Fight or Flight

This might be the most disturbing story of child abuse that we have ever come across. Thankfully, a baby monitor from a neighbor accidentally captured the sinister acts that were being done to two innocent little boys next door. How they survived the horrors they endured is unbelievable, but even more unbelievable are the people that did it to them.      

On the night of August 29th, 1997, the lives of University of Kentucky college students, Holly Dunn, and her boyfriend, Chris Maier were changed forever.  Holly Dunn would be the sole survivor of the infamous serial killer, Angel Maturino Resendiz. His brutal rampage would take the lives of at least 23 known victims.  You can read Holly's book, http://www.hollykdunn.com/sole-survivor/  

We are BACK! We cannot be more excited to kick off Season 2 with our Halloween special edition. Halloween fun facts, spooky Halloween crimes, and of course a survivor story. On Halloween Night in 2004, three beautiful 27-year-old roommates who lived in the beautiful little wine town of Napa California were victims of a brutal home invasion. Leslie Mazzara and Adriana Insogna were viciously stabbed in the upstairs bedroom as Lauren Meanza was able to escape with the help of her dog.  Happy Halloween from Fight or Flight!  

Thank you for your patience on Part 2! Texas faced a winter blast that caused some recording/editing issues due to power outages. I promise this one is worth the wait!

David and Louise Turpin had thirteen beautiful children. Did they deserve to have them? Oh HELL no!  The abuse, neglect, and filth they were forced to live in are shocking and heartbreaking, to say the least. But because of the bravery of seventeen-year-old, Jordan Turpin, the horror those children had to endure finally came to an end.    For the full heartbreaking story.. https://www.amazon.com/Family-Next-Door-Heartbreaking-Extraordinary/dp/1250202132

Brigida Uto suddenly started feeling sick...very sick. Little did she know that she was being poisoned to death. But thanks to the quick thinking of a dedicated doctor, the mysterious "illness" was solved and was literally brought back from the brink of death. Sadly, she also discovered WHO was trying to kill her and it was the last person she would have suspected. 

It was December 22, 1990, just a few days before Christmas in the tranquil town of Oakley, Utah. The Tiede cabin in the woods was going to be the backdrop for a cozy Christmas with family. It’s at least what the Tiede family had planned before a senseless act of pure evil came crashing in on them.

On April 16th, 2012, the Cipriano family was changed forever by the brutal murder of a loving husband and father. But Bob Cipriano wasn't the only victim in the home that night. Two other family members were also attacked and somehow miraculously survived the vicious blows from a baseball bat. It was who inflicted those blows that tested the strength of the entire family.

In 2002, Shawn Hornbeck was only 11-year-old when he was abducted while riding his bike on a dirt road. Mike Devlin held Shawn captive while he endured over four years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Four years and 3 months later, Devlin abducted 13-year-old Ben Ownby and suffered much of the same abuse, but thankfully, not for long. After a neighbor spotted the truck used in the abduction of Ben, they soon realized Ben was not alone in the house and rescued Shawn from his tormentor as well.

In Part 2 we will cover the two other young girls, Amanda Berry Berry and Gina De Jesus, who were kidnapped by Ariel Castro, one year after Michelle Knight.  For 10 additional years, these three brave young ladies survived unspeakable horrors inside the home on Loraine Avenue. That is until they made their dramatic and heroic escape.  Please check out their books detailing their time in captivity. "Finding Me", and "Life After Darkness" by Michelle Knight (aka Lily Rose Lee) "Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland" by Amanda Berry and Gina De Jesus

This story has never left our minds from the moment we all heard the news that three girls had been found after eleven long years.  Part one will focus on Michelle Knight, the first girl that was abducted by Ariel Castro. Her life before her abduction is just as painful as it was during her time in captivity.      

In 2011, Gabby's estranged boyfriend viciously attacked and stabbed her numerous times leaving her for dead. But not before he stabbed and killed her boyfriend 47 times, along with her father 17 times.  Thankfully, Gabby survived her monstrous ex-boyfriend's rage along with their one-year-old son, Lane, who was unharmed. 

For Halloween, we wanted to give you all a treat with a couple of spooky stories of haunted houses.  How can anyone from the late '70s ever forget The Amityville Horror House? I know I didn't! The opening theme song still haunts me. The Girl Scouts aren't all cookies and cuteness. We also have the story behind Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts, and her haunted house in the heart of the most haunted city, Savannah, Georgie. 

In part 2, you will hear more about the three heroic survivors of The Toy Box Killer and his accomplices, their escapes, and what happened when these monsters were caught. For more information on this case, please check out the book Crisis in the Desert by John Glatt, which is also available on Audible.    

This one gave me nightmares for days. David Parker Ray was the monster who raped, tortured, and killed innocent women for years before one of our survivors ended the madness.  This is the horrific story of the Toy Box Killer and the three, brave women that got away.

On January 31, 2004, Teri went to her ex-husband's home to pick up their two daughters, ages 4 and 6.  Moments later, David would savagely attack her with a baseball bat, duct tape her face, ankles, and hands, and put her barely alive into a container.  Teri was taken to a storage unit barely clinging to life on a frigid winter day where she would be left to die. But Teri was not ready to leave her two girls behind and fought to survive, and survive she did!

