
The Phyllis Cottle Story
In this podcast, journalist Carol Costello revisits the first big assignment she covered as a 22-year-old, novice reporter: Phyllis Cottles’ brutal attack. Psychologists call them “Triumphant Survivors,” but Phyllis Cottle was more than a survivor, she used this crime to better herself and the world around her.
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In 1984, Phyllis Cottle was tortured, then left to die in a burning car, yet she survived. For one reason: “To fry the son-of-a-bitch.” Detectives called Phyllis a “living homicide victim” because she could not identify her rapist, but Phyllis was no victim. Throughout her hours-long ordeal she never panicked, opting instead to channel a sort of controlled rage to, as she put it, “catch the bastard.” As a reporter and former CNN anchor, I (Carol Costello) covered every kind of vicious crime imaginable. Most stories I was able to leave at work. But not this one. Phyllis gets under your skin. She was one badass woman. You must know her name.
The Team
Carol Costello

Brigid Coyne

Gerardo Orlando

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