Lisa was abducted from the street at gunpoint. What she told the killer saved her life.

The following article contains mention of suicidal ideation and sexual abuse that may be confronting for some readers.

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Night had fallen on November 3, 1984, when 17-year-old Lisa McVey cycled home through the quiet streets of Tampa, Florida.

She had just finished a gruelling double shift at her local Krispy Kreme, and she was exhausted. It was about 2:00am when her life took an unexpected — and terrifying — turn.

First listen to True Crime Conversations: How Lisa McVey escaped a serial killer. Post continues below.

A man grabbed her from behind, tearing her from her bike. He pressed the cool metal of a gun into her temple and dragged her to his car, threw her inside and tied her up.

That man would later be identified as serial killer and sexual sadist Bobby Joe Long. By the time Long abducted Lisa, he'd already raped and murdered at least eight women in the Tampa Bay area and went on to kill another two.

Intended to be one of his victims, Lisa managed to escape the killer's clutches.

"I had to fight smart. I had to fight calmly and I had to show whoever this person was compassion," she told Mamamia on True Crime Conversations.

The day everything changed.

Lisa's abduction wasn't the first time she had been threatened with death.

Since the age of 14, she had lived with her grandmother and endured years of sexual abuse from the woman's boyfriend; a man who had also threatened her with a gun.

The teenager had been planning to take her own life the same night she was abducted and had even written a goodbye note.

But as the cold metal of Long's gun pressed against her temple, something shifted within Lisa.

She no longer wanted to die.

Lisa aged 11. Image: Supplied.

Lisa did not succumb to panic.

"In a sense, my home, my horrific home life, prepared me for what's going to happen for the next 26 hours," she said. "I did not have time to give up. That wasn't me. I'm not a quitter. I'm a fighter. But I had to fight smart," she said. "I had street smarts in me. I had, you know, abuse in my background. I used that basically, as reverse psychology."

Lisa had the foresight to tighten her jaw as she was blindfolded, which allowed her to see beneath it. She left fingerprints throughout Long's apartment and even planted DNA evidence, in the form of her bloody tampon, in his car.

But the strategy that proved most effective was when Lisa convinced her captor to see her as a person, rather than a victim.

She pleaded with him to let her be his girlfriend and when that plea failed, she told Long about her "sick father" at home who needed her.

This fabrication ultimately convinced Long to let Lisa go.

He would drive her back, near her home.

"He says, 'Tell your father, because of him, I'm letting you live,' not realising he wasn't my father," Lisa said. "He was just like him, a monster. I'm like, 'ok, no problem.' He gets out of the car, and I thought he was gonna let me stand there, take me out and drive off. He proceeds to take my hand and walk me to a curb.

"He goes, 'you got five minutes staying here until I drive off'. Okay, so he drives off. I pull my blindfold down, and the first thing I saw was this beautiful, huge oak tree."

Lisa then went through the painful process of recounting the traumatic ordeal to the police. She had a sexual assault forensic exam, and was initially disbelieved.

"They couldn't understand how I remember everything, because they not putting two and two together that I was also a victim of another crime, (from) my grandmother's boyfriend, who has been raping me for four years," she said.

Lisa persevered and eventually found herself working with Sergeant Larry Pinkerton, who became the first person to truly believe her account.

The teen's detailed observations and planted evidence would later prove crucial in Long's capture.

A mugshot of Bobby Joe Long. Image: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

She memorised everything from the route they took, the make of Long's car, how fast they were going, and the colour of the carpet fibres in his car/ These fibres would later become key evidence in the case, as they had transferred to her clothing.

"Anything I could remember — smell, taste, hear, touch — anything, I would relate it to something I already knew," she said, explaining how she was able to retain so much information. "I would compartmentalise it in my mind. It was a blank canvas and I had to fill that canvas up."

Her evidence was so comprehensive that Long was arrested 12 days after her escape.

When Lisa was shown a photo lineup, she identified Long without hesitation: "I'm 110 per cent that is your guy. I'm telling you now."

'I gave back to the people who helped save my life.'

Today, Lisa McVey is a sheriff's deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and has served in the force for 25 years.

She chose law enforcement as a way to give back to those who saved her life.

"You know, I took my life and I gave back to the people who helped save my life," she said.

Lisa is now a police officer and uses her experience to help young abuse victims. Image: Supplied.

Her journey wasn't without challenges. She initially struggled with firearms training due to her traumatic associations with guns her childhood abuser owned. She was able to overcome this fear with help from a supportive colleague.

In 2019, Lisa received a call that would bring her story full circle. Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, had signed Bobby Joe Long's death warrant.

Lisa didn't hesitate when she was asked to witness the execution.

Watch: Lisa McVey's story has been turned into a movie, streaming now on Netflix. Post continues below.

"Justice was served the day he was arrested, and justice was completed the day he took his last breath," she said.

Now 58, Lisa uses her experience to help others, particularly young abuse victims.

Her message is one of hope and resilience.

"Life is good. Life is what you make of it, period. It's real simple," she said.

"If you were abused, reach inside yourself, hug her and tell her it's okay. It's okay to mess up, but it's also okay to live and go on."

If this brings up any issues for you, contact Bravehearts, an organisation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse, on 1800 272 831.

For help and support for those with complex trauma, the Blue Knot Foundation is there to help. Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service provides specialist trauma counselling to adult survivors of childhood trauma including child sexual abuse.

If you or anyone you know needs to speak with an expert, please contact your GP or in Australia, contact Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636), all of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7.

Feature image: Supplied.