[1] At age seventeen, she was abducted by Bobby Joe Long, a serial killer and rapist who sexually assaulted and murdered ten women in the Tampa Bay area in 1984.
She had been forced by her drug- and alcohol-addicted mother to move in with and take care of her grandmother at age fourteen.
[7] McVey had committed to memory several details about her abduction and intentionally left fingerprints on several surfaces in Long's bathroom to help police identify her in the event of her death.
[7] Through her description of her captor, his vehicle, the route they took, and other details, police were able to track down Long and connect him to other crimes.
[3] Officers began a surveillance operation and arrested Long on November 16, 1984, for sexual assault and kidnapping of McVey.
Additionally, he received two death sentences for the murders of Michelle Denise Simms and Virginia Johnson.
[11][12] She also works as a middle school resource officer and uses her story to teach students how to handle potentially dangerous situations.