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While this may not hold any practical advice, I felt this thread was appropriate for relaying this.
Perhaps it is a lesson in Situatational Awareness and that the things you see on TV DO happen in your little small town, too.
This is a true story that occured in 2000 and the person involved was my mother.
My mother has always enjoyed jogging. We are fortunate that we are in a small rural town in MS where everyone knows everyone, etc. Furthermore, my parents live on a quiet road off of the main highway.
My mother liked to jog along the road in front of their home from the post office below to where this road met the highway a distance above. For a part of that distance, the "side road" where she jogged is visible from and parallel to the main highway. Understand that this highway isn't exactly busy either. In addition, there is one place where a road connects the highway and this side road to the highway between the main entrance and my parents' home. There is a church at the intersection of these roads.
I hope that wasn't too confusing. I wanted to set the lay of the land.
Well, as she is jogging at approximately 7:00 AM on weekday morning, she notices a White Cargo Van slowing down on the main highway. My mother wasn't overly concerned at this point.
As she made it to the end of her route, and began to turn around, she noticed that the White Van had used the other road and doubled back on to her side road positioning it in her return path. He stopped at the Church's cemetary and opened both back doors to the White Van.
Again, this wouldn't be that odd. He may have been a hired groundskeeper from the Church. Except that she is a member of that church and knows the groundskeeper-- and he doesn't have a White Van.
Furthermore, this "groundskeeper" is wearing a nice shirt and khaki slacks. He looks more like he is going to the office than working in a cemetary.
Now it gets scary.
The man casually takes a shortened Baseball Bat out of the back of the White Van, and props it against the tire. He then takes a coil of heavy rope out of the Van and places it on the round beside the bat.
During this time, something did not seem right about this guy. My mother went into the yard and around the back of a house at the end of the road. The home is owned by a friend who lives in New Orleans and keeps this house as a "summer home" and for hunting season. No one was there.
From this relative safety, she watches the man for a short while. He showed that he was running out of patience and would walk around to the front of the Van several times and crane his neck to see the entire distance of the road in front of him. It was obvious that he was more interested in what she was doing than anything at the cemetary.
Then he actually walked around the other side of the van and took a piss-- still stretching his next to see if she would be coming.
Finally, I suppose that he decided that she must have gone into the house at the end of the road. With a certain casual nature about him, he calmly retrieved his rope and his bat. He put them in the back of the van, closed the rear doors and began to drive off.
Even during his exit, he was looking back at the house.
Because he pass in front of the house, my mother could see that the Van had Louisana plate and when he got on the highway he started off towards Louisana.
Once he had left for about 20 minutes, my mother made her way back to her house. This time, however, she went through the woods.
A little later, I got a call from my mother telling me about the event and asking me what she should do. This is just great, I am 1,000 miles away and can do practically nothing. I asked her if she called the Sherrif. The answer was no. I asked her if she notified the FBI. The answer was no.
I told her to IMMEDIATELY call the FBI and notify them, give a description of the man and the van, and give his last know direction. I told her to then call the local LEOs and tell them that they may want to contact the two parishes in Louisana just past our home in MS.
She said she would and hung up to do so.
The FBI was VERY interested. Later, they followed up with her and asked more questions. It turns out that later that same day, a woman was abducted and was missing near the LA-TX border. The only thing they had to go on was that a White Cargo Van was seen in the area. If you do the math, and followed this man's last know path, it would be a straight shot and he would have gotten to that area at about the right time.
The FBI representative told my mother that they estimated that at least 75 serial killers were actively operating in the USA presently that the Federal and/or State LEO's have NO leads on or information about.
My point to all of this?
-No town is safe when these monsters are traveling.
-Be aware of what goes on around you.
-It CAN happen to you.
-Any information you pass to the LEO's may save another life.
Today, my mother has her CCW, and will not jog without my father going along with her on a bicycle.
-- John
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I am glad that your Mother used her gut feelings, brains, common sense and that the 'little voice' made her SAFE that day. I think that many people have 'gut instincts' and a sense of what to do where that inner little voice speaks to them. Sometimes if they don't pay attention, think that they may be 'paranoid' --- they end up wishing that they had PAID ATTENTION to that gut feeling, vibe, inner voice, etc. (I think that MOST people HERE understand what I mean and if not... oh well.)
Anyway... I am happy that she stayed SAFE that day and continues on with her safety practices. Rural, lonely roads, even some small towns, etc. can be just as dangerous as some 'city streets' especially when NO one is around if and/or when you might need them! The same thing goes if you live in the boonies with no close neighbors and are outside doing work without a firearm or your German Shepherd next to you!
Sincerely,
Catherine
