A horrific brush with death.
Kara Robinson Chamberlain escaped a potentially-fatal abduction when she was 15 years old, and today, she lives to tell her story to advocate for other survivors. In an exclusive sneak peek at Oxygen's two-hour special, Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, premiering Sunday, Sept. 26, Kara details her traumatic experience at the hands of serial killer Richard Marc Envonitz.
Kara was kidnapped at gunpoint from a friend's front yard and forced into a storage container in her captor's car. She was held against her will for a devastating 18 hours before making her escape.
"In that apartment, I knew what this man's intentions were for me while I was being assaulted," Kara opened up about how she survived. "I felt like something that happened to someone else. I kind of shut off my brain and left my body. I can't explain where it came from."
She continued, "There was just this voice that said my options were to do what I was told and to escape and to survive, or to panic, to fight, and maybe die. So I strong-willed myself into remaining as calm as I could, as long as I could. I remember at one point there was a gun within my reach, and I thought for a moment about grabbing the gun, and then I realized there was little chance that I was going to win that fight."
Kara came up with a mantra to help guide herself: "'Gather information, wait for him to be complacent, escape,' that was just rolling through my brain constantly."
After 18-hours, Kara escaped and led authorities back to the apartment of her attacker. He was later tied to a series of murders and convicted.
Today, Kara works as an advocate for fellow survivors and an educator. Kara co-executive produces Escaping Captivity with activist Elizabeth Smart, and it features special interviews with Kara's parents, former boyfriend and law enforcement officials.
Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story is produced by Marwar Junction Productions and Entertainment One with Allison Berkley, Joseph Freed, Tara Long, Geno McDermott and Carolyn Blackstone Day also serving as executive producers.
Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story airs Sunday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. on Oxygen.
(E! and Oxygen are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)