Mayhem
After she was woken up by the screams echoing all over the boat, she found herself in the middle of complete mayhem. She even got very close to losing her own life at the hands of the man who caused it all.
She got to look that man in the eyes. Still, she managed to escape from him. But it wasn't over; as a matter of fact, her problems had just begun.
Found Adrift
When Nicolaos Spachidakis, second officer of the Captain Theo, first saw it, he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a little vessel floating right in front of his ship, and it carried the most unexpected passenger: an 11-year-old girl.
After she was rescued and recovered from a really bad state, she could speak. She told her tragic story, investigations were conducted, and then she disappeared from the public eye for decades. Until now.
She Came Back After Years
It was a story that shook America more than 60 years ago. For years, the only survivor of the incident, who at the time was no more than 11 years old, refused to speak to the media.
But now, she has made a public appearance. After all those years, she was finally ready to give a full account of what really happened on that ship.
The Duperraults
Terry Jo and her family had been really looking forward to that trip. Her dad, optometrist Arthur Duperrault based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, had rented a yacht to sail from the Florida Keys to the Bahamas.
It was a route Duperrault had sailed during his WWII service. He just couldn't wait to show his family the waters he had cruised back in his day. Little did he know that his dream holiday was about to turn into a nightmare.
The Crew
The ship's crew consisted of Arthur, his wife Jean, and his three children, Terry Jo, Brian, and René; plus a friend couple, Julian Harvey, who had been acquainted as a skipper, and his sixth wife, Mary Dene.
The Duperraults and the Harveys had been friends for years, and that's why they were trusted to accompany the family on their cruise. But this would be the greatest mistake of Arthur's life.
Everything Seemed Fine
For the first days, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The two families got along beautifully, Arthur was a good sailor, and the food that Mary Dene cooked for everyone was great.
In short, everyone was having the time of their lives on the cruise. No one could have ever suspected what would happen at some point during their trip; except one person.
Julian Harvey
For everyone else, that cruise was a chance to have an outstanding vacation and a good time. But that was just a pretense for Julian Harvey.
Even his marriage with Mary Dene had been a pretense: the man's mind was boiling with evil schemes, and he had been waiting for an occasion like that, with no witnesses around, to put them into effect.
Yelling In The Night
One week after the yacht departed from the docks in Florida, Terry Jo woke up in the middle of the night. There was yelling and screaming echoing all over the boat.
She wondered what could be going on. So she left her room and went up to the boat's deck to have a look; and what she found left her paralyzed with horror.
A Horrifying Scene
Her whole family was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Harvey was standing next to them. Terry Jo's mind went blank: she didn't know if what she was seeing was real or a nightmare.
She asked Harvey what had happened; the man told her to get in the yacht's cabin, and that's what she did. But right then, she came back to her senses and became fully aware that she was in a dangerous situation.
What Could She Do?
Terry Jo hid in a nook she found somewhere in the cabin. What could she do now? Her heart was galloping, and her mind was racing, thinking about how she could escape that predicament.
And suddenly, she noticed something that made things even worse: the cabin was slowly but steadily filling up with water.
She Went Back To The Deck
Frightened like she had never been before, Terry ran back to the deck, where she found Harvey again. He told her to hold a rope attached to a raft and then left.
But Terry could tell Harvey's intentions: he was trying to distract her in order to search for a weapon to take her life. So she let go of the rope and ran away. She found a raft, got on it, and started sailing the waters all by herself.
They Found Her
Three days later, she was found by Nicolaos Spachidakis, second officer of the Greek freighter Captain Theo. Quickly, she was rescued and treated: she was badly dehydrated, starved, and sunburnt.
Shortly after, a rescue helicopter came for her, and she was taken to a Miami hospital. The police and the Coastal Guard came to visit her and asked her about her story. As it turned out later, Harvey had survived and was in America as well.
Harvey’s Lies
According to Harvey, everyone on the ship had drowned except him. Obviously, his story was false, as was proven by Terry's version.
Harvey had taken the lives of everyone on the ship, except for Terry's. Initially, he intended to take his wife's life, pretend she had slipped and fallen into the sea, and get $20,000 for immunity insurance. But he had been caught in the act by Arthur; and from then on, he felt like he couldn't leave any witnesses. But what did Harvey do when he was told that there was, in fact, a witness?
Harvey’s Reaction
According to the officers who were with him, he just calmly said, "Oh, God. Isn't that wonderful?" and he took his own life shortly after. He knew he had been caught and it was the end of his scheme.
As is to be expected, this event was absolutely traumatizing for Terry. She disappeared for decades; but recently, she had an interview with CBS News to give some more details about her story.
Terry Jo’s Words
"I always believed I was saved for a reason, but it took me 50 years to gain the strength to be able to give other people hope with my story. If just one person goes on to heal from a life tragedy, my journey will have been worth it. I am a survivor trying to reach other survivors," she said.
"It took me so long but I want people to understand that there is no timeline with healing. It is never too late!" Today, she's an example that, no matter how deep, you can always overcome trauma.