True Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Part VII (Wattys2025)

The Girl in the Box: The Kidnapping of Colleen Stan

Colleen J. Stan (born December 31, 1956) is a woman who was kidnapped and held as a by Cameron and Janice Hooker in their home for over seven years, between 1977 and 1984. At Cameron Hooker's trial, Stan's experience was described as unparalleled in history. Janice Hooker was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony, while Cameron Hooker was found guilty on multiple charges and sentenced to 104 years in prison.

Her case has received international publicity, and has been the subject of multiple books, films, and television series.

Kidnapping

On May 19, 1977, Colleen Stan was from her home in, to a friend's home in Northern California, where she was heading to a birthday party. Cameron Hooker (born November 5, 1953) kidnapped 20-year-old Stan after picking her up. Stan stated that she was an experienced hitchhiker and had allowed two rides to go past before accepting the ride with Hooker. She reportedly "felt confident climbing into the blue van", because Hooker's wife, Janice, and their baby were in the car. When they stopped at a gas station along the way, Stan went to use the restroom. "A voice told me to run and jump out a window and never look back," she recalled, but she calmed her fears and went back to the car. Around 20 minutes into the ride Cameron pulled off the highway, claiming to be interested in investigating some nearby caves. It was at this point, Stan said, that "Janice got out of the car and went down to a lake with the baby. They were playing when Cameron got into the back seat and held a knife to my throat. He tied me up and placed a box over my head." She was subsequently locked in a wooden "headbox" that was designed to prevent light, sound, and fresh air from entering.

Imprisonment

Before this, Cameron, then a worker (at Diamond International Lumber Mill), and Janice had reached an agreement that he could capture a slave to take Janice's place, because up until that time, Cameron had been using Janice to act out. There was to be no with Stan according to the agreement, but this later changed. On the first night of her kidnapping, Stan was strung up by her hands, physically attacked by Cameron, and left blindfolded and suspended while the pair had sex below her.

After her kidnapping, Stan stated that she was tortured and kept locked in a box 23 hours a day until she was given a contract and forced to sign herself into slavery for life in January 1978. In view from the box, propped up against her purse under the bed, was a photo of Marie Elizabeth Spannhake, a previous victim whose body was never found. She further stated that Cameron led her to believe that she was being watched by a large, powerful organization called "The Company" which would painfully torture her and harm her family if she tried to escape. Stan subsequently became a slave referred to as "K", was forced to call Cameron "Master", and was not allowed to talk without permission. Cameron reportedly wanted Stan to be like the female character in the 1954 French and soon started her, which consisted of rape. Cameron did not want to have vaginal sex with Stan because he considered that to be a breach of his agreement with his wife. Instead, he raped her vaginally and anally with implements. Following this, the Hooker family moved to a mobile home in Red Bluff with Stan, where she was kept locked in wooden boxes under the couple's waterbed. In 1978, Janice gave birth to a second child on the waterbed above Stan.

Stan said that her faith in and belief in a chance of escape helped her survive; her greatest fear, which Cameron "reinforced" daily, was of "The Company". To avoid painful punishments, Stan tried to comply with his commandments, which later led to her being allowed to go out to jog, work in the yard, care for the family's children in the mobile home, and help him build bigger accommodations—like an underground dungeon—for more slaves. Even with an open door, neighbors, and a telephone, she made no attempt to escape as—according to Stan—her fear of "The Company" kept her from seeking help.