A sheriff’s deputy searches for two men who saved her life after she lost control of a prisoner.

CASE DETAILS

On September 16th, 1995, Thomas Wright of Eldon, Missouri, awoke from a disturbing dream so troubling, that he sat in bed and prayed. That night, Thomas had a nightmare about his mother Doris, a deputy sheriff for the Miller County Sheriff’s Department. It’s a dream Thomas will never forget:

“I could see my mother’s squad car. There was a struggle. I saw the person take my mother’s gun. It was a woman. I remember the gun moving back and forth and it looked like my mother really wasn’t winning the struggle. She needed help. A gunshot went off. And that was the most disturbing thing about the whole dream, the fact that I didn’t know who was shot and why. The only thing I could think at that point was that there was a possibility that my mother might have been taken away from me.”

The bond Thomas shared with his mother had always been especially strong:

“A lot of different things have really brought us close to where we’re best friends, really. And we can feel each other’s hurt. I didn’t know until later why I had the dream.”

The day after Thomas’ nightmare, his mother was transferring a prisoner to a facility four hours away. The inmate was serving a one-year sentence for writing bad checks. As they traveled toward Laddonia, Missouri, a series of events took place just as they had in the nightmare. At 6 P.M., the squad car stopped. The convict used her small hands to slip out of her handcuffs and begun to attack. Chaos broke out. In the ensuing struggle, Doris had to fight for her gun, as well as her life, exactly as it played out in Thomas’s dream:

“I could see my mother’s expression and it was almost as if the life had just gone from her face. She needed help.”

Constrained by her seatbelt, Doris was losing the fight. But that’s when the events in reality began to differ from the events in Thomas’ dream. Out of nowhere, two men suddenly appeared. They managed to distract Doris’ attacker and got her to release her hold on the gun, likely saving Doris’ life. Was it just coincidence that the good Samaritans came by? Or was some mysterious force at work? Either way, Thomas Wright is grateful:

“If I wouldn’t have prayed, what would have been the outcome of the events? Would those two men have been there to help her? I really think they’re responsible for saving my mother’s life.”

By the time Doris regained her composure, the two men had driven off. She never had a chance to thank them for their help, but Doris Smith is eternally grateful:

“I was absolutely convinced that I would die that day. I looked for the men that were there. I wanted to talk to them, wanted to get their names, wanted to thank them for what they had done for me. I want them to know, because of their courage and their willingness to help another person, I am still here today.”

Thomas and his mother would like to thank the people who came to Doris’ rescue, but there are very few clues. A person who stopped at the scene took a photo of the men’s vehicle, a pre-1995 dark blue Chevy CK pickup truck with tinted windows and an extended cab. It was towing a blue-and-white boat. The two men were driving near Laddonia in northeast Missouri, when they jumped out of their truck to help. The event took place was on Highway 19, about 50 miles from Mark Twain Lake.

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Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season ten with Robert Stack and in season seven with Dennis Farina. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Various seasons available now on Hulu.

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