Being a survivor of a vicious serial killer requires luck and a lot of courage. Many serial killers preyed on many people, but some people survived or escaped these killers and lived to tell about the encounter. When we see such serial killers on screen, it seems thrilling, but when the same horrendous acts happen in real life, it makes you tremble. Let’s go through some stories of victims who survived or escaped after going through hell and coming out alive. Here are 10 people who survived ruthless serial killers.

1 Corazon Atienza

Atienza survived Richard Speck’s 1966 murder spree in which eight women were killed and only she survived. She was hiding under her bed when Speck was raping and murdering her friends. Speck forgot about Corazon because he was highly intoxicated and left her alive.

On the fateful night of July 13 1966 in Chicago, Corazon Atienza opened the door for a stranger in her apartment where she and her other eight nursing roommates were residing.

For the next six hours, the man named Richard Speck tortured, raped, and murdered all of her eight friends but forgot Atienza. She was hiding under her bed pretending to be dead when he was sexually assaulting and killing her friends. 

Eventually, he lost count and forgot about Atienza as he was highly intoxicated. Around five in the morning when Speck left and everything was over, Atienza escaped through her bedroom window and found help.

Later, she described the killer with a pockmarked face and having a tattoo of “Born To Raise Hell” on his left arm. Richard Speck was caught shortly afterward and was sentenced to death. (1, 2)

2 Teresa Thornhill

Thornhill was one of the survivors of serial killer Robert Black who preyed on four young girls between the 1970s to 1990s. When she was 15, Black parked the car near her house and pretended it was having trouble. When she approached, he grabbed her, but she fought back and ran home. Later she testified against him.

Serial killer Robert Black preyed on young girls for over two decades between the 1970s to 1990s. One of his survivors was Teresa Thornhill. In 1988, when Teresa was 15 years old, she was walking on her way home when Black saw her.

He parked his car near her house and pretended that his car was having trouble. When she approached him, he grabbed her, pinned her arms, put his hand over her mouth, and tried to pull her through the back door of his van. 

Unexpectedly, she fought back and bit his hands. Black dropped her because one of Teresa’s friends came running towards her to help, which scared Black.

Then she ran to her home, and her parents called the authorities. Teresa was highly traumatized for over two years after this incident. She testified against him in his trial. Black was convicted of three murders and her kidnapping. (source) 

3 Kala Brown

On August 21, 2016, Kala Brown and her boyfriend, Charles Carver, went missing. People assumed they ran off, but several months later authorities discovered Brown chained and beaten on the property of sex offender Todd Kohlhepp. Before being chained up, she witnessed her boyfriend’s death when he was shot in his head. She was rescued and survived.

On August 21, 2016, Kala Brown and her boyfriend, Charles Carver, went to a cleaning job on a 100-acre property in a rural area near the community of Woodruff. Their captor pulled out a gun and took both of them hostage. Both of them were missing for over three months.

People assumed that the couple ran off, but some people doubted that and thought something was fishy. After months, authorities discovered Kala Brown on the property of sex offender Todd Kohlhepp where she was chained up like a dog.

She described that she was in a shipping container the entire time during her three months of captivity except when she was taken for occasional walks. 

When police received a tip to search Kohlhepp’s property, they heard the cries of Brown who was screaming from her prison. She described the death of her boyfriend, Charles Carver. She said before being chained up, she watched her boyfriend die after he was shot in the head.

Police found two other bodies which were buried on the property. Fortunately, Kala Brown was rescued and the police arrested Todd Kohlhepp for being a serial killer who was responsible for a quadruple murder in South Carolina. (1, 2)

4 Lisa Noland

Lisa was returning home when she was snatched off her bike and was dragged inside a car at gunpoint by Bobby Joe Long. She was sexually assaulted for over 26 hours before she convinced her captor that she liked what he was doing to her. Then, he removed his mask and dropped her off at her home. Noland reported this incident to the police. Later, Long was captured and sentenced to death.

In 1984, when Lisa Noland was just a 17-year-old, she was returning home from a long night at work when she was abducted by Bobby Joe Long. She was snatched off her bike and was dragged to the captor’s car. Then, she was forced into the passenger’s side at gunpoint. For the next 26 hours, she was sexually abused and assaulted.

Despite being abused, she didn’t lose her calm and convinced her captor that she actually liked what he was doing to her. She gained his trust and it worked. He unmasked himself and dropped her off at her home as if nothing had happened.

Lisa Noland immediately reported the incident to the police and helped them capture Long. She was the lone survivor of this Tampa serial killer who assaulted over 50 women. She even witnessed Long’s execution. (1, 2)

5 Kate Moir

Moir was drunk while leaving a bar and accepted a ride home from a couple, David and Catherine Birnie. Then, they raped her for days. One day when David was at work and Catherine was distracted, Moir escaped through the bedroom window and ran for help. They then became famous and were called “The Moorhouse Murderers.”

On November 9, 1986, when Kate Moir was leaving the bar after having drinks with her friends, she accepted the lift from a couple, David and Catherine Birnie. The couple was “The Moorhouse Murderers.” The couple raped the young girl for hours, forced her to smoke weed, and take showers.

One day when David was at work and Catherine was distracted when someone knocked on the front door, Moir took the opportunity and escaped through the bedroom window. She found help and was taken to the police station where she reported the whole incident. The couple was in the middle of a four-week killing spree that killed four girls. (1, 2)