Morbid - Episode 266: The Unbelievable Survival Story of Holly K. Dunn

Episode Date: September 26, 2021

Alaina brings us the tale of Holly K Dunn who survived a brutal attack at the hands of an evil, deranged man. Holly’s survival tale is incredibly inspiring but also heartbreaking because through it she lost an amazing boyfriend, Chris Maier. Chris Maier and Holly had recently begun dating and were just enjoying an evening stroll by a set of railroad tracks when a man came out of the dark in front of them and attacked them. What Holly didn’t find out for two years was that this man was one of the most notorious serial killers. Check out Holly's book! Sole Survivor by Holly K. Dunn Holly's House Gabby Petito's family. has asked that in lieu of flowers, if you can, please send donations to the Future Gabby Petito Foundation through the Johnny mac Foundation at: https://johnnymacfoundation.org  As always, thank you to our sponsors: Hello Fresh: Get up to fourteen free meals—including free shipping!—when you use code morbid14 at HelloFresh.com/morbid14 Best Fiends: Download Best Fiends FREE today on the App Store or Google Play Scribd:.  Go to try.scribd.com/MORBID for your free 60 day trial. Curology: You can start your Curology journey just like I did with a free 30-day trial at Curology.com/MORBID.  Monday.com: Tap into the magic of your team with monday.com Work OS, sign up for your free two-week trial at monday.com today! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Hey, weirdos, I'm Ash. And I'm Alena. And this is morbid on the week and that's right. Well by the time you guys hear this it will be the weekend. Yeah exactly because wow what a week. It's right. Well by the time you guys hear this, it will be the weekend. Yeah, exactly, because wow, what a week. It's been a shitty week guys. Yeah, it's been a really. It's been a really week.

It hasn't been a shitty week for you guys too, because I feel like I keep seeing people being like, yeah, my week was shitty too. You know what's scary is if this was a shitty week, because it was a shitty week for you and your fans, and then I had like a math week. Yeah. And I'm like, then I got to think in, and I was like, oh, is Mercury in retrograde?

And of course, the Google machine was like, no, it's not, but it will be on Sunday, Sunday going into Monday. Wow. Mercury retrograde starts. So I was like, was this just like, life's warm up for us all? Like, it was just like, take a lap

and then go off into your shitty retrograde? I'm hoping that maybe we just have it wrong and Mercury retrograde just ended and we're beginning a new time of a correct grade. If we're all going to a great grade, she's still going to a forward grade and we're all gonna be fine and everything's gonna be great

because my stove broke randomly, and today I burned all of my fingers on molten hot caramel, literally have at the very least second degree burns on one of my fingers. Like I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need to go to the doctors for that one just to make sure that I don't get infected. It's like made caramel gets so hot.

And it was my own stupidity, but it was like my own stupidity that was happening because of the universe, I'm pretty sure. Like, I don't know what the atmosphere was at, like making me stupid. No, that's not stupid. Like the caramel like plopped up and burned out. It splattered too.

But you're like stupidity. Look, it's usually, I'm much more careful with that and I shouldn't have been more careful, but you're in like a bad relationship with caramel, you know. I really am. I'm in a toxic relationship with caramel, but you know, whatever. But either way, then like everybody's been sick, I can feel the sickness creeping in. I'm trying to keep it at bay, but I have a scratchy ass throat right now. I know.

It would be a wonder if I didn't get sick because I've been covered in snot and all kinds of things. I have been a shit aunt.'ve been covered in snot and all kinds of books. I have been a shit aunt. I have come here to record and then said, bye, I'm going to see you. No, you're smart. You're smart. Usually I stick around, but I just say, I just don't feel like I'm sick. You didn't feel like it in such a time. It's so cool. I like it right now. Sometimes aunt's just don't feel like it in shape. You have my aunt card. I was going to say you have that right. You have that right till you're a parent. You have the right.

And you pulled that card right on a baby. And I would never shave you for taking that right. And I rarely pull that card. You never pulled that card. I know. But yeah, it's just been a shitty week. I'm just hoping like that next week to be a little extra everybody.

I'm hoping that Mercury retrograde is like just a party for everybody. This is a party. This is a party. I don't know. Let's hope. I just think it's been a shitty week. On top of that, there hasn't been a shitty week. There's, you know what?

It's been a shitty week. Guys, I'm tired too. On top of that, my youngest pandemic baby doesn't sleep. And when she's sick, she really doesn't sleep. And she's so much more confused. Which means none of us sleep. That's the problem with pandemic baby doesn't sleep and when she's sick she really doesn't sleep and she's so much. Which means none of us sleep. That's the problem with pandemic baby. Yeah. She's we oh I can't tell you what we call her because it's her name but it's a variation on her name. We use her name backwards because we

said that as a demon. Yeah because that's her demon name. My demon name is I'm I want you all to know that, but anyways, that's the problem with pandemic baby, is she's a little demon, who doesn't sleep or anything, but then she's like, mama. But she's the cutest thing you've ever seen. So cute. Yeah, I just love her.

I just want to eat her, even in the middle of the night, I'm like, you're just so freaking cute. I don't know. I literally pretend to eat her face so often that she started pretending to eat my face. It's a good thing to teach her. But we'll all get through this together, guys. We're all gonna get through it together.

And on top of that, there hasn't been any movement in the Gabby potato case. We've been keeping up with that pretty closely. I hope all of you will follow Brian Nton, because he's where it's at. Oh, actually, I meant to say this to you even before we started recording.

So I did see this TikTok today, which like, you know, I was not an article. I was just going to say, but a TikTok. Let me throw a huge giant chunk of salt at you, really quick. Salt, not a grain. Oh, well, yeah. So that was like, what? Take this with a giant chunk of salt.

Yeah, yeah, of course, of course. But it is interesting. This woman was saying she was like, obviously like the police know way more than like they're letting us know, which yes, of course. Of course, that every investigation there. And that's awesome.

And then she was saying there's cameras in that reserve that they're searching. And then they narrowed down the search to like a very small area. The poll reserve is like 25,000 square feet of acres or whatever. And she was like, I wonder if the cameras caught him in one part of that.

So that would be interesting. There is a positive, well, they looked at one of the cameras because somebody claimed that they had a picture of him on one of the trail cameras or one of their specific cameras. And it was somebody who literally looked at nothing like, it was like a bald white dude. Then it was the same girl made a nice talk and was like, guys, this isn't Ryan Lundry.

This isn't Brian Lundry. Not every bald dude is probably like a beard. Like as much as we want it to be him, I understand everybody just wants to catch him, of course. Of course, because it's officially a man hunt. I guess that's one of the updates. It's officially a man hunt now. The FBI did officially a man hunt. I guess that's one of the updates. It's officially a man hunt now. The FBI did officially issue a warrant.

Not from murder, but for his arrest based on unlawful usage of what we think is like a cell phone. I know he was using an ATM debit card that didn't belong to him. We don't know what belonged to Gabby, but that's all we know so far. But I'm just waiting for concrete. Let me know what's going on, and that's it. So hopefully we'll get some of that.

I know Brian and Tinn is still camped out at the laundry house. I was gonna say, again, if you didn't listen to the last episode, every morning that I wake up, I refresh Brian and Tinn's Twitter. He's there. Every morning there's a bigger, small, some kind of update. Yeah, he's there. He's there like 24-7. He's there. Every morning there's a bigger, small, some kind of update. Yeah, he's there. He's there like 24-7.

