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Woman Finds Strength After Seven Years in a Box
Image: Daily Mail
The Shocking True Story of the Girl in the Box
In May of 1977, a young woman named Colleen Stan would find herself trapped in a nightmare she could never have imagined. After confidently deciding to hitchhike from Eugene, Oregon to Westwood, California for a friend’s birthday party, she made a crucial error that would haunt her for the next seven years. When a blue van, containing a family, offered her a ride, Colleen felt a sense of comfort. However, this comfort would prove fatal.
A Calculated Abduction
Colleen was an experienced hitchhiker. She had turned down rides from strangers before and assessed situations carefully. However, with Janice Hooker and her baby in the vehicle, Colleen felt reassured. Unbeknownst to her, Cameron Hooker—a 23-year-old lumber mill worker—was not simply looking for a ride but was searching for someone to captivate and dominate.
Shortly after Colleen entered the van, Cameron feigned a need to explore nearby caves. Once off the main road, the facade ripped away as Janice left the vehicle with the baby, and Cameron, armed with a knife, overpowered Colleen. The horrifying truth began when Cameron forced a specially made, heavy headbox onto her, confining her in complete darkness and silence. Within hours, her fate had been sealed.
Living a Nightmare
The hours stretched into days, then years, as Colleen endured psychological torment and physical abuse. Cameron abused his control, having previously practiced bondage and sadomasochism on Janice. Under a twisted agreement, he could keep a “slave,” but was to refrain from penetrating her. This rule was soon broken as Colleen was immersed in a sustained horror of manipulation and cruelty.
In her confinement, she was only allowed out for an hour a day to accomplish household chores or take care of the Hooker children. Her identity was stripped away; she was made to call Cameron “Master” and became known only as “K.” The brutality escalated with a contract she signed in 1978 pledging her life to him, further embedding her into a world of abuse.
The Web of Deceit
To enforce his dominion, Cameron devised a chilling lie—a fabricated organization he called The Company, which supposedly monitored Colleen’s every move, threatening her with violence and death if she dared to escape. The fear rooted within her was so profound that it not only kept her from fleeing; it made her entirely obedient.
This coercive system went so far that in 1981, Colleen was even allowed to visit her parents. Distressed but not understanding the full scope of her situation, they mistook her unusual appearance for evidence of cult involvement. After posing for a photo with Cameron, she returned willingly to her captor’s hold.
A Turning Point
As the years dragged on, Janice began to question her husband’s manipulations and her own participation in Colleen’s suffering. When Cameron indicated wanting Colleen as a second wife, a spark ignited within Janice. She revealed to Colleen that The Company was a mere illusion designed to maintain Cameron’s reign of terror.
With newfound conviction, Colleen walked away from the nightmare and even called Cameron to tell him she was leaving. However, she hesitated in seeking help immediately. Fortunately, Janice took the brave step of reporting Cameron to the authorities, including horrific admissions about past crimes, including a murder that was never solved.
The Legal Aftermath
Cameron Hooker’s trial in 1985 would become a landmark moment in criminal history. Colleen’s experience became the focal point of discussions on psychological manipulation and trauma. Janice took the stand against him in exchange for immunity, painting a dark portrait of the years of torment Colleen endured.
Hooker was found guilty of sexual assault and kidnapping, receiving a staggering sentence of 104 years in prison. Notably, Cameron was initially ineligible for parole until 2023, but future hearings would continue to deny him the possibility of release.
Resilience and Recovery
Despite the horrors of her captivity, Colleen Stan emerged with resilience. After her ordeal, she pursued a new life, obtaining a degree and using her experience to aid others who had suffered similar fates. Although she dealt with lingering physical pain and relationship struggles, Colleen married and found a semblance of normalcy with her own family.
By contrast, Janice Hooker shed her past and became a mental health professional, albeit remaining anonymous and distant from Colleen. Each woman—scarred but thriving in their rights—navigated through the aftermath of a deeply traumatic history that carved two divergent paths from the same dark origins.
