SURVIVING THE UNSPEAKABLE: HOW MARY VINCENT RECLAIMED HER LIFE

In September 1978, 15-year-old Mary Vincent was hitchhiking through California when 50-year-old Lawrence Singleton offered her a ride. What began as a journey quickly turned into a brutal ordeal. Singleton abducted and sexually assaulted Mary before driving her to an isolated location near Del Puerto Canyon. Fearing identification, he used a hatchet to sever both of her forearms below the elbows, threw her 30 feet into a ravine, and drove away, leaving her to bleed to death.

Despite catastrophic injuries, Mary maintained consciousness. Demonstrating extraordinary instinct, she pressed her limbs into dirt and mud to stanch the hemorrhage. She then managed to climb out of the steep ravine and walk several miles barefoot until flagging down a passing vehicle. Her determination saved her life.

Months later, Mary stood in court wearing prosthetic arms and delivered decisive testimony that secured Singleton’s conviction for attempted murder. Although sentenced to the maximum term allowed at the time, statutory prison credits led to his release after serving only eight years in 1987. The resulting public outcry prompted California to enact stricter legislation for extreme violent crimes.

Mary channeled her tragedy into advocacy for victims’ rights. When Singleton murdered Roxanne Hayes in Florida in 1997, Mary testified at his trial nearly two decades after her own ordeal, leading to his death sentence. Singleton later died in prison in 2001. Mary Vincent’s remarkable endurance went far beyond surviving that night; she reclaimed her life and consistently held her attacker accountable.