Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey review: a true crime story

Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey is a Lifetime movie from 2018 that my granddaughter wanted to me watch with her. It’s based on a true story of a kidnapping with an unusual result. There are huge spoilers ahead.

Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey stars Katie Douglas as Lisa. She was a 17 year old student who worked in a donut shop until late at night. She rode home from work alone on her bike. Several times she noticed a man in a car watching her head home. The story is set in Tampa, Florida in 1984.

Lisa lived with her grandmother and a stepfather who sexually abused her with the grandmother’s consent. Her sister lived with her mother. Her mother was aware of Lisa’s abuse and not interested in helping her.

Lisa was going to kill herself. She wrote a goodbye letter and went to work one last time. On her way home the man who had been watching her, Bobby Joe Long (Rossif Sutherland), grabbed her. He blindfolded her, tied her up, and raped her in his car. Then he took her to his home.

Lisa wanted to survive this guy. She paid attention. She could see enough under the bottom of her blindfold to track where they were. She noticed details that would be crucial later. Her history as a victim of sexual abuse helped her “handle” her rapist. She knew just what to say.

She was reported missing, but her grandmother downplayed it to the police. So did her mother.

In Bobby Joe’s house, where he raped her repeatedly, the television mentioned that a teenage girl was missing. Bobby Joe reacted to the news that she was a teen – a child in his words. Apparently this was taboo for him. He actually let her go.

When she got home, the police were notified that she was back. Several officers – both men and women – questioned her. None of them believed her story about being kidnapped and raped.

After being passed around from detective to detective who refused to accept her story, Sgt. Pinkerton (David James Elliott) from the sex crimes division talked to her. He believed her. He was astonished by how much detail she knew about where she’d been and how she’d managed to leave evidence behind that would prove her story.

The Tampa police were searching for a serial killer. With Katie’s help they managed to see a link between the murders and her kidnapping. And they found physical evidence to tie the two crimes.

You could see it coming a mile away, but as the film ended we were told that Lisa went on to become a police officer herself and has help many victims of sex crimes. It showed a photo of the real Lisa in her uniform driving a Sheriff’s vehicle. I’m sure she turned out to be an exemplary police officer. Her ability to process details and remember everything as a teenager made her a natural.

This was a well told story with tension and nail biting suspense. It’s maddening to realize that women still are not believed when they report sex crimes. The film was a joint effort of Lifetime and the Canadian channel Showcase. I watched it on Hulu where it is currently streaming.