20 People Who Survived Famous Serial Killers

20 People Who Survived Famous Serial Killers

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining twenty people who survived attacks by some of the world’s most famous killers.

Dawnette Wilt

Survived: Christopher Wilder

The Beauty Queen Killer embarked on a cross-country killing trip in early 1984, abducting at least twelve women and killing eight of them. Wilder eventually made his way onto the FBI’s ten most wanted list, and it was while he was on it that he abducted Dawnette Wilt. Wilt was at the Southlake Mall in Merrillville, Indiana when she was kidnapped by Wilder and sexually assaulted. After making their way into New York, Wilder took Wilt to a secluded area, stabbed her twice, and left her for dead. Luckily, Wilt was resourceful and survived the attack, eventually making her way to the road and flagging down a truck driver. He took her to a nearby hospital, and she survived after receiving life-saving surgery.

Felicity Nightingale

Survived: Fred West

One of England’s most notorious serial killers, Fred West killed at least twelve women, including his own daughter, Heather. In April of 1980, after West had already killed most of his victims, he picked up a hitchhiker named Felicity Nightingale. After deriding her for hitchhiking, West invited her to stay the night with his family, claiming that it would be dark soon. Luckily, she refused, but her defensive behavior caused West to grow irate. Despite his explosive temper, he eventually let Nightingale out of the car, and she made her way home by other means. Later, when reading about West’s crimes in the paper, she noticed that he was the man who gave her a ride all those years ago.

Cindy Paulson

Survived: Robert Hansen

Robert Hansen is thought to have kidnapped women, taken them into the Alaskan wilderness, and hunted them with an automatic rifle. He killed at least seventeen women throughout the ‘70s and early ‘80s, but he was finally caught thanks to the efforts of one Cindy Paulson. Hansen had kidnapped Paulson and claimed he was taking her to his remote cabin - presumably to hunt and kill her. But while Hansen was distracted loading his plane with supplies, Paulson escaped and ran for it, eventually reaching the safety of a passing truck. She was later interviewed by the police and testified against Hansen. With her testimony, police were able to secure a warrant and search Hansen’s property, which eventually led to his arrest.

Carl Stottor

Survived: Dennis Nilsen

Scottish killer Dennis Nilsen was active between 1978 and 1983, killing between twelve and fifteen young men. In May of 1982, he picked up 21-year-old Carl Stottor at a Camden pub. Nilsen took Stottor home, where he proceeded to pass out. When he awoke, he was being drowned in Nilsen’s bathtub. But Stottor survived, and Nilsen nursed him back to health. Nilsen told Stottor that he had suffocated in his sleeping bag and that he put him in the bath to resuscitate him. He then took Stottor to the train station and simply let him go. Later, after Nilsen was convicted, Stottor asked him why he was spared. Nilsen simply replied, “What passed between us was a thin strand of humanity.”

Christopher Bryson

Survived: Robert Berdella

On March 29, 1988, Robert Berdella of Kansas City kidnapped a 22-year-old man named Christopher Bryson. By this point, Berdella had already killed at least six young men. Bryson was taken to Berdella’s home, tied to a bed and subjected to sexual abuse for multiple days. After four days in captivity, Bryson freed himself while Berdella was at work and fled the house, catching the attention of a nearby man. The police were called, Bryson was rescued, and a search warrant was issued for Berdella’s home. And with that, his crime spree finally came to an end after four long years.

Cynthia Vigil

Survived: David Parker Ray

Terrorizing the American southwest for many years, David Parker Ray is also known as the Toy-Box Killer. The name comes from his semi-trailer The Toy-Box, inside of which Ray would conduct most of his heinous crimes. While Ray was never convicted of murder, he is suspected of killing more than 60 people. Cynthia Vigil was kidnapped by Ray and kept inside the Toy Box for three days before freeing herself and escaping. Her getaway was noticed by Ray’s accomplice Cindy Hendy, who gave chase. A fight ensued, and Vigil managed to grab an icepick and stab Hendy in the neck. She then made her way to a nearby home and called the police, resulting in the downfall of the Toy-Box Killer.