On July 29th, 1994, 13-year-old Thad Phillips was abducted from his own home in the middle of the night by 17-year-old Joe Clark in Baraboo, Wisconsin.  For almost 2 days, Thad was brutally tortured by Joe in a horrifying manner...by breaking his bones. Sadly, Thad was not his first victim and the truth would soon come out about just how much of a monster Joe Clark really was. Hang on tight, this is a rough one!

The day everyone remembers exactly what they were doing when America went under attack. We wanted to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and the brave men and women of the first responders who selflessly gave their own lives to help others.  We share heartbreaking 911 calls that will make you think about how we all need to just love each other each and every day. We are never promised a tomorrow. Let us never forget. 

On November 2, 2016, Sherri Papini left her house for a run. When her husband, Keith, returned home from work and found her missing, the search for Sherri began. Three weeks later she was found, but this story is far from over. 

On the evening of January 17, 2015, Chanel Miller joined her younger sister to a Kappa Alpha fraternity party at Stanford University.  What happened later that night changed her life forever when she was sexually assaulted behind a dumpster while she was unconscious.  The story of "Emily Doe" as she was known for years became headline news and her world was turned upside down.  Her bravery to come out and tell her story changed the narrative for all women who have been victims, by giving them the voice to be heard, and believed.  Her best selling book, Know My Name, can be found here. https://www.chanel-miller.com/

On January 8, 2000, in York City, Pennsylvania, two young college students made plans for a romantic second date to go for a walk along a nearby river.  Just as their budding romance was beginning, this second date quickly turned into an ugly living nightmare that Danielle and Dan would never forget.  How these two lovely teenagers survived is incredible, but who they are today is even more miraculous, and their courage will leave you inspired.   

The conclusion of the story about the Knotek sisters and how they survived their own mother and father's torment and abuse.  Just when you thought what they went through was bad, you will hear that it was only the beginning.  

Shelly Knotek seriously should win The Worst Mother in the World award. Sadly, her three daughters endured years of mental and physical abuse by the hands of their own parents. Most of all, their mother, Shelly.  In 2004, Shelly was finally arrested and sentenced to more than two decades behind bars. But not for the abuse to her three innocent daughters, but for things far more sinister.  For more details into the story of The Knotek family, If You Tell is a must-read! https://www.amazon.com/If-You-Tell-Unbreakable-Sisterhood-ebook/dp/B07Q5TL9SQ 

Starting in January of 1984, innocent people in the city of Aurora, Colorado were brutally attacked by a man whose weapon of choice was a hammer. Of the eight victims, incredibly, four survived. Lives and families were torn apart forever and for decades this case would go cold. That is until 2010 when DNA was discovered and would point to someone that was already in prison for similar crimes. But is the evidence enough to officially charge him and bring justice to the victims in Aurora? 30 years later, this mystery is still unsolved.

Jennifer Asbenson was just 19 years old when she was abducted, tortured, and almost killed in a remote part of the desert by one of America's most prolific serial killers, Andrew Urdialas. But that event wasn't the only horrible thing that happened to her...not even close.  Jennifer is one badass survivor who has overcome a lifetime of traumatic events and used her experiences to escape a serial killer and live to tell about it.  http://www.thegirlinthetreehousebook.com/

On November 15, 2004, Peter and Joan Porco were brutally attacked with an ax as they slept in their bed. One survived, one did not. This case will have you wondering if the right person was convicted and how anyone could live through such a heinous act of violence, while still having compassion for their suspected attacker. 

Dr. Edith Eger is the true meaning of a survivor in every sense of the word. Despite the incredibly overwhelming odds, she survived Auschwitz, the infamous Death March, and Stairs of Death. One year after her nightmare began, she was finally found barely alive surrounded by death. This is her amazing story of how she overcame the horror of her past and went on to help others find peace and healing in their own trauma. Please visit her website for more information on her as well as her book, The Choice. https://dreditheger.com/the-choice/

The final horrific moments revealed about what happened to this beautiful family and Dr. Petit's will to survive.  If you would like to read more about this incredible story, I highly recommend the book, The Rising by Ryan D'Agostino https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Murder-Heartbreak-Resilience-American-ebook/dp/B00S3RILGW To learn about The Petit Family Foundation, please visit and support here: https://www.petitfamilyfoundation.org/

On July 23rd, 2007, the Petit family home was invaded in the wee hours of the morning by two human monsters. This is the incredible story of Dr. William Petit and his will to survive after an unthinkable act of violence.  If you would like to read more about this case, Dr. Petit, and his beautiful family, please check the book This Rising by Ryan D'Agostino https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Murder-Heartbreak-Resilience-American-ebook/dp/B00S3RILGW

Jayme Closs was abducted on October 15th, 2018, when 22 year-year-old Jake Patterson broke into the Closs family home. This is her heroic story of survival after being held captive for 88 days. 

Fight or Flight Podcast is a mother/daughter team sharing true stories of people who have endured and survived the unimaginable. Sarah and Brenna share a passion, maybe more of an obsession, with all things true crime, especially those who live through it.