Overview

• ABC News Studios released a three-part documentary, Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror, now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
• The film chronicles how Christopher Thomas stalked Samantha Stites for years before abducting her on Oct. 7, 2022 and holding her in a soundproof bunker inside a storage unit for nearly 14 hours.
• Thomas pleaded guilty in December 2023 to kidnapping, torture and aggravated stalking, and in 2024 he received a 40 to 60 year prison sentence with lifetime GPS monitoring if ever released.
• Prosecutors dropped initial criminal sexual conduct charges as part of the plea agreement, according to court records.
• The case drew scrutiny of Michigan’s protection-order process after Stites’ ex parte request was denied months before the abduction, leading to new procedures requiring referees to review prior PPOs and acknowledging Thomas’ earlier stalking history, including a 2009 order from another woman.