Lisa McVey

Survived: Bobby Joe Long

Sometimes people escape killers. Other times, the killers let them go. That’s the case with serial killer Bobby Joe Long and Lisa McVey, who would have been his ninth confirmed murder victim. On November 3, 1984, Long kidnapped McVey as she was riding her bike and took her to his house, where he subjected her to sexual assault. But McVey managed to bond with Long and eventually convinced him to let her go. He blindfolded her, took her to the woods, and fled. McVey made her way home and phoned the police, and they began the surveillance on Long which eventually led to his arrest. McVey later became a police officer and was present when Long was executed in 2019.

Jeffrey Rignall

Survived: John Wayne Gacy

While some people physically survive their attackers, the pain never truly goes away. On March 21, 1978, 26-year-old Jeffrey Rignall was attacked by John Wayne Gacy, who lured Rignall to his car with the promise of a joint. He was chloroformed and taken to Gacy’s house, where he was subjected to horrific abuse. After a while, Rignall fell unconscious and awoke in Lincoln Park, with Gacy having let him go. Gacy never explained why he let Rignall escape. Regardless, the incident had a profound effect on Rignall, who soon suffered from depression, became withdrawn and reclusive, and lost a large amount of weight. He penned a memoir titled “29 Below” before dying in 2000 at the age of 49.

Carol DaRonch

Survived: Ted Bundy

Carol DaRonch was at a mall in Murray, Utah when she was approached by one Officer Roseland, who informed her that someone had tried breaking into her car. He offered to drive her to the police station and file a report, and she agreed. But when she pointed out that he was driving in the wrong direction, he pulled over, attacked, and attempted to put her in handcuffs. She fought off her attacker and escaped, later identifying him in a police lineup - it was Ted Bundy, and he was sentenced to prison. Unfortunately, he later escaped and continued his infamous reign of murder. Another survivor of Bundy’s is Rhonda Stapley, a college student who was sexually assaulted before fleeing into the nearby woods.

Tracy Edwards

Survived: Jeffrey Dahmer

If it wasn’t for Tracy Edwards, then Jeffrey Dahmer might never have been caught. On July 22, 1991, Dahmer attracted the attention of Edwards and invited him back to his apartment. While there, Dahmer displayed some horrifying behavior, like holding a knife on Edwards and saying that he was going to eat his heart. Edwards eventually punched Dahmer in the face and ran out the building, finding nearby police officers Robert Rauth and Rolf Mueller. They accompanied Edwards back to the apartment and immediately found evidence of Dahmer’s crimes. After a brief struggle, Dahmer was handcuffed and arrested, his infamous death toll finished at seventeen.

Holly Dunn

Survived: Angel Reséndiz

Reséndiz went by the name of The Railroad Killer, a man who claimed at least 15 lives throughout Mexico and the United States during the 80s and 90s. On August 29, 1997, Reséndiz attacked both Christopher Maier and his girlfriend, Holly Dunn, who were walking alongside some train tracks. He tied both of them up and killed Maier by dropping a large rock on his head. He proceeded to stab Dunn in the neck with an ice pick, beat her over the head with a plank of wood, and sexually assault her. She managed to survive her injuries, becoming the only known victim of The Railroad Killer to have done so.

Rose Steward

Survived: Dean Carter

In March of 1984, Dean Carter murdered five women and received the death penalty for his crimes. However, his first attempt at murder was not successful. Rose Steward, a woman whom Carter had known and grown attached to, woke up to find him in her room, whereupon he had his way with her for five hours. However, Steward pretended to enjoy his company. Due to the compassion she showed him, he let her live, and she promised to call him while he was leaving. Steward quickly went to the authorities, but Carter was long gone. Steward later testified against Carter in court, helping to put him behind bars.

Teresa Thornhill

Survived: Robert Black

Throughout the 1980s, Robert Black kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered numerous young girls throughout the U.Teen-aged Teresa Thornhill was almost added to his body count when she was grabbed by Black on the streets of Nottingham. However, she managed to squeeze his groin during the struggle, which in turn loosened his grip and allowed her to scream for help. Her nearby boyfriend heard her screams and raced to her aid, resulting in Black hopping back into his car and speeding away. Another two years passed before Black was apprehended in Scotland. He was sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2016.

