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Truck Stop Homicide
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Resident Says She Survived Trip With Accused Killler
Lori Young Says Trucker Threatened To Injure Son
POSTED: 4:35 pm CDT July 17,
2007
UPDATED: 6:28 pm CDT July 17,
2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A new picture is emerging of a suspected serial killer, and it is coming from someone who knew him.
Video: Woman Says She Survived Trip With Accused Serial KillerA woman who survived four days in the cab of a tractor-trailer with trucker Bruce Mendenhall is describing him as "creepy" and "sick".Lori Young lives in Franklin, Ky., but she said in 2001 she rode in Mendenhall's 18-wheeler after her pickup broke down along the road.Young said she was shocked when she heard on the radio Friday morning of his arrest."And I do wonder why he didn't kill me," said Young.Mendenhall is now accused of killing six women, all known prostitutes, and dumping their bodies near truck stops.Young said she felt safe during the three or four days she spent in 2001 driving with Mendenhall, but said things got weird when she moved to his hometown in Illinois and rented his house. That same house was searched by the state police last week in the investigation.She said once when she came back from a trip out of town, she encountered an uncomfortable situation."Bruce and his wife and kids were sprawled out on my furniture watching my TV and eating my food. I thought that was really weird," said Young.She said stranger things happened three months later after she moved out of the home, including a note that threatened to injure her child."He threatened to castrate my son, Richie," said Young. "I knew something wasn't right about him."Young had been working truck stops as a massage therapist, but she said she never crossed the line into prostitution. She eventually left Albion, Ill., with an outstanding felony warrant on charges that she distributed bad checks.She said she turned Mendenhall's threatening letters over to the authorities, but they didn't prosecute him."Don't let too many of them in Albion say they didn't see this coming. I think there were clear-cut symptoms," said Young.Young said she reported the letter to the state prosecutor, but he told Channel 4 News that his office doesn't investigate matters and refers them to the police.Regarding where Mendenhall worked before his current job, Young said he was fired from Transport America for making terrorist threats against the company.The company confirms Mendenhall worked there in 2001 and 2002, but they don't have a record of why he left.
Video: Woman Says She Survived Trip With Accused Serial KillerA woman who survived four days in the cab of a tractor-trailer with trucker Bruce Mendenhall is describing him as "creepy" and "sick".Lori Young lives in Franklin, Ky., but she said in 2001 she rode in Mendenhall's 18-wheeler after her pickup broke down along the road.Young said she was shocked when she heard on the radio Friday morning of his arrest."And I do wonder why he didn't kill me," said Young.Mendenhall is now accused of killing six women, all known prostitutes, and dumping their bodies near truck stops.Young said she felt safe during the three or four days she spent in 2001 driving with Mendenhall, but said things got weird when she moved to his hometown in Illinois and rented his house. That same house was searched by the state police last week in the investigation.She said once when she came back from a trip out of town, she encountered an uncomfortable situation."Bruce and his wife and kids were sprawled out on my furniture watching my TV and eating my food. I thought that was really weird," said Young.She said stranger things happened three months later after she moved out of the home, including a note that threatened to injure her child."He threatened to castrate my son, Richie," said Young. "I knew something wasn't right about him."Young had been working truck stops as a massage therapist, but she said she never crossed the line into prostitution. She eventually left Albion, Ill., with an outstanding felony warrant on charges that she distributed bad checks.She said she turned Mendenhall's threatening letters over to the authorities, but they didn't prosecute him."Don't let too many of them in Albion say they didn't see this coming. I think there were clear-cut symptoms," said Young.Young said she reported the letter to the state prosecutor, but he told Channel 4 News that his office doesn't investigate matters and refers them to the police.Regarding where Mendenhall worked before his current job, Young said he was fired from Transport America for making terrorist threats against the company.The company confirms Mendenhall worked there in 2001 and 2002, but they don't have a record of why he left.
Previous Stories:
- July 17, 2007: Other States Look To Trucker In Slayings
- July 13, 2007: Police: Truck Driver Might Be Serial Killer
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