In the stillness of an early, chilly Friday morning, Samantha Stites is jolted awake by the sound of footsteps approaching down the hallway. Her instincts kick in as she calls out for her roommate, but the silence that follows sets her on edge. With urgency, she reaches beneath her bed, grasping for the hatchet she keeps for such emergencies.

Without warning, an intruder bursts through the door, launching a swift and terrifying attack. In mere moments, he is upon her, constricting her throat with his hands, gagging her with a ball gag, and securing her hands with duct tape. The situation spirals into a nightmare as the assailant blindfolds her and forces her into her own vehicle.

Amid the chaos, a chilling realization dawns on Samantha: her captor is none other than Christopher Thomas, a man who has been obsessively stalking her. As he drives, Thomas reveals his disturbing inspiration—a plot from the Netflix series “You”—boasting about constructing a ‘soundproof’ cell in a storage unit. He shows her the app he’s used to track her movements and ominously outlines his plan to keep her for two weeks before disposing of her.

In the face of such terror, Samantha’s mind races, but she remains composed. As a therapist and social worker, she taps into her professional skills, employing psychological strategies to engage with Thomas. While being driven to what could be her prison, she meticulously counts every turn, each bend in the road, hoping to piece together clues that might lead to her eventual escape.

Sam tries to count the turns while Thomas is driving her to her possible torture chamber. Despite her intense fear, Samantha, a therapist and social worker, keeps calm and uses psychological tactics to negotiate with Thomas.

Samantha talks to Thomas like a friend and lets Thomas vent to her, knowing all along exactly what Thomas wants, but she gets out of him that he’s also terrified of going to jail.

Sam tells Thomas she will never tell anyone about the kidnapping and says the sex was consensual and will even be his friend going forward if he takes her home safely afterward.

Thomas agrees to Sam’s deal, but soon after raping her, he leaves her there, and she fears he is not going to go along with her escape plan.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

Samantha Stites – Kidnapped by Her Stalker

“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Fox Nation is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.

[Feature Photo: Samantha Stites/Instagram]