He's like really committed to this. So hopefully, we get something out of it. But I think there's been a couple of, go fund me that have popped up. And all the money is going towards domestic violence charities and other really good things that I think I feel like would be good to do in Gabby's memory. Do something good if you can.

Even if it's a buck that you can give to somewhere like that, I think it would just be a nice thing to do if we can all just try to. And actually Gabby's father tweeted yesterday, her funeral service, I believe, is happening today. But he said, in lieu of flowers for the service, please send donations for the future Gabby Petito Foundation through the Johnny Mac Foundation at JohnnyMacFoundation.org.

Oh, that's good to know. Obviously, that's somewhere that's close to the family's heart. So even if you're from her dad's. You want to send donations there in lieu of flowers or just because you want to send a donation there, if you're able to, that's where to the family's heart. So even if it's right from her dad. You wanna send donations there, like in lieu of flowers or just because you wanna send a donation there, if you're able to, that's where they'd like it to go. Yeah, for sure. And we'll link it in the show notes

so that you guys can find it easy again, because I still see people wondering where the show notes are, so I'll just say it as many times as I can for you. In the description of the episode, just hit show more boom, that's where all the links are. Wherever you listen. Wherever you're listening. So today episode. Just hit show more boom. That's where all the links are. Wherever you listen. Wherever you're listening.

So today, let's get to our case. Our case here, this one is wild. It's a survival tale. Okay, okay. Which we haven't had in a while. We haven't even remembered a lot. Let's remember when we did. Let's have, you know, we love a happy ending.

Yeah, let's come girls. This one is going to be a survival tale today, but then my next episode, which will come out in the, you know, next week is going to be an extension of this where, because this person's survival was a part of something much bigger and pretty awful. So we're gonna be covering the killer who eventually attacked this woman.

Okay. And she survived. But I wanna start with her because while she's amazing, her name is Holly Kay Dunn, but she now goes by Holly Dunn Pendleton because she is remarried. Yes, well not remarried. Married, I don't know why I said remarried.

She married. Well, you'll know once I start talking, because she had like a very significant other at one point. Okay. But she's amazing. So I just felt this whole story should start with her, because she's like endlessly just like made me, like dropped my jaw and off.

Like astounded. Yeah, it's, she's truly like one of the most inspirational just like made me drop my jaw and off. Like it's astounded. Yeah, it's, she's truly like one of the most inspirational people, just the way she was able to move forward from this experience that I'm about to tell you because when you hear it, you're gonna be like, I'm sorry, what? Hold on.

She wrote a book about this and it's called Soul Survivor, the inspiring true story of coming face to face with the infamous killer. I'm not gonna say it because I wanna give you like a... She wants to do a big reveal at the end. I wanna do a big reveal at the end, but find her book, it's Holly Kay Don Soul Survivor, and it'll blow your eye blue through this book because I couldn't put it down.

I like just could not stop. I love that. Now, as a young girl, she lived in Evansville, Indiana, and she was already a badass as a young girl. Let's go. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wondery's podcast American scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in US history, presidential lies, environmental disasters, corporate fraud. In our newest series, we look at the kids for cash scandal, a story about corruption inside America's system of juvenile justice. In Northeastern Pennsylvania, residents had begun noticing an alarming trend. Children

were being sent away to jail in high numbers and often for committing only minor offenses. The FBI began looking at two local judges, and when the full picture emerged, it made national headlines. The judges were earning a fortune, carrying out a brazen criminal scheme, one that would shatter the lives of countless children, and force a heated debate about punishment, an America's criminal justice system. Follow American scandal wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad-free on the Amazon Music or Wonder App. What makes a person a murderer? Are they born to kill or are they made to kill? I'm Candice DeLong and on my podcast Killer Psychie Daily, which you can find exclusively on Amazon

Music. I share a quick 10-minute rundown every weekday on the motivations and behaviors of the criminal masterminds you read about in the news. I have decades of experience as a psychiatric nurse, FBI agent, and a criminal profiler. On Killer Psychie Daily, I'll give you my expert perspective on cases like the mysterious New York City drugings, Breaking Down Laurie Valow, a.k.a. Mommy Doom stays motives, and what drove Caitlin Armstrong to murder? I'll also bring on expert guests who add even more insight into these criminal minds. I promise you won't regret adding these 10 minutes to your morning routine. Hey Prime members, listen to the Amazon Music exclusive podcast Killer Psychie Daily in

the Amazon Music app. Download the app today. [♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ Now I'm going to give you as much information as I have about her life and about her boyfriend at the time's life. There's not a ton out there, but I'm going to give you what I can. She was determined when she was little

to become the first female president of the United States. Yes, so like, get it, girl. It's not too late because we still have an admonition. We still have an admonition. So I have no doubt she probably still could, because with her spirit, strength, intelligence, determination, she's insanely admirable, like I said. If she was running for president, I'd be like, hell yeah. Like, she's a badass.

But I'm really glad that she has actually chosen to write down this story because for a while obviously it must have been insanely hard for her to even tell this story. But I'm glad she did this because it's so empowering to take this and turn it into such a show of strength and to show like love. Like this story really shows you like, when you like people caring about each other. Like when I was reading this book, I was like, wow. It resiments your values and humanity.

It does and it makes you think about all the people that you really care about in your life and you're like, damn, I'm lucky. You have these people. Did you think about me? I might have thought about you. I might have thought about you all that. I'm telling you,

if you read this book, you're just gonna be like, damn, I just wanna hug everybody that I love in my life. I don't like hugs. It really is. I'm not a big huger today. But it's gonna make you think like, maybe we can just, woo, just air high five.

We can do like a side hug. Yeah, or like a, just finger guns. Yeah. That's what we'll do. But, so, I think we can bring you back to like this very serious place. Holly lost the person she cared about the most at the time and she lost him in front of her and she lost him in one of the worst ways imaginable. Okay. This is a really sad tale. I want to give a quick trigger

warning. This is really it's tough to listen to. There's rape involved in this. It's a tough, tough, tough case. It's really testing itself. But I'm telling you, at the end of this episode at least, somebody comes out good in the end. So we'll take that at least. But she survived, she thrived, she carries on his legacy

with her two day. And she turned it into something pretty beautiful and like, it's really amazing. I just want you to read that book down. It's just firing. It sounds like the damn book. It's so good. That's Elena's Google review. It really is.

I never, after I read this book, I never wanted to complain again. Wow. It was just like reading the Michelle Knight book when you're like, damn, I just, what am I doing? I'm like, I just spent the first half of this episode complaining about a bad week. Fuck that. Yeah, it wasn't a bad week. Fuck that. It wasn't that bad. You got to eat the caramel that

fucked you over. I got to eat the caramel. Everybody's relatively healthy. We're coming out of the stove works again. The stove works again. It's like, I just can't complain after reading this. It puts a lot of things in perspective. So that's good. This horrible thing took place August 28th, 1997. And I saw an interview she did with the news station and they were trying to paint this picture of this year,

1997 when Ash was one. And they were saying it was the time of puff daddy. Yeah, bitch. And the time of Biggie. Yeah, bitch. And the time of Biggie. Yeah, and I was like, yeah, it was. And Holly was like, yeah, that stuff was great. But she was like, I was into like Ben Folds 5 and like Barney could lead me to the 10.

