In a harrowing incident, a 15-year-old girl managed to escape from a dangerous situation after being kidnapped and having her hands severed by a male assailant. Mary Vincent, who had fled her home and was hitchhiking to her grandfather’s residence, accepted a ride from Lawrence Singleton, 51, in Modesto, California. Singleton, a former merchant seaman, drove a blue van and eventually took Mary to a remote area.
Once there, Singleton attacked Mary, rendering her unconscious before stripping her, restraining her, and subjecting her to sexual assault. Despite her pleas, he callously severed both of Mary’s arms with a hatchet and left her in a ravine, assuming she would perish. Remarkably, Mary managed to staunch the bleeding by packing dirt into her wounds and crawled out of the ravine to seek help.
Discovered nude by passersby the next day, Mary was rushed to a hospital where she received medical attention and survived. Subsequently, she collaborated with authorities and artists to assist in capturing her abuser. Singleton was apprehended, tried, and convicted on charges including attempted murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and sexual assault, receiving a 14-year sentence, of which he served only eight years.
Despite public outrage and protests upon his release, Singleton went on to commit further atrocities, including the murder of Roxanne Hayes in Tampa, Florida, in 1997. Mary expressed sorrow over the subsequent tragedy, lamenting that it took another life lost before the authorities recognized the danger posed by Singleton. Ultimately, Singleton was sentenced to death but succumbed to cancer in prison in 2001.