Mary Vincent, at the age of 15, survived a horrific assault where a man cut off both her arms and left her in a ravine to perish. This incident occurred in 1978 while she was hitchhiking to her grandfather’s house after running away from home. A man in a blue van, Lawrence Singleton, offered her a ride, only to later assault her, sever her arms, and abandon her in Modesto, California.
Despite her severe injuries, Mary showed remarkable resilience by packing dirt on her arm stumps to slow the bleeding and climbing out of the ravine to seek help. Rescued by passersby, she was taken to a hospital where she assisted in the identification and arrest of Singleton. He was convicted of multiple charges, including attempted murder and rape, and sentenced to prison, eventually being released on parole after serving eight years.
Following public outrage over his release and subsequent crimes, Singleton met his end in prison after being sentenced to death for another murder in 1997. Mary Vincent, who continued to struggle with nightmares of her traumatic experience, became an advocate for victims of trauma and successfully campaigned for legislative changes, leading to the passing of the “Singleton bill” in California. This law aimed to increase penalties for similar crimes to prevent further tragedies.
