True crime: The Florida Woman who lived through 48 hours of hell

While Florida Man stories can be hilarious, some can be downright horrifying. Some grizzly true crime stories have come from Florida, including the Gainesville Strangler and Ted Bundy’s rampage through the Chi Omega house. 

Just this week, one Florida woman escaped 48 hours of hell, including sexual torture last weekend, frenziedly calling police after being zip-tied & assaulted over a weekend of horrors. 

How did this Florida Woman find herself in this terrifying situation? Explore how a chance encounter with fugitives ended in something out of a horror movie. Also discover how the victim escaped in this true-crime horror show. 

Met through mutual friends

The 39-year-old victim went to visit her friend on Saturday, August 29. Her friend was hosting a couple of guests. They seemed normal enough, so the unsuspecting Florida woman settled into a night with friends. 

The Florida woman volunteered to pick up take-out for the group. When she came back, the evening took a gruesome turn. She remembers that her female assailant, Alexis Crawford, tried to restrain her with zip ties. Since Crawford was under 5 feet tall and just weighed over 100 lbs, the woman could overtake her. 

According to reports, someone in the house may have witnessed the Florida woman’s torture. Likely, it was the mutual friend that let the couple stay at her house. However, she didn’t report the crime to the police because the couple made threats. 

48 hours of hell

Then, the male assailant, Christian White, stepped in and subdued her, zip-tying her legs. For the next 48 hours, Crawford & White zip-tied their victim, drugged, cut, pinched, & burned her. They even went so far as to sexually abuse her. 

According to WCJB, Crawford & White allowed their victim to call her son several times so no one would be suspicious that she was missing. The victim tried using a code word to let her son know she wasn’t safe, but her son didn’t pick up on it. 

Levi County Sheriff’s Office

On Sunday, Levi County police received a bizarre phone call from a panicked woman. She managed to escape from the shed where she was being held when her captors fell asleep. With her hands zip-tied behind her back, she was able to run to safety to make a 911 call. 

She said she’d been held captive since Saturday and tortured. Police responded to the scene and transported the victim to a hospital to treat her injuries. After a short investigation, the woman’s torturers were apprehended on Monday. 

In a statement to the press, the responding officer Lt. Scott Tummond said: “In my 27 years of law enforcement, this was one of the most horrific crimes that I’ve heard of. The horrific crime and the details the victim gave our detectives just makes me cringe.” 

A long rap sheet

The Florida woman’s assailants were on the run from the law. One had a long history of assault & battery. Alexis Crawford, 20, and Christian White, 30, were booked in Clay County jail in a litany of charges, including sexual battery & false imprisonment. 

Christian White has a very long criminal record, including domestic abuse, strangulation, burglary, and a number of traffic violations. Both Crawford & White were reported to have ties with the Outlaws, a biker gang. 

Crawford & White are being held in Clay County jail on $3.25 million bonds each. Due to his extensive criminal record, going back over a decade, White’s being housed as a “high risk” offender.