Ben Folds 5, you just phoned his head. Ben Folds 5 is the best. Ben Folds 5 is the best. I love Ben Folds 5. Yeah. And as soon as I heard Ben Folds 5, I was like, yes. The sad one. The super sad one.

The sad one. Oh my god, yeah. I can like hear like, yes. The sad one. The super sad one. The sad one. Oh my god, yeah. I can like hear like the beginning. The luckiest. Yes, the luckiest. Oh my god. Yeah, I might start crying right now just hearing the luckiest. Like very college, like very college core.

Yeah. The luckiest. You know, I wanted that as my wedding song. Yes, I remember that. And John heard it and was like, this is so sad. No, literally the saddest song ever. But it's so beautiful., this is so sad. No, literally the saddest song ever. But it's so beautiful. I could see why you would want it. Anyways, anyways, that's a great song. Biggie, biggie, biggie. There you go.

Yeah, lifting up. But this was the year that she was a junior at the University of Kentucky. Okay. And she was a member of the Capacapa Gamma sorority. She was majoring in accounting. She later changed to finance, but she wanted to follow in her father's career in the hotel business. And she talks about her father in the book and she says that he was just like a really great example

of being a highly successful business person, but also making time for his family. And she was like, I really wanted that life. I wanted to make sure I was successful, but I wanted to make sure my family was like, my number one priority. Like the best two priorities to have as a junior in fucking college, like get it.

And it's like, her family, it just sounds like such like a close knit, like just a delightful family. Like you just, when you're reading about it, you're like, damn, I just don't like hang out with you guys. Can I come over for Thanksgiving? But at the time, she was newly dating a guy who she really liked and his name was Christopher Myers. They had met in a college bar called Buffalo Wild Wings

and WEC. Buffalo Wild Wings, yeah. That's not the same one. And WEC, yeah. But she had been celebrating her best friend and roommate Annie's 21st birthday that night And the way they met was while she was talking to another guy They were at like that. This was like a dive bar

And I guess it was only their little group and then like a group of dudes from the college in this bar Sounds like the actual. Yes So exactly so she was talking to another guy and Chris just walks up to her and is like, hey, we have the same toes And he was like look and he she was always wearing silver nail polish on her toenails Yeah, it was in the summer so they were both wearing sand the nail polish He had silver nail polish on his toes and I'll explain that after that's hilarious But what a great pickup line you walk up and say we have the same nail polish on his toes and I'll explain that after. That's hilarious. But what a great pickup line. You walk up and say we have the same nail polish on our toes?

That's amazing. I mean, like I'll go home with you. Like hell yeah dude, we do. Nice nail polish. My standards are love. I love it. I'm totally kidding. Like I will nail polish, that's great.

Let's go. So Christopher Thomas Mayer was 21 years old at the time. He was from Canton, Ohio and he was also a junior at the University of Kentucky. He was really close to his parents, Tom and Anna, or excuse me, Tom and Ann Mayer, and he was very close to his older sister Elizabeth. They were like best friends. He was a member of Phi Kappa Sci fraternity, and he was majoring in lighting design in the theater department at the school like Phi Kappa. Hi. He was tall. He was tall. He was six foot five, which I was like, I get it. Holly is tall.

I get it. Holly is. No, John's how tall? Six foot three. okay. So he's taller than John. Taller than John. I've never met anyone taller than John. I'm right, it's crazy. So in Holly said, she was like, as soon as I saw him, I was like, hello. I'm a clienty like that. And she was like, I get it. Yeah.

And I guess everybody who was there that night when they got in the car like all her friends were like, oh, who's that really tall guy? He was really cute. She was like, fuck you guys, he's mine. Girls love a tall man. I love that. So they ended up inviting him and his friend

that night to a party at their apartment the following evening. Because they were having a party for her roommate Anna. Sure. So they decided they were gonna come. A 21st birthday take me back. So that night that they were at the party at their apartment, Chris and Holly spent the entire night talking. Like they immediately just were like, whoop, like bonded right away.

This is going to ruin me, isn't it? Yep, it is. It's love. Very terrible story. But Holly is a fucking badass. Okay, sorry, I had to meet the dress. So they really bonded that night. They ended up going for a walk outside alone together to really talk some more.

This is when they found out they had very similar families. They came from similar upgrades. They were both super close to their older sisters. Chris was really close to his older sister Elizabeth. Like I said, and Holly had an older sister Heather, who was only 18 months older than her. I wish twins. So they were like twins and they like really were best friends. And in fact, she considered her rock. Like when she was interviewed later by the police when all this shit goes down, they were like, you can have one person in the room with you and she said her sister.

I would want to. Because she was like, she is, that's my role. That's my role. Like I need her. She was the first person that she told the entire story to. I mean, she was like right there. That's like my you. It like gave me, I was like, oh my god. Oh my god, I love your sister Bond. But she, so her family was like super close in loving.

His family was super close in loving. So I think they both had like Catholic upbringing and like the Midwest. So it was just like, they were just like vibing about all this. They were like, oh hell yeah, you know exactly how all this goes. Oh, I love this.

And she said one of the things she loved about Chris immediately was that he had a ton of women in his life that he respected. Hell yeah. And was close to his sister, his mom. He had a lot of friends that were girls that he was like very respectful of. Good.

He had two female roommates. And in fact, it was just him and them. Yeah. And she like jokes in the book about three companies. I know. And that's why his toenails were silver because they had painted his toenails. Oh my God, I love that.

Like, I love it. And he was like, go for it. Yeah, like, just do it. Now, according to Holly, Chris also loved the outdoors, huge outdoors guy. He was a big hiker bicyclist and he was a soup. He was like a hippie. He was like, love that. Like, had the home mate, like the DIY necklace, you know, like with the big knots on it. Yeah. He was, he would walk around barefoot all the time. Me too. Like, he loved fish the band. Oh, maybe he loved the animal as well,

but he loved the band. And he had been planning actually at the end of the summer to go follow fish, to go to Maine because he was going to the fish festival in Maine. And he was like super excited about that. He had family out there too. I feel like there was always a boy in college

who loved fish. Oh, there was more than one boy in college. You don't just love fish. If you love fish, you don't just love fish. Like you are fish. No, you love fish. Like you become fish. Everybody, I feel like everybody knows somebody that is fish.

Yeah, and they're usually just like the coolest people. You're just like hell yeah. Or I know one person that's like, not the coolest. Oh, gosh, you're listening. I hate you. And he was also an artist, which is probably not shocking, considering like he seems like just like a super vibey,

like cool dude. And Holly says his apartment was like covered in his own creations. Oh, cool. He could pull out supplies and make something beautiful, like boom. And in Holly's own words in her book She said quote, he would turn a rainy day into an adventure splashing in puddles and shaking droplets from the trees

If the sun was shining he'd be flying kites against the wind Chris had an iris Irrepressible infectious energy when I was with him He made me feel like the most important person in the room He was always smiling and he would always greet you with a hug. He gave the best hugs. My heart literally just like grew in my chest. If you look at pictures of this dude too, he's adorable. Like he has the best smile. He just seems like he's one of those people that you would just like be happy being around. And by all accounts, he was. Like everybody who knew him, this isn't like, you know, everybody jokes about that whole like, like there's that meme that goes around that's

like, why is it always like, they, she lit up a room when she walked into it, you know what I mean? Like this is genuinely one of those things where I have not come across someone not just saying he was a good guy they're all like He was one of the best like one of the best It's it really it sounds like it like you can just tell Yeah, you know how she speaks about him people don't just talk about no like it be like people gush about him And when you see what is like friends did afterwards and stuff you can really see how was adorable He was adorable and He was adorable. And she's gorgeous.

