DeepSummary
In this episode, Alex Cooper interviews Denise Huskins, a woman who was kidnapped and assaulted in 2015. Denise recounts the harrowing experience of being taken from her boyfriend's home and held captive for days, during which she was drugged and sexually assaulted. Despite escaping, Denise faced an additional trauma when the police refused to believe her story, accusing her of lying and fabricating the events for fame.
Denise describes the psychological games her captor played, the constant fear for her life, and her efforts to remain calm and build rapport in hopes of surviving. She also discusses the devastating impact of not being believed by law enforcement and the public, who compared her story to the movie 'Gone Girl.' The episode explores the difficulties women face in being heard and believed when reporting traumatic experiences.
Ultimately, Denise's kidnapper was caught after attacking another family, vindicating her story. However, the lack of accountability from law enforcement and the lingering trauma of the ordeal remain. Denise shares her journey of healing, reclaiming her identity, and advocating for better treatment of survivors. The episode is a powerful testament to resilience and the need for societal change in how women's voices are heard.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The difficulty women face in being believed when reporting traumatic experiences, especially sexual assault and kidnapping.
- The impact of victim-blaming and societal expectations on a survivor's healing process.
- The importance of law enforcement receiving better training in understanding trauma responses and avoiding biases.
- The resilience required for survivors to maintain self-belief in the face of doubts and accusations.
- The need for accountability and changes within the justice system to better support and protect survivors.
- The power of sharing personal stories to raise awareness and advocate for societal change.
- The lingering trauma and challenges survivors face in reclaiming their lives and identities after such events.
- The role of empathy, understanding, and believing women's voices in creating a more just society.
Top Episodes Quotes
- βAnd you know what? Like, just what's crazy about it, too, is, like, they're trained to know better. So, like, Aaron's brother's an FBI agent. He's also in the army. I've had a friend's husband who's a marine. They're like, they teach us if you are ever kidnapped or taken hostage that you build a rapport. Like, you figure out how to survive. We get food, water, and you build a rapport to get yourself out. Like, what you did is what we're trained to do.β by Denise Huskins
- βI think a lot is set up in society. And, I mean, still, even now with the Netflix series out and, like, the truth out, people still criticize Erin and I not emoting enough and not being believable or just being like, vanilla or, I mean, you name it.β by Denise Huskins
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Episode Information
Call Her Daddy
4/3/24
Join Alex in the studio for a powerful interview with kidnapping and assault survivor Denise Huskins. In 2015, Denise was taken from her boyfriendβs house in the middle of the night. She was held for days, drugged, and assaulted before finally being released by her captors. But when Denise told the police what had happened to her, nobody believed her. In fact, they attacked her. They called her a liar, hoaxster, fraud, and the real life βGone Girl.β They claimed sheβd made it all up for fame and attention. Today, Denise is here to tell her incredible story of overcoming trauma, staying calm in the midst of chaos, and fighting for the truth. This is an important conversation about what it takes for women to be believed, the problem with victim blaming, and how Denise was finally able to reclaim her name and her life.
This episode discusses adult subject matter, including descriptions of sexual violence, and is intended for adult consumption only. Listener discretion is advised. Visit spotify.com/resources for information and resources.Β
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