Tali Shapiro

Survived: Rodney Alcala

No one knows how many lives Rodney Alcala ended. Some say it could be 50, others say it could be as high as 130. Known as The Dating Game Killer because he once appeared on the game show before his crimes were known, he was sentenced to death in 2010 for five murders, and received an additional 25 years after copping to two others. His spree began in 1968 with the young Tali Shapiro, whom he sexually assaulted and beat in his apartment. After responding to a 911 call, a police officer found the bloodied Shapiro, but Alcala had fled. Shapiro survived the ordeal and now works as a chef.

Larry Flynt

Survived: Joseph Paul Franklin

Larry Flynt, the president of Larry Flynt Publications and the producer of Hustler magazine, also had an encounter with a serial killer. On March 6, 1978, Flynt and his lawyer were shot by a man who was standing across the street from them. Years later, white supremacist Joseph Paul Franklin, who had slain between 7 and 22 people throughout the late 70s, claimed responsibility. Franklin stated that he was upset by interracial photos that were featured in Hustler. While Flynt survived the attack, his spine was irreparably damaged, leaving him permanently paralyzed and dependent on medications.

Corazon Amurao

Survived: Richard Speck

While Speck’s reign of terror lasted only one night, it is harrowing all the same. On the night of July 13-14, 1966, Speck broke into a dormitory that housed student nurses, and it was here that he assaulted and murdered eight of its occupants. Amurao could have been the ninth victim, but she hid under a bed while Speck was finishing off the other eight women. She stayed under the bed until 6 AM, when she finally emerged amidst the blood and bodies. Amurao later identified Speck in court, a move that helped sentence him to life in prison. It was there he died from a heart attack in 1991.

Kathy Kleiner & Karen Chandler

Survived: Ted Bundy

Bundy has already appeared on this list. The man who killed 30+ people almost added two more to his list on the morning of January 15, 1978, when he broke into a Florida State University sorority house. After bludgeoning one woman with a fire log and strangling another, he attacked Kleiner and Chandler. Kleiner suffered a broken jaw and a lacerated shoulder while Chandler suffered a concussion, a crushed finger, a broken jaw, and some lost teeth. Bundy’s attacks on all four women lasted all of fifteen minutes. Had he stayed longer, there’s no telling how many more would have suffered.

Whitney Bennett

Survived: Richard Ramirez

Known as The Night Stalker, this monster burgled many homes and murdered at least 13 people in California from June 1984 to August 1985. He almost added teen Whitney Bennett to his list, and amongst Ramirez’s survivors, her story is perhaps the most perplexing. Bennett was beaten with a tire iron and strangled with a telephone cord. However, Ramirez saw sparks shoot from the cord, and when Bennett took a breath, he was frightened and ran away. Ramirez was a Satanist, and he believed this was a sign that Jesus Christ had saved his victim – hence his fear. He left Bennett alive, but with massive lacerations to her scalp that required 478 stitches to close.

Bryan Hartnell

Survived: The Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer is one of the most infamous serial killers of all time, and perhaps his most well-known attack was the one at Lake Berryessa. On the afternoon of September 27, 1969, Bryan Hartnell and his girlfriend, Cecilia Shepard, were having a picnic at Lake Berryessa. It wasn’t long before the Zodiac, complete with an executioner’s hood, appeared. The couple were both tied up, and the Zodiac proceeded to stab them numerous times while they were on the ground. Hartnell survived his wounds and later told his story to the authorities. However, it was in vain: The Zodiac Killer was never caught.

Rebecca Garde

Survived: Gary Ridgway

Known as the Green River Killer, Ridgway’s 49 confirmed murders make him the most prolific serial killer in American history. And unconfirmed murders could bring the total higher than 90. Garde was almost added to the tally when she was picked up by Ridgway while hitchhiking along the Pacific Highway. After offering to perform an intimate service on Ridgway, she was taken into the woods, where Ridgway attacked her. She managed to fight him off and ran to a nearby trailer home, where she was quickly taken in and sheltered. While she could barely speak immediately after the attack, she survived, and is extremely lucky to have done so.


Have you ever had a run-in with a shady figure? Let us know in the comments below!