Yeah. And it was so sad. But one of the things too, she talks about in the book and again, read the book, because her recollections of everything is like, it'll just take you to a place. It should really make sure that she's like, oh. But I'm also like, I don't want to have my life be ruined. But she did it in a way that makes you just like,

fall in love with them as a unit. And then it makes you sad, but it also like, brings you back up. Of course. She really did an amazing job with it, but there was one instance she said where she like, sat down on this couch with him, and he just pulled out a paper and like,

a bunch of like art supplies and was like, let's make art together. And she was like, yeah, I don't know how to do it. She's like, I can't draw. Like, I don't know what to do. And he was like, that's fine, you don't have to. And he was like, just do what you want. Right.

And he said together, they drew this crazy abstract, it just colors everywhere. And seven, they did it together, like this whole collaboration. And later in his, because I mean, Chris Myers unfortunately was killed. Later during his funeral, they had a pamphlet with like a bunch of pictures of him

and his art and stuff. And in the middle of it was a picture of that painting that they did together. Yeah. So he did get to go to Maine. He got to go to Maine. He got to go to the fish festival. He had an amazing time.

And he called her and was like, this is so amazing. But he called her during a song, memory people would do that. And they'd be like, you love this song. I'm going to call you during it. John did that to me once. He did that in a 3-11 concert, damn. Yeah. I remember. Like, shut up. Such a hippie. I love that John is a fucking hippie who won in a minute.

He won a minute. Well, we were dating. He did that. Such a heavy. I love that John is a fucking hippie at one minute. He would have it. Well, we were dating. He did that, and I loved it. But while he was there, he bought, so he came back and he gave Holly this ring that he had got there. And it was kind of like a fun little ring. It was like something you would find in like those little machines in the grocery store.

And I think that's like probably what it's about it. It's special. And it was like a daisy, a purple daisy with like glitter all over it, and it was like adjustable. So a purple daisy with like glitter all over it And it was like adjustable 90s and it's so 90s and I think it's like the cutest and she said it She was like it was just that he thought of me. Yeah, it's not about me He probably like you've passed by that machine I was like I'm gonna get Holly something right and it's like that was all I needed like that was nice

Oh my god a fucking ruin me. I love love. And they're just like their love or their like relationship was such like a wholesome, like a young adult, like man. So Thursday evening, August 28th, 1997, Chris and Holly planned to go to a party off campus on suburban court, which is in Lexington, Kentucky. The party was for his fraternity, and they had been planning this date for a few days, so they were like excited about it. It was a big deal. And the next day on Friday, they were planning to have a picnic together.

So they had got a ton of supplies for it, like we're ready to go. In her book, you can like, feel during this part to the excitement at this, like, of this relationship at this time. You tell me. And it made me remember like the first phases of dating someone you really are into and how exciting and new everything is.

She said she was wearing brown corduroy pants that she is like her favorite pair of pants, a brown belt and a white t-shirt. And she said she is like her favorite pair of pants, a brown belt and a white t-shirt. And she said she also had her favorite Birkin stock clogs on. Oh my God, iconic. And three rings on her fingers. One of those rings was the Daisy ring.

Yes. Chris had given her. I love rings. Now, when he picked her up that night, he had a megaphone mounted to his car. I called it. And he literally called out into the house for her. Like, I'm obsessed with this meal.

Like I love him. Like he, too good for this world. Oh, too good, too good. And the party, like they went, the party was fine, but they got like kind of bored. They were like, and it's kind of like winding down. And at this point, it was like close to a little after midnight. And they were just like, I were kind of over this.

Nothing good happens after midnight. No, well Chris said, you know, he was bored too. And he was like, you know what, he had actually lived in that house before, like he moved into the fraternity house. So he was like, when I lived here, I used to go walking along the railroad tracks because I loved watching the trains go by.

And so he was like, do you want to leave with me and we can go take a walk together and just have like a time together? And she was like, that sounds really romantic and great. And it was the Norfolk Southern Railway is the railroad track that they're at. And his two friends Ryan and Mike were like, hey, can we join you too?

So they went out with them and they were like, okay, cool. Yeah. And it's funny, because she's like, I wanted to go alone with him, but like whatever. Yeah, she's like, that's fine. She's like, you guys are. You guys are third and fourth wheels, but thank you. Yeah.

Now, Chris had carried a backpack into the party with some beers in it, like all college people do. I can, I just heard the client of it all. And he had like a six pack in the back. A KBR. He carried this backpack with him when they went to the tracks that night too, because they were all just going to like drink beers and walk down the train. And probably like head out afterwards.

Yeah. And they were all hoping to like see some trains, just walk along, have a nice time. Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, but after 30 minutes, no trains came. And they were like, this is annoying. Like now it's just really dark down here. And we're all just walking.

Right. And Mike and Ryan were like, you know what, we're gonna head back to the party and probably get going. Like you guys do what you want. But Chris wanted to keep walking a bit more because he was like, now I wanna walk with Just Holly. Right, of course.

Because he was clearly as smitten with her as she was with him. And he was like, let's have a romantic stroll. So they did. They had like a nice romantic stroll. They walked the tracks for a bit. They talked, they held hands. Like, just two college kids digging each other. Like really a door.

I feel this night. Yeah, right? And reading this, you're just like, oh my God, I feel everything. Especially if you're in love with somebody that's like even half as amazing as Chris sounds which I think Drew is amazing. Like you like, you relate it to things

that you did when you were first dating. Oh, you did think of it as your research. All I could think of was dating, John. That's all I could think of. In the first couple of dates where you would do so like this. And I just was like, man, I hate that you didn't get more of this. But it just makes my heart hurt these last moments together that they had, or I'm glad they had those kind of moments. But it's like, oh, now

you can't fathom what happens next. So they began to walk back to the party because they were like, okay, it's getting late. Let's go back to the car, let's go home and the night. As they walk, they're walking back down the tracks, they pass by a large electrical box on the right side of the tracks. It's pitch black out there, by the way. Yeah. There's very few lights. so it's really dark. From behind the box, suddenly, out of nowhere, a man stepped out. Oh, God.

He had obviously been crouched behind it, waiting for them. And he just stood in front of them on the tracks and said, where did your friends go? Oh. So he had been watching them this entire time, because he knew that they had left. Yeah. He knew they had friends with them. He must have been watching literally the entire time. he knew that they had left. He knew they had friends with them.

He must have been watching literally the entire time. Oh my God, that's terrifying. He then demanded money and they were like, okay. And she was like, so she was like, I immediately was like, get a good look at him. Just get a good look at him. And she said, quote, he had olive skin and black wavy hair.

Plain khaki pants, assured about the same color. There was nothing particularly descriptive about him, but his eyes were what had nerfed me. No irises, just blackness framed by square glasses. He also had a thin mustache, she said. Now, Holly said she didn't notice quite yet, but Chris had clearly seen that this man was carrying an ice pick in his hands.

