Bad Company: The Chilling Tale of Colleen Stan, "The Girl in the Box"
In May 1977, 20-year-old Colleen Stan was picked up by a couple while hitchhiking from Oregon to California. Unbeknownst to her, the next seven years of her life would become a living nightmare
*Warning: This Article Contains Sensitive Subject Matter*
On the morning of May 19, 1977, 20-year-old Colleen Stan left her apartment in Eugene, Oregon, to hitchhike to Westwood, California, to attend a friend’s birthday party.
During the 1970s, hitchhiking was a common mode of transportation, especially on the West Coast. It was seen as a normal way to get from place to place if you didn't have a car. Colleen had hitchhiked many times without any trouble. She believed that if you trusted your gut, you'd be okay. But that sense of safety was about to be shattered.
Abduction
Along I-5, she let two different drivers pass without getting in, as one of them gave her a bad feeling. But around 2:00 p.m., a blue Dodge Colt pulled up with a couple inside and a baby in the back seat. Something about the woman’s soft smile and the baby’s presence made Colleen feel at ease.
The man driving introduced himself as Cameron Hooker, and his wife as Janice. They said they were headed toward Red Bluff, California. It was the right direction, so Colleen accepted the ride.
But not long into the journey, Colleen began to feel a strange tension in the car. At one point, they stopped at a gas station, and she used the restroom. Inside, something told her to run or to lock herself in and not come out. But she ignored her intuition and returned to the van.
It wasn't long before Cameron made his move. He pulled off the highway, stating he wanted to show Colleen the "nearby caves." When they parked, Janice and the baby headed to a nearby lake to walk and stretch, leaving Colleen alone with Cameron.
Then everything changed. Cameron slipped into the back seat with Colleen. With a knife pressed to her throat, he silenced her protests, gagged and bound her. He then reached into the back and pulled out a strange, homemade wooden “head box” designed to block out light and sound, as well as restrict movement.
He placed the box tightly over Colleen’s head, muffling her screams. She couldn’t see or breathe properly. Her wrists and ankles were tied, and before she knew it, she was helpless in the back of the car, boxed and silenced.
She was then driven to the Hooker’s small, isolated home in Red Bluff, California.
Life in Captivity
When they arrived, Cameron brought her into the basement and stripped her of her clothes, her freedom, and her identity. He hung her by her wrists, blindfolded, and beat her. Then, he forced her into a dark, cramped, coffin-like wooden box, first under the bed in their house, and later in a mobile home basement.