This has to be one of the most chilling and fascinating 48 Hours I have seen in a long time. It aired this past weekend. I was glued to the TV the whole hour. Jennifer Asbenson recounts her nightmare encounter with a serial killer. She missed her bus to work one night and a man offered her a ride. She trusted him and went and nothing happened, so the next day when he appeared at her work again and offered a ride home, she thought nothing of it. It was a devastating mistake. Asbenson describes her frightening ordeal during the 48 Hours episode. To say it is haunting and chilling is an understatement.

Asbenson was Andrew Urdiales only surviving victim and even after all these years, the emotions that Asbenson felt almost 20 years ago are as fresh on her face as the day this happened. That’s because we don’t forget emotional memories. They become seared into our minds and faces.

The fear expressed in Asbenson’s face in this episode just seared at my soul. It scorched my heart.

There is a great lesson in this story. It’s old and often repeated but so poignant. Never go anywhere with strangers you don’t know. Serial killers don’t usually give off any warning signs that they are dangerous. To the contrary, they are usually often masters of manipulation as we see in this story with Urdiales. He gained her trust before taking advantage of her vulnerabilities.

Haunting.