

December 26th. Six whole days had gone by. Six days. Chris had lain on the floor of the Everglades, alone, exposed and unconscious. There had been no food, no water. The area around him was known for wildlife. Alligators along the canals, panthers and pythons moving through the brush. It was the kind of environment where a bleeding body normally wouldn't last the night. And yet here this young boy sat on a rock in the middle of nowhere, covered in dry blood, a gunshot wound to his head and stab wounds in his chest, but alive, waiting as the sun dipped behind the horizon for his daddy. But what Chris didn't know was that his daddy had never been called. So he sat waiting and waiting,

[Chris Carrier]

the sun as it went down. I remember thinking, well, dad will have a hard time seeing me, but he'll have his lights on.

[Holly Worthington]

And that's where we have to leave Chris's story next week. But truly, this story is far from over, and it deserves a whole second episode because you Will not believe what happens next.

[Chris Carrier]

Yeah.

[Emily Jones]

But for now, let's talk about this episode and the amazing miracle that we just heard about. I mean, how shocked were you when you found out that he had been lying on the floor of the Everglades for six days?

[Holly Worthington]

I think my jaw literally dropped.

[Emily Jones]

Mine, too.

[Holly Worthington]

Just amazing. I've been to the Florida Everglades a few times, and, in fact, I think I may have been near the exact spot that this happened when I was talking to Chris about it, describing where I had been before. There is a back road that goes along a canal that someone had recommended to us to go down because there were so many alligators there. They said, you are guaranteed to see alligators there. And I'm telling you, we saw so many alligators. And it is so incredible that Chris survived this.

[Emily Jones]

I know Chris said that they estimate there's an alligator every 60 to 70 yards in this area. And alligators can smell blood. Like, here's this young boy bleeding unconscious. Like, honestly, it feels like Daniel in the lion's den. That's, like, what it reminds me of.

[Holly Worthington]

It really does. In fact, Chris said something kind of similar to that that I thought was really interesting. So let's listen to that.

[Chris Carrier]

The northern part of the Everglades is familiarly called Alligator Alley. Here, if a deer or a wild pig gets hit, their dinner. The idea that I could have a head injury and be lying there not much bigger than a baby deer doesn't make sense. Other than the fact that I trust that there were angels on guard.

[Holly Worthington]

I mean, angels had to be guarding him. How else do you explain that? But God. That's how you explain it. That's the only way possible.

[Emily Jones]

I know. And it's not even just the alligators. I mean, here's a kid, there's no food, there's no water. He shot in the head. He stabbed in the chest.

[Holly Worthington]

Yes.

[Emily Jones]

Like, the fact that he survived any of that is just incredible. Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

He went through some horrific things that I know. It's just amazing he survived those things.

[Emily Jones]

But poor kid.

[Holly Worthington]

Also, the faith of that little boy.

[Chris Carrier]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

Oh, it gets me emotional just thinking about that little. That sweet little mustard seed.

[Emily Jones]

I know a faith that he had.

[Holly Worthington]

And his prayer is something that I will never forget. When he just said father. Well, you know, and I think that's just, like the most sincere prayer. Like, I think sometimes we have to say that ourselves. You know, when it's just like, you don't have the words.

[Emily Jones]

That was so sweet and so innocent and, I mean, just like Thinking about innocence, like, this is the. He's just a little kid.

[Holly Worthington]

Yeah.

[Emily Jones]

He's this sweet little boy who's so loving and so trusting. I mean, he grew up in a home where I'm sure his parents were very good to him. Like, he had no reason to doubt this man.

[Holly Worthington]

Yeah.

[Emily Jones]

I mean, those were different times. Like, nowadays, I talk to my kids all the time about stranger danger, but, like, that wasn't really a thing back then.

[Holly Worthington]

Yeah. Yeah, it was definitely a different world back then. And parents, by the way, if you haven't talked to your kids lately about this kind of stuff, I think it is such a good reminder to just tell your kids, like, it's okay to say no to an adult if things don't feel right.

[Emily Jones]

If.

