Camilla Jessen
This is her story.
Abducted at age 20 and held captive under a bed in a wooden box, Colleen Stan’s harrowing story shocked the world.
Decades later, she refuses to let fear define her.
Captivity for Seven Years
In 1977, Colleen Stan accepted a ride while hitchhiking through California. It was a decision that would change her life.
She was kidnapped by Cameron and Janice Hooker and spent the next seven years locked in a small wooden box under their bed.
Colleen was confined for up to 23 hours a day, enduring brutal physical and psychological abuse.
Her captor, Cameron Hooker, manipulated her into silence with threats from a fictitious organization he called “The Company,” claiming they would kill her and her family if she ever tried to escape.
A Family in the Dark
Three years into her captivity, Colleen was astonishingly allowed to visit her family.
But the trauma and brainwashing had silenced her.
Her strange behavior and vacant responses led her parents to believe she had joined a cult, not that she was being held as a slave in plain sight.
A Life Lived as a “Slave”
Cameron forced Colleen to sign a false contract, declaring herself his personal slave.
Over the years, she was made to do chores, care for the couple’s children, and live under constant threat.
All while sleeping in a coffin-sized wooden box, only being let out when it suited her captors.
The Escape That Changed Everything
In 1984, Janice Hooker — who had long enabled the abuse — confided in a priest and decided to help Colleen escape.
One day, while Cameron was at work, Janice drove Colleen to a bus station.
From there, Colleen called her family for the first time in seven years.
A Joyful Return to Life
According to People, Colleen described her first moments of freedom:
“My first feeling when I was free and reunited with my family was simply that I was so filled with joy. It was like my cup was about to overflow.”
She soon moved back to California, determined to reclaim her life. Despite the years of trauma, Colleen found work as a secretary, got married, and even helped raise her grandson.
Honoring the Day She Broke Free
Each year on August 10th, Colleen and her family celebrate the day she escaped.
They gather at the beach to celebrate life without fear.
It’s a ritual rooted in healing a way to mark survival, love, and resilience.
Justice Served
Cameron Hooker was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to 104 years in prison for kidnapping and multiple counts of assault.
His wife, Janice, avoided prison by testifying against him.
Despite multiple parole attempts, Colleen has worked tirelessly to keep him behind bars. Her public advocacy reminds everyone of what she endured and what justice should mean for survivors.
Her Story Lives On
Colleen’s ordeal has inspired books, documentaries, and dramatized retellings.
She has personally taken part in many of these projects and even met actors who portrayed her, finding power in reclaiming the narrative.
Today, Colleen remains outspoken about survival, trauma, and hope. As she puts it:
“I really enjoy my freedom. Always, always, always.”
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, which may have used AI in the preparation
