When she was 15, she was kidnapped by a serial killer. Miraculously, she managed to escape and catch the perpetrator

You can find more similar stories on

The kidnapping took place in broad daylight. Kara Robinson Chamberlain was watering flowers in her friends’ yard when a car appeared in the driveway. The driver pretended to be a leaflet distributor. Richard Evonitz, because that was the man’s name, had different intentions. Although no one knew it at the time, he was a serial killer who had three teenagers killed on his conscience. The man started asking the 15-year-old if her parents were at home. When she replied that she was alone and the house belonged to her friends, Richard pulled a gun from his pocket and pulled the girl into his car.

She wanted to survive from the beginning

Although the situation seemed hopeless, Kara knew from the beginning that in order to survive, she had to escape. The girl tried to think rationally, memorized the smallest details that could later help in catching the kidnapper. In her mind, she had pictures of the cigarettes he was smoking, the jeans he was wearing, and the cap he was wearing when he was kidnapped. The girl also counted the turns to know more or less how to escape once she managed to break free. At the end of the journey, Richard handcuffed Kara and gagged her mouth.

In the place where the kidnapper had held the girl, there were cards on the refrigerator with the names of his doctor and dentist. Kara chose to remember this detail as well. In addition, the teenager realized that she could not anger the man, she also tried to gain his trust.

When he asked if he wanted to eat, she politely replied that she did not want to, but that she could do something for him in return. Eventually Richard had her clean the kitchen, which Kara did. According to investigators, this type of communication between the victim and the kidnapper saved her life.

Take small steps towards the escape

Kara was devising an escape plan all this time, which her captor probably did not expect. When he fell asleep, the girl somehow managed to free her hand from the handcuffs, and then untied the knots on her legs. She quietly opened the door and ran out. In this way, she was freed from the hands of the kidnapper after 18 hours of detention.

In the neighborhood, she found a car with a driver inside, whom she asked to be taken to the nearest police station. There she gave evidence and, at the request of the officers, showed the place from which she managed to escape. When she arrived at the place of the kidnapper together with the policemen, she was gone. In Richard Evonitz’s apartment, however, they found something that attracted them enormously. They were newspaper clippings about the murders of three teenagers. In this way, the facts were brought together and it was proved that Kara’s kidnapper was a serial killer.

The man was tracked down in Sarasota. The policemen stopped him right after he ran over the spikes on the road. Richard never stood trial right after his arrest he committed.

Kara Robinson Chamberlain supports the victims of kidnappings

Back then, 15-year-old Kara did not realize that, whether she wanted it or not, she had helped the police to solve the serial killer case. In high school and college, she worked in the sheriff’s office, where she performed administrative work. She later joined the police force and was an investigator of child molestation and sexual assault cases. She quit her job when she became a mother herself.

Currently, the 35-year-old works for all those who have been kidnapped. She claims that this was what she lived for, to spread hope and comfort other survivors. Kara not only tells her story, but also educates how to cooperate with kidnapping victims.

Kara Robinson Chamberlain is active on social media where she supports other kidnapping victims. In this way, it shows them that they are not alone, and what happened to them makes them stronger.