Chris was trying to be like very chill with him. And like, and Holly at first was like, why is he just like, like not like going, you know, nice. He was like, he's six foot five. Why isn't he going after this? Do you like your like, or like just being like, fuck off. Right. But he saw the ice pick and he was like, yeah, I'm not going to fuck around with this.

And the guy said, get down on your knees. Ice pick. Oh my god. And he did. And Holly knelt next to him. And they both told him we don't have any cash. And it was the truth. They didn't have cash on them. Right. And they offered this man Chris's car keys. They were like, you can take, Holly was like, take my ATM cards. You can have it all. I'll give you everything.

And, but he didn't want any of that. No, of course not. He was not there for that. He was not there for cash. He wasn't there for anything except to cause them pain and suffering. Now, he used the straps of Chris's backpack to tie his hands behind his back, and then used Holly's own belt to tie hers.

Now, this entire time and until he took his last breath, Holly maintains that Chris fought for only her. Oh my God. He didn't even care about himself. He kept saying don't hurt her and do whatever you want with me. Please just let her go. Oh my God.

And he kept saying like, you can do whatever you want to me. Just please let her leave. Like, that's all he kept saying. That is amazing, guys. And the man attacking them seemed anxious to Holly. Like, he kept screaming at them to shut up and like, kept saying, don't

look at me, stop looking at me, like any time they looked at his face. And throughout the entire ordeal, he was pacing and very fidgety. Holly said he felt like he was hopped up on set, like very adrenaline or some kind of drug because he was scary-wired and very anxious. Do we find out later if this particular person was on anything? And not for sure, but it's pretty safe to say he probably was. He ended up dragging Chris away across the ground, which was covered in rocks and broken glass, by the way,

because this is right next to a train truck. And as he's doing this, Holly was following on her knees, like trying to get to him, and she had loosened the belt around her hands. Oh, cool. Around her back. And yeah, oh, let me just put it out here. You're gonna be like, excuse me, Holly,

like why are you this, like her fucking smart thinking, right, thank goodness for it. Now, so she's following on her knees behind them. She's getting her wrists undone out of that belt and throughout this entire ordeal, she has had the presence of mind and quick thinking to think, what do I leave behind? How do I get out of here? What's my next thing? I need to look at his face. I need to know what's going on. Like she thought of everything you're supposed to think of, but probably would never know. He didn't consider like that. So he

then threw Chris down into a ditch next to a fence. It was like a small ditch. He made both of them lie down next to each other and then screamed at them to be quiet. He told them that he had a friend with him and he was like, my friend left to go get something but he's coming right back. So don't even try to go anywhere.

Okay. And he ran back to the electrical box. He did this several times. And he had a bag behind there, obviously. And so he runs back to the electrical box that he slithered out from behind. And he was ripping the fabric. And so Holly's like, what the fuck are they doing?

So while he's doing that, Holly and Chris are trying to come up with some kind of escape, right? But he's so fast when he keeps going back that they can't get in and come out like a coherent one. So he comes back and he ties both of their ankles very tightly with a piece of fabric to each other or just their ankles together so that they can't run.

Okay. He then also takes fabric and he puts them around their mouths, he gets them. But Holly said she immediately stuck her tongue out He then also takes fabric and he puts them around their mouth, see guys. But Holly said she immediately stuck her tongue out when he wrapped it around so that it wouldn't be tightly around her face. And so she could immediately, she was able to pull it down right away when he went back. And which, how do you think that?

Bad ass. How do you think of that? When they're still continuing to try to formulate some kind of escape plan here, but he's too quick each time he goes back. And she did get her hands completely free and was able to get her gag down and she was able to get Chris's gag off. Now when he came back, he was pissed because she had gotten out of the gags. And he told them, quote, I just broke out of jail, see?

You're going to see me on the news. I have a gun and my friend is on his way back. Don't even try to escape. Oh my God. What the fuck do you say to him? What do you do? And he retied them. He kept yelling at her to stop looking at him.

That was like the thing he got like, didn't want her looking at his face. And so she said she made it a point to stare into his eyes, like, would not look away from him. And she said the main focus was getting out of there with as much information as possible about this asshole. And she noticed a tattoo of a black snake that like wrapped around his arm and she made note of that immediately.

And again, just so much awareness. And in the middle of the pitch black. Yeah. In the middle of the pitch black. Yeah, in the middle of the pitch black. And that's when he left again to go back to the electrical box. And Chris said the last words he would ever say. Oh, God. He turned to Holly and he said, just stay calm. Everything's gonna be okay.

Oh my God. And when the man returned, he was carrying a massive rock, weighing over 50 pounds. Oh my God, no. He walked up to them silently and just dropped the rock on Chris's head. Oh my God. Right next to Holly. Oh my God. Then she said he kept, he picked it up and kept hitting him over and over with it.

Right next to her. Oh my God. Yeah. I literally can't even fathom that hat. I can't, I can't imagine that happening to you next to you with a stranger. No. Who you didn't know. But somebody you care about deeply and you're like falling in love with this part, like actively falling in love with this person.

I can't. I literally can't. Now, when he was satisfied that he had killed Chris, he went to Holly and started on tying her ankles. And immediately she was like, what the fuck is gonna happen here? And she said immediately she knew he's gonna rape me. It's gonna happen.

So she fought him hard and he took the ice pick and stabbed her in the neck with it. Oh my God. And then whispered in her ear, see how easily I could kill you. Oh my God. When she expressed, and so this is happening to her,

she's actively just got stabbed in the neck with an ice pick. With an ice pick. And she said she heard Chris like a noise coming from him and she said it was like a gurgling noise. And she said she looked at the guy and said, can you please just move his head so he doesn't choke on his own blood?

Oh my God. That's what she's thinking after she just got stabbed in the neck. Not even thinking about herself. Like that should tell you how much like they cared about each other. Obviously. And I guess the guy went over to Chris, looked at him and then said he's gone, you don't have to worry about him no more. Oh my god, how are you that fucking evil?

And what she can do that? And she found out later that he was not alive at that point, that that was like a death rattle. Like that was not him actually, like actively breathing. Right. He then raped her on the tracks as the first train in an hour's went by next to them. Thomas, you just been so hard-working

and every way imaginable, like the sensory overload. And it's like when you hear about people who like blast, like music, when they do these horrible things, that you know how I always say, like thought of that to me, cause I just fucking hate loud noises. And think of how a lot of fucking train is.

Just, it amplifies the terror. And then just the irony too, of like they went out there looking for trains and the first one that comes by is happening while and no one saw. No one saw. And the thing is like blaring. It's horn as it goes by and everything. Yeah. And the entire time this is happening, she's going through this. She's ripping her own fingernails pieces off. She's digging into him pulling the like cuticles off her finger, digging her fingernails into him, making marks on the ground because she said, I was leaving my DNA, I was leaving evidence that I was there because

he brought me somewhere else. I wanted people to know I was there when they found Chris. And she also tried to humanize herself to him as much as she could, because she thought this is my only option. What am I option to? What am I option to? She was like, I tried fighting, that didn't work. Right, we're gonna try some nails here. So she said, as this is happening, she said,

my name's Megan, what's yours? Wow, that's not her name. Right, and she was like, I don't know why I thought of that name, it just popped into my head. And he said, my name is James Whitford. It wasn't. But he told her, I won't kill you. Okay. And she said, I believed him. Okay. Like as weird as that is, I believed if I could just keep humanizing myself, that he would keep that word. And then after everything was done, she even convinced him to pull her pants back up and put them on for her.