[Holly Worthington]

If. If something's off, it's okay to say no to an adult.

[Emily Jones]

I cannot. I can't imagine going through this. I can't imagine what those parents went through.

[Holly Worthington]

Oh, I know. His parents. His poor parents had to be so sick with worry.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah. Reminds me of an experience that I had recently. My daughter came home one day from school, and she asked if she could go play at this friend from school's house. And I hadn't met this family before, but I just decided it was okay. So she walked with this other girl to their house after school. I got the mom's phone number, and. And then a few hours later, I texted the mom and said, hey, like, can you send Sadie home now? And the mom responded, oh, she left two hours ago. And I was like, where? Where is she? And so I searched my entire house. There's no Sadie. I asked my kids, I asked my husband, has anyone seen her? And no one has seen her. And she's not the kind of kid to just, like, go somewhere without asking. So I start to panic, like, where is she? And I thought maybe I could check her other friend's house. And so as I'm running there, I'm literally out loud crying to God, please, God, please have her be there. Please have her be there. And I got there, and fortunately she was. And it turns out she had seen her friend on the way home, and she asked her friend's mom to text me, and her mom forgot. And so, you know, innocent mistake. But I just remember that relief that I felt, But I also was shaking for, like, two hours. I couldn't stop thinking about that. We just interviewed Chris, and I couldn't stop thinking about the parents who have to go through that. They go looking for their child and can't find them.

[Holly Worthington]

Yeah.

[Emily Jones]

So heartbreaking.

[Holly Worthington]

Those little children that have to go through horrible things. Like, we have people comment sometimes on social media or videos or whatever, just saying, like, how does God love his children when he lets them suffer? And, you know, it's interesting to me, like, we do believe God is with those children, and we do believe he comforts them when they go through really awful things.

[Emily Jones]

And he was with Chris for sure.

[Holly Worthington]

He was for sure with Chris. When he woke up and went to the road, he had no idea that six days had passed.

[Chris Carrier]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

He didn't even realize that he'd been shot.

[Emily Jones]

I know he had no pain. Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

He was shot in the temple and is blind in one eye from the shot. And yet he still didn't know what had even happened to him. It's just incredible.

[Emily Jones]

And God is so merciful that even in our really hard moments, he shows up for us.

[Holly Worthington]

Yeah. Doesn't mean they're not hard.

[Emily Jones]

No.

[Holly Worthington]

But he's there.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

And Chris shared something else about miracles that I thought was so powerful.

[Chris Carrier]

I believe that miracles are a wonderful way of God reaching into circumstances in real life in which we feel powerless. You know, I can't overpower, I can't outdo, and I can't save myself. I have to rely on him who is going to be there with a smile and bring me through. Bring us all through. I think there's a lot of miracles we just don't see. I think we need to train our eyes to understand. He's been doing and will continue to be doing a lot behind the scenes to build us up and to hopefully deepen our affection for his presence and love in our lives.

[Holly Worthington]

I love that.

[Emily Jones]

I know such a beautiful perspective. And, y', all, this is not the end of the story.

[Holly Worthington]

No.

[Emily Jones]

Surviving six days in the Florida Everglades is already an unbelievable miracle. But there is so much more to his story. So make sure you come back before we end. Here's a quick Preview of part two. Chris's father and uncle suspected a man named David McAllister.

[Chris Carrier]

His alcoholism had gotten in the way in the work he was performing, and so my father was the one who had terminated him.

[Emily Jones]

They informed the police, and officers went to David McAlister's home to investigate.

[Chris Carrier]

There was no fingerprint evidence, no blood samples, hair samples, no evidence he'd had a full week, effectively, to clean his vehicle.

[Holly Worthington]

Thank you for joining us. If you have a miracle to share, contact [e-mail] or find us on social media. We release new episodes each Monday.

[Emily Jones]

Yes. So don't forget Miracle Mondays. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content content as well.

[Holly Worthington]

Join us next time as we discover more of God's miracles. And don't forget to look for his light in your own lives.