When Samantha Stites, a bright college freshman, met Christopher Thomas in 2011, charm turned to obsession.
By the time she noticed, it was too late.
Inside his fixation
Stites, now 33, first met Christopher Thomas when they were both students. She described him as “awkward” at the time, but what followed was far more sinister: Thomas developed an obsession that would shape the next 13 years of her life.
Despite repeatedly rejecting his advances, Thomas pursued her with relentless messages and unwanted attention. In 2014, Stites obtained a six-year personal protection order (PPO) to keep him away.
But once the order expired, his harassment began again.
By 2022, his fixation escalated to its most disturbing point. Thomas kidnapped Stites from her home and locked her inside a soundproof underground bunker he had built. According to investigators, the space had been stocked with supplies designed to hold her captive for weeks, ABC News reports.
Stites later revealed that Thomas admitted he had been inspired by the Netflix thriller You when constructing the bunker. For the next 13 hours, she was his prisoner and unsure whether she would survive.
Realizing her best chance was to stay calm, Stites relied on skills she had learned as a social worker. She carefully engaged him in conversation and noticed his fear of going to prison. Seizing the moment, she promised she wouldn’t contact police if he released her.