Wow. And so she's sitting there thinking, it's working. Right, whatever I'm doing is going to leave me here. And he said, my friend has been watching the entire time. And she was like, okay. And before he left, he took one of her earrings out of her ear and then took a ring from her finger as a trophy. Not the, not the daisy one, right? No, but he, she found out later that that ring fell off during the struggle somewhere

and she lost it. No. Yeah. Doesn't that suck? No. And then he covered her and Chris with leaves and branches and just walked away. And she was like, okay, holy shit. So she remembers thinking like, wow, okay.

So she said, out loud, I said, thank you for letting me live. Like, that's all she could think of. Like, she was like, okay. Before she could even think, he had come back with a board and began beating her ruthlessly with it. Oh my God. Over and over. He broke her jaw, fractured her eye socket,

and opened huge lacerations on her head. She blacked out multiple times, Strian. And she said she doesn't even remember the pain because she said it was just like, there was so much going on that she had not known. Do you think he was gonna do that anywhere? Do you think her saying like, thanks for letting me live, pissed him off? I think he was gonna do it anyway. I think so. I think he was leaving do that anywhere? Do you think her saying like, thanks for letting me live pissed him off?

I think he was gonna do it anyway. I think so. I think he was leaving her there to go get something to hit her with. Oh my God. Cause he's an absolute fucking monster. There's no way that dude was leaving anybody alive intentionally.

No. Once you've, we'll get into it with the next episode where I cover him and everything else he has done and that's when you'll be like, yeah, he wasn't gonna leave her. Cause he is, he's fucking ruthless. He's a man. I'm clearly even an absolute monster. This case. Yeah, he's an absolute monster. So then he just left because he thought she was thinking he had murdered them both. Yeah, thinking he murdered them, but he didn't. Holly was in and out of consciousness, like waking up and got blacking out. And one of the times she came to, she said, she looked towards

the neighborhoods near the tracks and saw a light from a TV on inside one of the houses on Edison Drive. And she just started walking there. Wow. Covered in blood, broken, beaten, raped. She walked to this house. A broken shot. Later, she said her hair was so covered in blood and she was blonde. She said that later, her dad was convinced that she had died at red. He could not believe that that was blood in her hair. Because it was so red. She somehow made her way to the house. She barged through the front door, just walked right through the front door. And apparently it was like an off and apparently it was like an on off-campus apartment

Like our off-campus housing. Yeah, and it was like shared by four guys from the university But only one of them was awake his name was Chad Which it really was name of course the college guys name was Chad and he was sitting in a chair watching TV and just doing homework and the living room. Literally probably shot himself. He was like holy shit. And he said when he was interviewed later, he said, quote, she walked in. I was alarmed at first because I thought

somebody might be coming after me. Which he was like, I thought somebody was coming in after her. It was gonna like get me. And he said, quote, she came in and she was screaming hysterically crying. She screamed, someone raped me and my friend is still out there.

So, he was like, holy shit, she's like, please call 911. He immediately was responsive to her. And like, Chad's a fucking, he's an MVP here. He's a thumbs up guy. Yeah, he really is. I was literally doing a thumbs up, you can't see it.

But he's an MVP here. He had her sit down, and apparently, when he was like, sit on the chair here, she was like, no, I'll ruin your couch. I'll stain your and apparently when he was like, sit on the chair here, she was like, no, I'll ruin your couch. I'll stain your couch and he was like, it's okay. I literally don't care.

Like he was like, it's totally fine. And he called and he like got her, like he was trying to get her like comfortable. He was calling none one. It was 248 AM by this point. My God. I just keep thinking of a broken jaw. Oh, and in the book, she references it so many times

and it made my face very serious. She should hold it up. Because she keeps saying that she could barely talk and that her jaw was just going like side to side. Oh my God. I know, and every time I think of it, I'm like, huh? Because she's sitting there with a broken fucking jaw

talking everything else. Trying to tell him what's going on. And her jaw is literally just unhinged. Oh my God. And they're waiting for police and an ambulance. And Chad apparently came over to her with scissors and was like, there's something around your neck to you want me to get it off of you.

Yeah. Because he didn't even care like this might be evidence. Like he was just like, I need to make you comfortable. Yeah. And so apparently it was the gag that she had gotten off. It was like looped around her throat, but it had tightened a little bit. So, and it was the gag that she had gotten off. It was like looped around her throat, but it had tightened a little bit. And it was covered in blood. So he cut that off for her just to make her comfortable. And I think he also said, quote, when I first saw her,

I was sure she was going to die. I had never seen anybody in that condition before. No. Well, how would you ever? And like k Kudos to him, because he really like was there. Like, good, good on you, Chad. But the ambulance and police came and were directed to Chris, because she was like, he's out there. She told them where they could find him again. She has the presence of mine to tell them. Seriously.

And he was declared dead on the scene. Oh, I hate that so much, dude. Yeah. Now, her parents were immediately notified. And this would have been like a few hour drive for them to get there. Her father, though, is a private pilot. Oh, bitch.

And had a small plane and was able to fly out there, like really quickly. What a stroke of loss. Seriously. And Holly had to go through the horrendous procedures of a rape kit. And yeah. And they had to give her like you know emergency

contraception at the hospital. After just being raped having to do a rape kit must just be the most like all. And it's like all necessary. Of course. But I can't imagine having to go through it after so much trauma. It's just that was I can't fathom it. And to anybody who's had to damn I'm sorry. I'm like good that. It's just that must I can't fathom it and to anybody who's had to Damn, I'm sorry. I'm really good that it's so necessary, but such I wish there was a better way to do it Yeah, she also tells us anecdote about how when the first detective who was on the case detective Craig Soral

He was like really invested in this case till the end. He was like a badass detective She was she said his like dedication to this case, just made her an honest. Like blew her mind. And when she first met him, he came to her bedside. I was like, hi, I'm Detective Sorrell, I'm gonna be on this case.

And she looked over at him and project I'll vomit it all over him. Oh my gosh. Yeah. She was like, basically just trauma pain kills, you got pills and whatever else was coming out, but she was like, he took it like a real champ and was very nice.

So that if she was like, I literally a projectile vomit on him just seconds. She said her name, which I was like, wow, she, that's one of the things too. In this book, you'll see, she has a fucking sense of humor. And she says it. She says it many times that she uses humor to get through things.

So she was like many times during this whole thing. Like her dad walked in and to defuse the whole thing. She was like, dad, this sucks. Like she just literally was like, fuck. I love it. This is really sucks. Humor is one of the best things you can use to get through a situation. Like her friends would walk into visitor and like she looked terrifying.

Like one of her left eye was swollen shut. That her hair was like shaved in part. She had 16 staples in her head. Like, her jaw was being wired shut at the end. And like, she looked scary. And so people come in and be like, uh-huh. And she said, I just go, I feel like shit.

Every time someone's like, oh my God. And I was like, I love people who use humor to diffuse. And to find the humor in a people who use humor to diffuse. And to find the humor in a situation like that. Like that. Because it just means you're just like one of those people. You're a great, you're just like salt to the earth human. But it was the next day that she was informed that Chris had been killed.

