DESOTO, Texas — Lacey Overby's home in Collin County doesn't resemble or reflect the suppositions many have made about her in comment sections on social media since she briefly went missing Feb. 1 and was later found near the U.S.-Mexico border in distress.
It's hard to believe the conjecture about her being kidnapped by a man she was trying to help, only to somehow benefit from it all in the end.
A month and a few days after Overby told police she was abducted by a man she bought food for, the DeSoto Police Department has released nothing new about her case.
It's led to speculation and negativity surrounding Overby online -- and she had no problem talking about it, hoping to clarify that she's a victim, not someone making up a fairy tale.
"They don't know me; none of them do," Overby said. "I didn't just wake up one day and say, 'I'm going to Laredo.'"
Overby did end up in Laredo, but not by her choosing, she told WFAA. The home health nurse was working a case near DeSoto when she noticed a homeless man. She stopped at a nearby Taco Casa and brought some food to him. Overby used to work at a psychiatric hospital and said she likes to give to those in need.
"I had just left a pretty sad case, so I was kind of in my feels," she said. "I got tea and some tacos because I thought he'd need a warm meal. I called my daughter and told her I would take these tacos to this guy, and then I was headed home."
Overby approached the man near the 1300 block of East Parkerville Road and said he immediately got into an altercation when she tried to give him the food.
"When I handed them to him before I knew it, he had his arm through the window, and he pushed my gear stick into the park," Overby said. "When that happens, all of my doors unlock. It happened within 5 to 10 seconds. He got in the backseat, and he said, 'drive.'"
Overby was still on the phone with her daughter when this happened; she shot off a text about what was happening and a code word the two used to alert the other about dangerous situations before her phone, license and debit card were taken away.
She even got a description of the alleged suspect, a bald Hispanic male between the age of 25-35, and sent it quickly to her daughter.
Overby said that once in the car, she felt the man wasn't homeless -- and feared that he might be connected to something more sinister but didn't know what.
"He had two different phones, and I overheard him talking to someone like he's in trouble," Overby said. "Like a boss was screaming at him. You could sense that his body movements and stuff had changed."
Overby told us they stopped a few times -- at least once, for gas. She added that she tried to drive slowly or erratically, and even tried to clip a cop car to bring attention to the fact she was being abducted.
When asked why she didn't run away when she had the chance, Overby said she didn't want to risk her family getting hurt.
"I asked to go to the bathroom at one point, and he gave me my daughter's sweatshirt to put under me and urinate on," Overby said. "He had my address and debit card, which has a picture of my family on it. He kept patting it in his shirt, and I was terrified. If someone has your information and pictures of your children, you won't drive away either."
It became clear that Overby was being forced to drive to Laredo during the car ride. At one point, she told WFAA she exited the highway when she got closer to the border. At that point, she said she was strangled from behind with her medical gauze from her car by the suspect.
"I met his eyes in my rearview mirror, and that's the last thing I remember. I woke up outside the car, and he dragged me behind the car to a grassy area, and he sexually assaulted me," Overby said.
After that, Overby said she was force-fed unknown pills and told to drive into Mexico, turn around some 20 kilometers at a certain point, and wait. She never saw the suspect's face again as she headed to the border and alerted an OnStar agent, who told her to notify border officials about what happened when she arrived.
"This angel came on the phone, and I don't even remember what I spewed out -- but all I remember saying is to check on my kids. To make sure they're okay," Overby said.
Overby ultimately was taken to a nearby hospital in Laredo, where she said she wasn't even given a proper sexual assault exam. She later had one done in the metroplex, which was shown to WFAA and did reveal she was raped. Overby remembers reuniting with her family and children after the ordeal.
"My daughter ran in, and she just hugged me -- and I knew I was okay," Overby said.
Still, more than a month later, we have no updates about the alleged abduction, no photo of the suspect, or any proof to verify or validate Overby's story via security footage, cell phone data or even information from OnStar.
WFAA asked DeSoto police for an update and was told they're not commenting on an active investigation. Police have interviewed Overby, yet she still has the gauze, her scrubs and underwear from the night of the alleged abduction.
Overby said she's told police about it and mentioned they told her they would have someone pick it up, which she said never happened.
A spokesperson for the department couldn't specifically comment on why the clothes and gauze weren't in police possession Monday night.
Overby is doing better, she said, and is about to return to work. On Friday, she takes exams to become a nurse practitioner and hopes something comes of the fateful day she said she wanted to show some kindness -- whether it's an arrest or a cautionary tale.
"It's something I wouldn't wish on anyone," Overby said.