A teenage hitchhiker crosses paths with unimaginable violence—and survives. This episode explores a brutal crime, an extraordinary will to live, and the long shadow left behind when someone refuses to stay a victim.

In early 1996, Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bike. A neighbor witnessed the crime, called 911 immediately, and provided police with crucial details about the suspect and his vehicle. The response was fast and thorough: officers, volunteers, and neighbors worked side by side to search nearly 100 square miles in the area, leaving no stone unturned. Media outlets and federal investigators were quickly brought in, helping to coordinate the massive effort. Despite their efforts, the case ended in tragedy. At the time, there were weather alerts and civil defense alerts, but no alerts for abducted children. The Amber Alert system was finally implemented, and since then, over 1,000 children have been successfully recovered.

In 1928, a quiet rural community in Pennsylvania was shaken by a killing rooted not in greed or passion, but fear. Whispers of curses, sickness, and bad luck turned neighbors into suspects—and superstition into a motive. What happened at Hex Hollow blurred the line between folklore and murder, leaving behind a case that still unsettles more than ninety years later.