She knew it and she's like, I knew it. But I'm sure she was holding onto the very last string of hope. Exactly. She was like just hearing it was like a weight crashing down. And she said she immediately at that time knew that she was meant to survive for a purpose, which I was like, wow. Yeah. And the police treated it initially like it was a one-time attack, because they so they held a press conference the next day. And Lexington, Kentucky, had a pretty like low crime rate at the time. So this was huge news. One for that reason,

and two, just the brutality of this crime was terrifying. That's why you would think that like, it's not a one time attack. Well, they figured they they were thinking of it as maybe it was a mugging gone wrong. Right. Like something bad that was pat and it was on theging gone wrong. You know, like something bad that was passed. And it was on the railroad tracks too. So they were like, this could just be someone passing through, right? Right. And crime, they're gone. So they did say, I think like, we don't think there's

any danger to the community. They were wrong. But Chris' own parents actually put up $10,000 in reward money for information for anything to find this guy. An anonymous donors added on to that and eventually it was up to like 20 grand. When she finally was interviewed at Lanks, because obviously they were letting her like sugar a little bit.

And her job was wire-chuck a little bit. Exactly. And she was interviewed by Detective So Soral and she said that she was like, you know, and he picked up the rock and he just hit Chris with it. And then he kept hitting him over and over and over. And Detective Soral was like, no, actually, he dropped that rock once, like the autopsy confirmed that it was only once because it was over 50 pounds. And it was from a great height. He was holding it up and dropped it on him.

And so what they realized with this, she was like, I had just seen it happen over and over in my mind. I just thought it was happening over and over, but they said it was one blow and that's all it took. Okay. But that just like is interesting to find out that my brain can do that.

Her poor memory was going over and over and over. It's almost like you hear of spirits being trapped in this continuum of something happening over and over. She was just reliving this one thing over and over again to the point where she thought it could happen a million times. It's probably like a PTSD kind of thing. Oh, for sure. It's a total shock trauma thing, but it's just like a PTSD kind of thing. Oh, for sure. It's a total shock trauma thing, but it's just like damn.

And I mean, over 50 pounds a rock, that's unreal. Yeah. And one of the things she said, they kept questioning her about was her assertion that he was wearing glasses. They kept being like, are you sure? Because Chris was wearing glasses that night too. And apparently he wore contacts, but she was like, I don't know why he was wearing glasses that night.

I don't know if it's like he just didn't have contacts or something like he didn't always wear glasses, but he was. And so they thought he was, she was maybe confusing, right? That and thinking that the guy did. But she was like, no, I kept saying no, I know he had glasses and they were like,

ugh, turns out she was right. Yeah, he was wearing glasses. I mean, she sat there during Yeah. He was wearing glasses. I mean, she sat there during all of that and picked out with very distinct purposeful things. Yeah, exactly. And they were able to determine that the piece of cloth used to gag them didn't come from their clothing

or the backpack, but was from a white shirt with snaps on it that didn't belong to either one of them. So that was pretty impressive evidence, especially for 97. Yeah, but remember, he's still not caught. He's out there. Yeah. They don't know who this guy is. They have no idea who he is, where he is, anything.

So they're living in fear now that he's going to come back or strike again. Her dad started patrolling their home with a gun at night and in the morning. It was like a nightmare. Did he jump on a train and leave? Or is he hanging around maybe coming to finish the job? We don't know. Because obviously it made news that she survived. Yeah. Now, there was no hit on the DNA recovered from her rape kit yet. So they were just having to hope that that was gonna come through. They also had her do a, like,

with a work with a sketch artist to come up with a composite. The composite is very impressive compared to him. She was also dealing at the time, though, within a immense amount of survivor skills. I can't even, I literally can't even imagine. Yeah, one of the things she said that she was having a really hard time dealing with

was the fact that although she had tried so hard, whenever the attacker left them alone, she couldn't get Chris's hands free from the back pack straps because she was like, I tried so hard. And they were like so tightly tangled in each other. But she said she felt like it was her fault that he couldn't get away,

or that if she had gotten his hands free, he could have protected himself. Like, she was racked with guilt about this, which I can't imagine. No. Luckily, she didn't end up speaking to Chris' parents, and she had never met his parents, because I hadn't dated long enough for her to meet them yet.

Right. And it took her a while to talk to them, because she was worried that she was like, I don't want them to hate me, because their son isn't alive and I am. Right. And she said when she did talk to them, they helped her get through this guilt,

because they became like a second family to her. Right. And her. Right. And her whole family. They were clearly meant to cross paths in some way. They really were. Not like this, obviously. No, but they were meant to be in each other's lives. So she was so scared they were going to feel angry that, you know, she was the survivor,

but they were the exact opposite. They sent cards to her, flowers. They were there to talk to her. It seems like, like we like we said two amazing families. And her sister said, or excuse me, his sister, Chris's sister, said the last time that they had spoken to each other, her and Chris, that he had just gotten back from Maine, the trip,

and he ended their conversation. She said, he talked about Holly a ton. It was like so happy. And then he ended the conversation with her said, he talked about Holly a ton. It was like so happy. And then he ended the conversation with her by saying life is good. And that comes back later. Later that you, because I guess he used to say that a lot.

He would say life is good a lot. But she was like, it's such like a Chris way to like, that's the last thing he said to me. It was like life is good. Oh God, that's like haunting, right? At the same time. And she ended up, no, this is nuts. Holly ended up going back to school.

What? Yeah, she was that determined. She was like, I'm gonna start my life again. Wow. Like I survived, Christ didn't. So I need to live for both of us. That's how she felt. Badass.

She even got a part-time job at the time at an outdoor, like in ski place because she said she hadn't been able to really explore an adventure enough with Chris and she was like he loved the outdoor so much and he made me love it so much that I wanted to like immerse myself in this for him. For him. In there, you know, she's healing through this months are going by. She met this guy that she worked with named Jacob Pendleton. They became friends. I don't know if that last name sounds familiar. But they became dating.

They became dating. They became dating. I don't know why I said that. They became dating. They became the act of dating. That was hilarious. I don't know what I said that. They became dating. I was like, they became the act of dating. That was hilarious. I don't know what's happening, man. It's been a long week.

But they began dating. This is what I actually wrote. Like it's in front of me. Oh, I do that all the time. I didn't write became. I just said. Have you ever heard me tell a case because, wow. Oh, there what?

You know whatever. So Holly and Jacob, they began dating. They maybe they became dating later. They are dating. He was apparently amazingly comforting, very respectful of what she was going through. But eventually, she realized that she was having a lot of trouble healing.

And she needed more time. And especially the rape. Yeah, she was like, I just couldn't get close to him. I was very uncomfortable with all of it. So they ended up breaking up for a while. Don't worry though, that last name, like I said, should personally. The media.

I think the best couples break up and get back together. Yeah, I agree. For me. For me. You know? I don't speak from personal experience or anything. But you know, you gotta go through it. Now, she ended up finding like real healing through,

first of all, she had like her faith, like her faith was a big part of it. And she also found this place called Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center in Lexington and they really helped her work through it. At first, she said she like wasn't into it. She was like, this isn't gonna help me. But by the end of it, she was like, I really felt like,

it was like an eight week thing and she really felt like. Usually, those are the things that like helped the most when you're like, this isn't gonna help. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She even moved into an apartment on campus, the following spring, by herself.

