In 1961 a group of people swam in the waters off the Bahamas when the crew saw something incredible in the water. It was a young girl, close to death, who drifted on a small float.
So how did a child named Terry Joe Duperrault fall into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean? Her story shock and shock you equally.
Journey of Terry Joe to this part of the planet was planned long before the frightening events and was to become important in the life of every member of this family. Terry's father Arthur Duperrault, a 41-year-old ophthalmologist, and his 38-year-old wife, Jean, spent a very long time on this trip.
Of course, the parents wanted to bring their three children with them: 14-year-old Brian, 11-year-old Terry and 7-year-old René on an unforgettable journey that they will remember all their lives. They rented a large sailing yacht "Blue Beauty" and went to study the Bahamas.
November 8, 1961 the whole family, led by Captain Julian Harvey and his wife, Mary, sailed from the shore and set out on the most amazing journey. For four days the trip went like clockwork, exactly as Duperrault planned.
In those days the Blue Beauty yacht traveled to the eastern part of the Bahamas, studying the smaller islands. Soon they discovered the plush Sandy Point beach and decided to drop anchor to swim and dive. They also planned to collect a huge number of colorful shells, hoping to preserve the memory of this journey.
Toward the end of his stay at Sandy Point, Arthur Duperrault told the village commissioner Robert W. Pinder that "This journey only happens once in a lifetime. We will definitely return before Christmas. " Of course, at that moment Arthur did not know that his plans would never be realized.
So, having caught the wind, the yacht sailed off the coast of Sandy Point and on November 12 went on swimming. In the morning the girl Terry Joe decided to retire in her cabin. However, her brother's cries promptly woke her up late at night, and at that moment she realized that something had gone wrong.
As Terry says, 50 years later: "I woke up from my brother's screaming cry" Help, Dad, help. " It was such a terrible scream, when you realize that something really terrible happened. "
It turns out that the 44-year-old military captain had an intricate and dark past, and it was on that ill-fated night that he decided to kill his wife. Cause? Mary had insurance, which Harvey wanted to use after her death. He intended to get rid of the body, throwing him overboard, saying on the beach that Mary was lost in the sea.
The most interesting thing is that in the life of Harvey - this was not the first case of the sudden demise of his wives. Before this trip, Harvey miraculously managed to escape from a car accident, in which one of his five wives died for some reason. And also he has already received insignificant insurance payments after his boat and boat with his wives sank.
But, unfortunately, everything went wrong as Harvey planned. Arthur Duperrault accidentally saw the attack on Mary and tried to intervene, but eventually was killed. In desperate attempts to hide his crime and get rid of all the witnesses, Harvey killed all the family members, leaving only the little Terry alive in his cabin.
When Terry left the cabin, she found her brother and mother in a pool of blood on the floor of the cabin. Assuming they were dead, she decided to go on deck to ask the captain what had happened.
However, Harvey pushed the girl down, and Terry had no choice but to hide in his cabin for fear. She confessed that she stayed in the cabin until the water began to fill it. Only then did Terry decide to climb the deck again.
Apparently, Harvey discovered the kingstones (closures) in order to flood the yacht. When Terry appeared on the deck, he gave her a rope tied to his boat. Presumably, the captain planned to kill the girl.
As close friend Terry Logan said: "Most likely when Harvey saw Terry on the deck, he thought that she could survive." He decided that it was better to kill her. "He started forward, trying to find a knife or something to kill the girl. she was out of reach. "
Little Terry, instead of firmly holding the rope, threw it into the water. Harvey plunged into the water, trying to catch up with the boat, leaving Terry alone on a sinking ship. But it turned out that the orphaned child is not as weak as Harvey decided at first glance.
Terry Joe said that she unfastened a small float from the yacht and swam away on it as soon as the "Blue Beauty" went under the water. After that, she "fought" with the weather. Of clothes on Terry there was only a light blouse and pants that did not save from the night's cold. In the afternoon, the situation changed drastically, and Terri burned the hot rays of the sun.
Lonely drifting in the open ocean, Terry did not expect to be saved. Because it is too inconspicuous either for ships or for airplanes. One day, however, a small plane flew over Terry, but, unfortunately, the pilots did not notice her.
In one of the long days of calamity in the ocean, Terry heard a sound and noticed near her something that protrudes to the surface of the water. She swam up in horror and sighed - these were just guinea pigs.
Unfortunately, soon overfatigue and harsh conditions prevailed over Terry's mind, and she began to see hallucinations. As she herself says, she saw in one side a deserted island, but splashing water in his direction, he disappeared. So could not last long, and soon Terry forgot.
But fate was supportive of Terry. A Greek dry cargo ship passing near the Bahamas noticed the girl and saved her. The girl was close to death. Its temperature reached 40 degrees. Her body was covered with burns and was dehydrated. One of the crew members took a picture of the girl in the open ocean, which then struck the whole world.
Three days after Terry's rescue, the Coast Guard discovered Harvey, who was floating in a boat with Rene's corpse. The killer claimed that the storm suddenly started and the boat caught fire. He also said that he tried unsuccessfully to revive the girl after he found her next to the burning yacht.
Soon, after the thought of saving Terry Joe reached Harvey, he committed suicide. His lifeless body was found in the hotel room.
Meanwhile, the little Terry recovered after seven days, and the police officers were able to talk with the brave girl. It was then that Terry told the events of that terrible night.
The memory of the family of Terry Joe was immortalized in the Fort Howard Memorial Park. The tablet says: "In memory of the family of Arthur U. Duperrault, lost in the waters of the Bahamas on November 12, 1961. They have forever found eternal life in the hearts of their loved ones. Blessed are the purity of the heart, for they will see God. "
Whatever one may say, life for Terry Joe did not end. She returned to Green Bay and lived with her aunt and her three children. For the next 20 years, she never talked about the events of that terrible night.
Then in 1980 she began to tell the truth to her close friends. Because of this, she had to seek psychological help. Later, Terry decided to write a book, inviting her close friend Logan to co-authors. The book "One: Lost in the Ocean" became a kind of "confession". It came out in 2010 half a century after a terrible accident.
It's incredible that during the presentation of the book, Terry herself appeared. She said that last month she signed her book to several people, among whom were her school teachers. "They apologized that they could not then help me, support and talk. And also they confessed that they were ordered to keep everything a secret. I learned to live in silence. "
Terry Joe today describes the incident: "I was never scared. I was in the open air, and I was fond of water. But most importantly, I had a strong faith. I prayed to God to help me, so I just went with the flow. "
Today, Terry Joe works near the water. She also says that the book was the result of her continued healing. In addition, she hopes that her story will help other people fight the tragedies in their lives and always move forward. "I always believed that I was saved for a reason," she said in an interview. But it took me 50 years to get the courage to share with others my story, which, perhaps, will give hope. "