Mary Vincent, at the age of 15, survived a horrific assault where a man severed both her arms and abandoned her in a ravine. The incident took place in the fall of 1978 as Mary was hitchhiking to her grandfather’s house after leaving home. She accepted a ride from Lawrence Singleton, a 51-year-old ex-seaman, who later assaulted her in Modesto, California.
After being bound and assaulted by Singleton, Mary was left for dead in the ravine. However, she managed to stay alive by packing dirt into her arm wounds to stop the bleeding. With immense courage, she climbed out of the ravine and flagged down a passing car for help.
Rescued by good Samaritans, Mary received medical attention and aided in the identification and arrest of Singleton. He was convicted of multiple crimes, including attempted murder, rape, and kidnapping, serving 14 years in prison before being released on parole.
Despite public outrage over his release, Singleton continued his criminal activities and eventually murdered another victim in 1997. Mary, devastated by the news, criticized the system that allowed Singleton’s release. She later campaigned for change, sharing her story with trauma victims and advocating for sentencing reforms, leading to the passing of the “Singleton bill” in California.
Mary’s resilience and advocacy have left a lasting impact on the justice system, demonstrating the power of one survivor’s voice in making positive changes.