Wow. Alone. And she said she was basically just determined at the following spring by herself. Wow. Alone. And she said she was basically just determined at the time to be okay. And feel normal. She probably wanted to like prove it to herself. Yeah, she said she was kind of forcing it upon herself. And good for her though. She was understandably traumatized and worried

that this man was going to come back. Yeah. Because again, still not fine. No one knows where it is. She said she slept with a butcher knife. And she said, quote, I was trying to be this big, strong person, but I really wasn't. No girl, you were.

That she said I couldn't be at the time. No, but you were. Seriously, and in every way imaginable. She also just had friends and family constantly around, like in her house all the time. She was like, I just never wanted to be alone alone. Of course not. She had actually, like I said, missed Chris's funeral

because she was recovering. Right. She was in the hospital. And so the following year, she and a ton of their friends went to this place called Red River Gorge, and they sprinkled some of his ashes there. Oh. It was a place he loved.

Yeah. They then divided up. Like, he had very close friends, and they divided up, like he had very close friends and they divided up like obviously his family like allowed this to happen. So it's not confusing. Full transparency. Whatever was left after they had put some of the ashes out there, they divvied it up among his best friends and they kept them in these like little artsy boxes. Wow. Because he always carried this artsy little box with him that he would keep things in.

Yeah. And they actually, actually, when they had actually found that box with his belongings and they kept it, like the one that he kept forever. And they also threw that over the gorge when they threw him because it was just like part of him.

Yeah. So they all got similar boxes and they kept parts of his ashes in there. And she still has hers today and she said like I just see the box and it makes me smile I like think of him which is like man He just had like not everybody has that many people who want their ashes and no You know what I mean like you have to be a pretty fucking awesome person for

Multiple people in your life to want a piece of you forever, right? Like I just think that really speaks to who he was as a human. Absolutely. And like a very short 21 years of life. Oh, that's so sad. Now, it would be another two years before they finally got the name of her attacker. Two fucking years she lived in the government.

Two years she lived, not knowing who this was, where they were. They were able to match the DNA after he killed three people in Texas. Oh, no. Yep. And they were near railroad tracks. So it was December 16, 1998, when a pediatric neurological researcher named Dr. Claudia Benton was found raped and beaten to death with a bronze statue. And stabbed with a kitchen knife in her home.

Oh my God. Her home was in West University, place in Houston. There are more horrific details about this crime that I will get into when we're going to cover this in full in the next episode. But weeks after this murder, there was another murder and it was actually a double murder. This time near Houston and San Antonio, so pretty close. And it was a couple.

This couple was a pastor named Norman Skip Cernick and his wife Karen Cernick. They were found beaten to death in their bed. A sledgehammer from their own shed had been used to do it. Oh my god. And in their bed. Yeah, in their bed. And she had been Raped as well DNA from these crime scenes matched each other So they were able to connect those three and eventually it was matched to Holly's case Wow, and it was detective sorrel that showed up at her house and said I have a name Which I was like what if what a movie I was just gonna say like knocks on the door and is like we got on the match I have a name let's. And it was because of his, he would not give up on this. And she says that in them because I guess they had to, they had to test the DNA differently for her case than they did in

the three other cases. So he, I guess they weren't going to do it at first. They were like refusing. Yeah. And he forced to the issue. Like he made sure this DNA was tested and compared. Right. He really didn't let this go. Now, the person who the DNA belonged to had a 30 aliases under his criminal record, any very extensive criminal record. In prison past, he was just, yeah. And he was officially the subject of a manhunt now. And at the time, he was going by Rafael Resendez Ramirez. You may have heard of him as Angel Resendez or the railroad killer. He's a pretty well-known serial killer, yes.

We're going to get into his entire case in the next episode. But once the, and I'm going to get into what happened next in the next episode, but I wanted to end this episode because this one I really wanted to be about Holly. Yeah. Holly, I want to tell you like what she's doing now. And again, in the next episode, I will, we'll go from that point. But Holly is married with two boys. Yes.

Yes, she eventually married Jacob Pendleton. Yeah. He'll be back together. In 2005, they got married. Again, they have two sons together. Their first son, his middle name is Christopher. Oh, my God. I felt like you were gonna tell me that

and that literally just warmed my entire soul. Doesn't just give you like, oh. She's a very big, now she's a badass. She's done so much good since all of this. It's outrageous. She's a big proponent of self-defense. She says it herself. I'm a big proponent of self-defense. She says, you always have your body.

You may not have like a six foot five boyfriend next to you, but like you always have your body to defend you So she's very much like go take self defense Cushion, you want to yeah, like learn how to get out of these restraints learn how to think quick all that and In 2008 she founded a non-profit called Holly's House in Evansville, Indiana where she's from and It provides from where I found it. It says it provides a safe place for both child and adult victims of intimate crimes to tell their stories and get connected to resources.

And to date, it has provided refuge and support to over 3,000 adults and children in Evansville, Indiana. Wow. Yeah. She also gets together with Chris's friends, their friends annually, and they call themselves the Life is Good group. Shut up. Yep.

In 2006, she received the Jacqueline Kennedy O'Nassus Award for Public Service, and that's one of the nation's highest honors for humanitarian and philanthropical work. Yeah. And in July 20th, 1999, there was a scholarship put together at the University of Kentucky to honor Christopher T. Mayor. Good. From the website, it says, quote, and this was in 1999, nearly $7,000 has already been raised for the scholarship endowment among mayor's friends and the University of Kentucky Theater Department patrons and associates. Additionally, a member of mayor's fraternity, Phi Kappa-Sai, has agreed to match the first $5,000 contributed to the scholarship endowment by a member of the University of Kentucky chapter of the fraternity. And it says, sorry. And then the president of the Kentucky chapter of that fraternity said,

quote, Chris was such a kind spirited person. And I want to see that quality honored each year through these scholarships. And these scholarships are going to support and be awarded each year to university Kentucky theater students who quote have a passion for theater Generosity of spirit a caring attitude towards all as well as a zest for life. Wow And that is the end of Holly's Holly's tale, but she and again she wrote this book detailing everything She's phenomenal like she like you read about her and she's, she's,

there's been, you know, 48 hours about this that I watched. There was, you know, all these different shows, like, you know, date from hell, I think one of them was, which is I'm like, I don't know about that. But she, but she went on there and told her story, Chad was on there, telling that from his thing, like, she's been on all of these things talking about this and she said, the reason I'm talking about this is I want people to know you can get out of these scenarios. I want people to be inspired to, you know, do great things out of tragedy.

To hear Chris's tale too is so important. She's just a badass and everybody involved in this besides the obvious people, are just seemingly genuinely awesome people. Like all his friends, the family's involved. It's just like, man. Life is good. Yeah.

Try, I love it. So that is the survival tale of survivor. Holly Kaye done. Now Holly done Pendleton. And wow, next week is gonna be a lot. Yeah, next week, not gonna be as a lifting as this week, but sorry. Well, I feel like we can't tell this story

without telling the other victim stories, the victims who died stories. No, of course not. Well, we hope you keep listening. And we hope you keep it. Weird. Not that weird. Well, we hope you keep listening and we hope you keep it weird Not that weird keep it weird like Kristen. Yeah, keep it Holly and Chris weird because they were the best kind I'm going to be a little bit more patient. Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to Morvid, Early, and Add Free on Amazon Music.

Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen Add Free with Wondery Plus and Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey. before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wundery.com slash survey.