In 1977, Colleen Stan, a 20-year-old hitchhiker from Oregon, was on her way to a birthday party. She climbed into a van that seemed safe—Janice and Cameron Hooker, a seemingly normal couple with their baby, were inside. But her trust turned to terror when Cameron veered off the highway, pulled a knife, and shoved a wooden box over her head.

That box became Colleen’s prison for seven unimaginable years.
Cameron and Janice kept Colleen locked in a coffin-like box under their bed for 23 hours a day. Her world was darkness, suffocation, and fear. Cameron tortured her relentlessly and manipulated her with threats of a sinister organization called “The Company.” He made her sign a contract, enslaving herself for life. He stripped away her freedom, leaving her too afraid to attempt escape—even when the door was open.

The horrors didn’t stop there. Cameron dangled a photo of another victim, Marie Spannhake, whose body was never found. He forced Colleen to help build an underground dungeon for future captives. Janice, complicit and cold, gave birth to her second child on the bed above Colleen’s hidden prison.
Cameron toyed with her mind, even allowing her brief moments of freedom—visits to her family and work as a motel maid. She didn’t run. Fear paralyzed her. Her family, confused and worried, believed she had joined a cult.
In 1984, Janice finally broke. She confessed to Colleen that “The Company” was a lie. Shattered but free from the psychological grip, Colleen left. Months later, Janice turned Cameron in, testifying against him for immunity.
Cameron Hooker was sentenced to 104 years. Yet, the thought of his potential release, as of 2024, is sickening. How can a man who turned a woman into a living object even be considered for freedom?

Colleen Stan, against all odds, reclaimed her life. Those who meet her today describe her as kind and resilient. She deserves every moment of peace and joy denied to her during those years in the box.
This story isn’t just horror—it’s a grim testament to human cruelty. It asks the question that haunts me daily: How can someone do this? What is broken inside them?
Posted on Exact Subtitle: Exploring the darkness we fear to understand.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Colleen_Stan
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/cameron-hooker-jury-trial-delayed-august
https://people.com/crime/girl-in-the-box-speaks-how-i-survived-my-seven-year-ordeal/
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/1771222.html