Ashley Lyon is a survivor. A fighter but what happened to her two years ago still haunts her everyday. She suffers from PTSD.
"It was about right here and he was going like that first and then he kept going with the others," said the 19-year-old.
Thirteen searing slices into her abdomen and back. The scars are still visible just above the opening of her blouse.
"I remember the pain, I remember the first place he stabbed me," said Ashley.
Ashley stared into the eyes of the man she thought she loved, Steven Myers, her best friends dad, who tried to kill her.
"I just remember pleading please stop it hurts. Please stop," said Ashley.
She shared details for the first time on what happened trapped inside a fiery truck Myers stole..
A driver captured video of Myers crashing on a Louisiana highway after a 40 mile high speed chase trying to allude police.
"I was in the truck five minutes and I remembered feeling the heat and I was too weak to try and get away from it," said Ashley.
Myers tried to kill himself before police tased him. Two officers pulled Ashley from the flames.
"I am amazed I am still here," said Ashley.
Surviving is why she's breaking her silence. She is hoping to save even one teen from making the same mistake
"He brainwashed me that much, that I did not think that anything was wrong," said Ashley.
Despite a supportive family, Ashley befriended Myers. It took authorities one week to find them.
We asked what led to allowing someone like that into her life.
"Being bullied it leaves you more vulnerable."
And confiding in a friends dad made it easier
"He won my trust by being overly nice. Buying me things," said Ashley.
Ashley's mom, Michelle, had no idea Myers has infiltrated her daughter's life.
"No, I had no clue," said Michelle.
Ashley's mom stayed home, her husband served this country. They thought they did everything parents should to protect their kids.
"Even though you do sometimes people like Myers slip through the cracks," said Michelle.
Her daughter's symptoms of PTSD and anxiety echo her own. Both have night terrors. Ashley also has flashbacks.
Michele says the ordeal tore her family apart. She's now divorced. But it also created an unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. They recently got identical tattoos
"It says I am a survivor and the semi colon represents that my story is not over yet," said Ashley.
And mother an daughter are proving it with action. Michelle constantly tells Ashley, "You are here for a reason there is a purpose."
A purpose for both of them. The two just enrolled in college together and plan on studying social work and psychology. The want to get out this message
"It's ok to speak up," said Ashley.
And one day make a difference
"Someday I am hoping to help other parents," said Michelle.
Ashley added, "I just really want people to know that they are not alone."
Right now friends are trying to help the family. Michelle said she's trying to get her family but it has been challenging.
She said they lost home. Friends trying to help have set up a GoFundme account. www.gofundme.com/a-home-for-ashley-lyon
Myers plead guilty and is serving 35 years in a Louisiana prison.
We wrote him a letter to see if he had any type of response. He did not reply.
