In 1978, Martha Carelli lived in her home with her husband and children in Pasco, Washington. She was a homemaker who lived a normal suburban life until one day, an escaped convict named Michael Anderson broke into her home. As she discovered him, he took her hostage and forced her to drive him to another place so he could escape to safety. In the midst of the harassment and the physical threats she endured, Martha kept her composure and tried to find the right moment to make her escape. Lifetime’s ‘Kidnapped in Her Own Home: The Martha Carelli Story’ is based on the true events of her life and the incident that shattered the idyllic sense of home she had built for herself.
Martha Carelli Was Going to do Her Laundry When She Was Confronted by Michael Anderson
In 2008, Ann Rule published her book named ‘Smoke, Mirrors, & Murder: And Other True Cases.’ In the book, a chapter titled ‘The Painter’s Wife’ detailed the true story of a woman named Martha Carelli. According to the book, Martha and John Carelli shared a happy marriage and had made their home in Pasco, Washington. He ran a thriving professional painting business, and together they raised four sons and a daughter who made their home life full and complete. Martha was a devoted homemaker and mother who always prioritized her children. By 1978, however, the house was not as full as it once had been. Their three eldest children had already moved out. It was a large home, and Martha and her husband, along with their 11-year-old and 14-year-old sons, lived in the three bedrooms on the main floor, while the basement mostly remained empty.
As mentioned by Ann Rule, on April 16, 1978, Martha saw on the news that four prisoners had escaped from the Franklin County jail, which was only a few miles from her house. It was quite concerning for her, and she took precautions to make sure her doors and windows were locked. She had seen on the news that the escaped convicts had violent criminal records, and she did not want to put her family in danger. Little did she know that one of the convicts had already managed to enter her basement through the back door, which had been mistakenly left ajar by one of her children. Neither Martha nor anyone in her family noticed anything unusual, and their lives continued as normal.
It was on April 18, 1978, that Martha stepped into the basement to do her laundry when she heard a noise. As she followed the sound, she came face to face with a stranger who was later identified as Michael Anderson. He was one of the convicts who had escaped from prison, and upon seeing Martha, he allegedly overpowered her. She screamed and tried to run to get help, but he allegedly was able to restrain her and assault her. According to the book, she sustained severe injuries, including a concussion, a broken nose, and injuries to her eyes. She eventually passed out, and when she regained consciousness, she heard her 11-year-old son and a neighbor’s child coming down the basement stairs.
Martha Carelli’s Abductor Assaulted and Threatened Her as He Drove Her to Seattle
The book mentions that the two young boys were allegedly threatened with a gun and tied up. The same was done to Martha Carelli’s 14-year-old son and John, and both of them came to the basement as well. Anderson kept them all there until the evening, after which he took Martha and John upstairs. John was left in a room, while Martha was instructed to cook him a meal and serve him alcohol. He then told her that she would act as his getaway driver, which is what followed. He allegedly made threats against her and forced her to drive across the old bridge to Kennewick. He then ordered her into the trunk of the car and drove off onto the highway.
Martha remained in the trunk as Anderson stopped at the Giant T department store in Kennewick, where, allegedly, he took 28-year-old store manager Edward “Doug” Parry and a stock boy as hostages. His plan was to change cars, and he then coerced Martha into getting into Doug’s car. Anderson instructed them to drive him to Seattle, Washington. In the book, it is mentioned that the four of them eventually arrived in the city, where Doug convinced Anderson to let them stay at the Sherwood Inn motel. He told him that harming anyone would only create more trouble and suggested that he could simply tie them up and leave. By this point, Martha was extremely distressed. Anderson had threatened and struck her, and she was deeply worried about her family back home. She believed there was another convict at her house, as Anderson had told her so.
Michael allegedly tied Martha to the bed frame and restrained the others as well. However, Doug had managed to alert the police, and after noticing Martha’s injuries, the staff had also been informed. Around 5 am, when Anderson stepped out to get something to eat, he was arrested, and Martha was rescued. It has been reported that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and took time to recover both physically and emotionally. She was later reunited with her family and has stayed away from the spotlight and media ever since.
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