A 15-year-old girl managed to escape from a ravine after being kidnapped and having her hands severed by a man. Mary Vincent, who had run away from home and was hitchhiking to her granddad’s house, accepted a ride from Lawrence Singleton, 51, in Modesto, California. After stopping to offer others rides, Singleton took Mary to a deserted road, where he assaulted her, cut off her arms, and left her in a ravine in 1978.
Despite being left for dead, Mary stopped the bleeding by packing dirt into her wounds and crawled out of the ravine. She flagged down a passing car for help and was eventually taken to a hospital where she survived. Mary cooperated with authorities to apprehend Singleton, who was convicted of various charges and sentenced to prison.
After serving time, Singleton faced backlash from the community and was later linked to the murder of Roxanne Hayes in Tampa, Florida. Mary expressed disappointment that it took another tragedy for people to realize the danger Singleton posed. Singleton was sentenced to death but passed away in prison from cancer in 2001.