The Hitchhiking Journey That Turned into a Nightmare
In the autumn of 1978, 15-year-old Mary Vincent made a fateful decision. Having run away from her home, she was hitchhiking in Modesto, California, hoping to reach her grandfather's house. Her journey took a terrifying turn when a man in a blue van, Lawrence Singleton, aged 51, offered her a lift.
Despite initial hesitation, the teenager got into the vehicle with the former merchant seaman. Singleton made several stops, apparently offering rides to others, but when they declined, he continued driving with Mary as his sole passenger. He soon diverted onto a deserted road, setting the stage for an unthinkable crime.
A Brutal Assault and an Unbreakable Will to Survive
The situation escalated rapidly when Singleton attacked the young girl, knocking her unconscious. While she was defenceless, he removed her clothes, bound her, and sexually assaulted her. He kept her tied up for hours, ignoring her desperate pleas.
The next morning, in a chilling act of cruelty, Singleton told Mary, "You want to be set free? I'll set you free." He then produced a hatchet and cut off both of her arms. Believing her to be dead or dying, he threw her body into a deep ravine and left the scene.
Miraculously, Mary Vincent did not die. Displaying immense presence of mind and courage, she packed soil into her wounds to stem the bleeding. Driven by the thought that her attacker would target others, she recalled thinking, "I can't go to sleep. He's going to do this to somebody else. I can't let that happen."
She then managed to crawl 30 feet out of the ravine and, naked and severely injured, made her way back to the road where she flagged down a passing car. The individuals inside rushed her to a hospital, where she fought for her life and survived.
Justice Served and a Tragic Postscript
During her gruelling recovery in hospital, Mary Vincent worked tirelessly with police and sketch artists to help identify and capture her attacker. Her detailed account and cooperation were instrumental in the arrest of Lawrence Singleton.
In court, she bravely testified, stating, "I was attacked, I was raped and my hands were cut off. He used a hatchet... He left me to die." Singleton was subsequently found guilty of attempted murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and multiple sexual assault charges. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison but served only eight.
His release was met with public outrage, forcing him to live in a trailer on prison grounds. Tragically, nearly two decades after his attack on Mary, Singleton struck again. In 1997, in Tampa, Florida, he murdered a 31-year-old woman named Roxanne Hayes.
Mary Vincent expressed her profound heartbreak, feeling that this second tragedy could have been prevented if Singleton had not been released. For this final crime, Singleton was sentenced to death but died in prison from cancer in 2001.
