Rescued by Nancy Drew

[snopes]

Comment: An article on the Nancy Drew books which appeared in the Boston
Globe way back in 1980 opened with the following anecdote:


"About 2 1/2 years ago in Richfield, Minn., police were astounded by an
11-year-old, 80-pound girl who escaped from the trunk of her kidnaper's car
by removing the taillight and wiggling out.

The girl, who had read 45 Nancy Drew books, had been abducted, sexually
molested and locked in the trunk of a 1970 Ford for more than 10 hours when she
figured out her escape. She unscrewed several bolts, squirmed through the 12-inch
by 6-inch taillight hole and, wearing only a blouse with a blanket wrapped around her,
flagged down a car and was taken to Richfield authorities.

An amazed police officer, marveling at her presence of mind, said the
Nancy Drew books seemed to have 'prepared her mind to deal with the situation and to escape.'"


I've never been able to verify the incident myself, so perhaps it's just
wishful thinking on the part of the reporter and officer. Has anyone else
ever heard of this

[geminilee]

Isn't 12x6 kind of big for a taillight hole? And kind of small to get someone's head through?

[RichardM]

Big for a taillight - no, although many cars do have smaller openings. For a head, I don't know and I don't have any 12 year olds to measure at the moment.

[geminilee]

A 12 year old's head is the same size as an adults head, I am pretty sure. My head is around 7 inches wide and 8 inches front to back, best as I can measure on my own, and I have a small head. Even if you can squeeze your shoulders and hips through, a head doesn't compress.

[Malruhn]

Bah! You just haven't squished it hard enough!

Methinks it would have had offset upper and lower lips, per the angles of the rear of the car - so if she could get the top of her head through, she could get one ear - which would help her get ear number two through. Then it would be just a wiggle and a drop of 24".

Quite tight, but not impossible.

But regarding the OP, I've never heard that story. To me it smacks of, "Read your books, girlie, they'll do ya some good one day!" I used to hear similar stuff about the Hardy Boys - "Read them, you never know when you'll have to solve a crime!" Meh, I left that to the police!

[Marie19]

I have no clue if that story is true, but I do know that Nancy Drew books can indeed help when it comes to that sort of thinking... I love those books, and I've found myself using Nancy Drew-type thinking in order to get myself out of a few messy situations before.

Originally Posted by RichardM

I don't have any 12 year olds to measure at the moment.

Hold on, i'll just go to my basement, I got a whole flock of them tied up down there.