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It was another busy Friday evening at Sacred Heart General Hospital in Eugene, Oregon.

The summer of 1972 had been especially hot, which meant more heatstroke and more heart attacks.

But Dr. Wesley White was startled by the details of his first case that night.

A 15-year-old girl, Denise Raymond, had been admitted to the ER with a severe stab wound in her lower abdomen.

She had lost a lot of blood and was barely conscious when she was brought in.

Thankfully, the team was able to save her, largely because the hunting knife narrowly avoided her vital organs.

Now that she was stable and awake, Dr. White asked her what happened.

Refusing to meet his eyes, Denise said that she'd purposefully stabbed herself.

Dr. White felt uneasy.

When he tried to ask more questions about the young man who brought her in, she clamped up and refused to say anything more.

As he walked out of her room, Dr. White knew something was deeply wrong.

Deliberate self-inflicted stab wounds were incredibly rare.

When he reached his office, he called the police.

It turned out he was overreacting, so be it.

Because right now, he couldn't shake the feeling that this girl was in danger.

Hi, I'm Vanessa Richardson.

This is Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast.

Every Monday, we dive into the minds and madness of Serial Killers.

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