A woman who hitchhiked shared her harrowing escape from a truck driver known for torturing and killing multiple women. Vanessa Veselka, aged 56, narrowly avoided becoming a victim of the infamous serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades. Rhoades, dubbed the ‘Truck Stop Killer’, committed heinous acts of violence in the United States from 1975 to 1990, often preying on vulnerable hitchhikers, sex workers, and young women at truck stops.
In 1985, Vanessa accepted a ride from a truck driver near Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, shortly after the discovery of a young hitchhiker’s body at a local truck stop. The journey initially seemed pleasant as they traveled to Ohio, chatting over Diet Coke and enjoying Bruce Springsteen’s music. However, Vanessa’s nightmare began when she unknowingly got into Rhoades’ truck days later.
Rhoades, appearing different from typical truckers with a clean cab, suddenly took a dark turn during the ride. Vanessa described the chilling moment when Rhoades’ demeanor shifted, mentioning a deceased girl and a disturbing group called the Laughing Death Society. The situation escalated as Rhoades brandished a hunting knife, leading Vanessa to instinctively engage him in conversation until he eventually ordered her to flee.
Vanessa, now an accomplished author, kept her terrifying encounter with Rhoades a secret for years until 2012 when she learned about his murderous spree. Rhoades’ atrocities included the abduction and brutal murder of 14-year-old Regina Kay Walters, as well as the torture and killing of other victims in his torture-equipped truck. His capture in 1990 and subsequent life imprisonment for Regina’s murder marked the end of his reign of terror.