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Girl in the Bunker

2022-09-12 20:29:34 Written by Alex

On 6 September 2006, Elizabeth Shoaf, aged 14, was kidnaped after leaving her school bus.

 

Her kidnapper, Vinson Filyaw, took her through the woods to a hand-dug, 15-foot bunker located near his trailer home. There he raped her many times,in a day.Filyaw tied explosives around her neck and told Shoaf, she would die if she tried to run.

 

On September 6, 2006, 14-year-old Elizabeth Shoaf was walking home from high school in Lugoff, South Carolina when a police officer met her and arrest her.

Actually, he wasn't a cop

 

His name was Vinson Filyaw, 36, a former construction worker wanted for the rape of his ex-girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter, according to WISTV. 

On 6 September 2006, Elizabeth Shoaf, aged 14, was kidnaped after leaving her school bus. Her kidnapper, Vinson Filyaw, took her through the woods to a hand-dug, 15-foot bunker located near his trailer home. There he raped her many times,in a day.Filyaw tied explosives around her neck and told Shoaf, she would die if she tried to run. On September 6, 2006, 14-year-old Elizabeth Shoaf was walking home from high school in Lugoff, South Carolina when a police officer met her and arrest her. Actually, he wasn't a cop His name was Vinson Filyaw, 36, a former construction worker wanted for the rape of his ex-girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter, according to WISTV. Once inside the bunker, which had a hand-dug bathroom and shelves made of branches and canvas, Filyaw took off Shoaf's clothing, tied her up, and raped her. "I just didn't know what to do. Just scared I was going to die.Shoaf told MS News later. "Day-to-day life was wake up, get assaulted. Couple hours later, if that." After her sudden disappearance Detectives and volunteers searched for miles of dense forest.But detectives couldn't find her—even though she was being held within one mile of her house. "In the middle of the night, I would just get up and walk out of my driveway and would just walk across the street to this empty lot and just stand there. You know, I could only go so far and I couldn't go further," her mother Madeline Shoaf told NBC News. "And I’d just stand there and just stood in the dark. And just prayed." Despite this, Elizabeth talked to him about his interests and Filyaw began to view her as a person he could trust, not a captive. Eventually, Filyaw fell in love with Elizabeth and believed they would have a life together. After ten days of captivity, Filyaw allowed Elizabeth to borrow his cell phone to play games. However, Elizabeth used their cell phone to contact her mother, who proceeded to contact the police. "She told me exactly where she was, down the road, which road it was ... get the police. She's in a hole," Madeline Shoaf said to CNN at that time. Detectives found the bunker "well-built and stocked with food, clothing and a toilet, as well as cigarettes and pornography," according to the news outlet. Authorities used mobile towers to find the bunker. Once Filyaw saw on the TV that the police were seeking him, Elizabeth told him to run and once he did she was able to leave and shouting for help until she was found. Filyaw was caught Five miles away. Filyaw pleaded guilty to abduction, possession of an incendiary device, impersonating a police officer (when he abducted her ), and 10 counts of criminal sexual conduct and was imprisoned to 421 years in jail on September 19, 2007. Filyaw died in prison at McCormick Correctional Institution on May 3, 2021, at the age of 51; no reason of death has been determined. Elizabeth Shoaf has been heralded for her bravery and the smart decisions she made that greatly improved her chances of survival. What Elizabeth Shoaf is doing now More than a decade later, Shoaf is now 26 years old. In a 2013 interview, Shoaf said she works as a dental assistant and spends her free time exercising and taking self-defense classes at a karate studio. According to WIST, she also volunteers her time partnering with the Kershaw County Sheriff's Department to educate parents and children about stranger danger. "I'm the perfect example of what can happen," she said. "It's just a remembrance... I use it to keep me strong. I survived and I can help others survive. She adds: "Unfortunately, we can't stop it from happening, but we can reduce it if parents are more cautious of what's going on and who's around."

Once inside the bunker, which had a hand-dug bathroom and shelves made of branches and canvas, Filyaw took off Shoaf's clothing, tied her up, and raped her.

 

 

"I just didn't know what to do. Just scared I was going to die.Shoaf told MS News later. "Day-to-day life was wake up, get assaulted. Couple hours later, if that."

 

After her sudden disappearance

Detectives and volunteers searched for miles of dense forest.But detectives couldn't find her—even though she was being held within one mile of her house.

 

"In the middle of the night, I would just get up and walk out of my driveway and would just walk across the street to this empty lot and just stand there. You know, I could only go so far and I couldn't go further," her mother Madeline Shoaf told NBC News. "And I’d just stand there and just stood in the dark. And just prayed."

 

Despite this, Elizabeth talked to him about his interests and Filyaw began to view her as a person he could trust, not a captive. 

Eventually, Filyaw fell in love with Elizabeth and believed they would have a life together. After ten days of captivity, Filyaw allowed Elizabeth to borrow his cell phone to play games. However, Elizabeth used their cell phone to contact her mother, who proceeded to contact the police.

 

"She told me exactly where she was, down the road, which road it was ... get the police. She's in a hole," Madeline Shoaf said to CNN at that time.

Detectives found the bunker "well-built and stocked with food, clothing and a toilet, as well as cigarettes and pornography," according to the news outlet.

 

 

Authorities used mobile towers to find the bunker. Once Filyaw saw on the TV that the police were seeking him, Elizabeth told him to run and once he did she was able to leave and shouting for help until she was found. Filyaw was caught Five miles away. Filyaw pleaded guilty to abduction, possession of an incendiary device, impersonating a police officer (when he abducted her ), and 10 counts of criminal sexual conduct and was imprisoned to 421 years in jail on September 19, 2007. 

 

Filyaw died in prison at McCormick Correctional Institution on May 3, 2021, at the age of 51; no reason of death has been determined.

 

Elizabeth Shoaf has been heralded for her bravery and the smart decisions she made that greatly improved her chances of survival.

 

What Elizabeth Shoaf is doing now

 

More than a decade later, Shoaf is now 26 years old. In a 2013 interview, Shoaf said she works as a dental assistant and spends her free time exercising and taking self-defense classes at a karate studio.

 

According to WIST, she also volunteers her time partnering with the Kershaw County Sheriff's Department to educate parents and children about stranger danger.

 

"I'm the perfect example of what can happen," she said. "It's just a remembrance... I use it to keep me strong. I survived and I can help others survive.

 

She adds: "Unfortunately, we can't stop it from happening, but we can reduce it if parents are more cautious of what's going on and who's around."