For four days in January 2013, Cynthia Hartman endured a terrifying, life-threatening event at her then-boyfriend’s secluded cabin. Shaun M. Cleary. Despite encountering a series of nightmarish situations, he somehow managed to survive to tell the tale. His life before and after the incident is examined in detail in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Cabin in the Woods: Five Days in Hell’; It also includes insightful interviews with the survivor’s loved ones who share their thoughts on the entire debacle.

Cynthia Hartman Left Her Husband and Met Someone New

On June 6, 1979, in Flint, Michigan, Darcy and Deborah Hensel Sr. gave birth to Cynthia Rella Hensel. Growing up with three siblings (Sarah Durocher, Patricia Baker and Darcy Hensel Jr.), Cynthia turned out to be an outdoors person and an avid nature lover. Camping and canoeing with his friends brought him great pleasure, as did nurturing his houseplants. She became pregnant with her first child at a fairly young age, followed by several more children. He also got married around the same time.

Once she entered motherhood, she became a doting mother as her children Trever Hensel, Dennis Hartman III, and Jesse Hartman meant the world to her. By 2012, Cynthia’s marriage had deteriorated and so she broke up with her long-time husband. In the fall of that year, he crossed paths with Shaun M. Cleary in a trigonometry class at Delta College. The two started as friends and became romantically involved in November 2012. He did not know that he was an ex-convict who had served time in prison for drugging, stabbing and holding his fiancée captive in a barracks in October 2000.

Cynthia Hartman Was Tortured By Her New Boyfriend When She Decided To End Their Relationship

To hide his criminal past from her, Shaun told her that he worked with a team of engineers at a global company. As the couple grew closer, Cynthia moved in with her father at his secluded cabin in Hay Township in Gladwin County. She later realized that Shaun was not that person and considered giving her marriage to her estranged husband another try. When she told Shaun that she would be reunited with her husband, Shaun did not take it well. On the morning of January 15, 2013, Shaun started packing his belongings as he left for work. However, before he could take off, he returned and shot him with his .22 caliber rifle, fracturing but failing to penetrate his skull.

When he returned, he allegedly shot her again. This time the bullet left a grazing wound. What followed were four days of torture and pain for Cynthia, who was kept tied up and constantly threatened by her boyfriend. One day, he even tried to drown her in a nearby lake. Shaun never let her out of his sight, even taking her with him when he went out on some errands. During her days in captivity, she allegedly texted her husband on her phone to avoid raising any suspicions. When everything became unbearable for him, he decided to escape on January 19, 2013. Around 9pm, he successfully convinced her not to tie his wrists while she went to take a quick shower.

As soon as she turned on the shower, she released her bound and taped feet and ran to escape. When he found a tarp in his neighbor’s garage, he hid under it. He waited for Shaun to walk away before climbing out of the awning and explaining his situation to a few men in the garage. A 911 call was made and soon authorities arrested Shaun and took him into custody on multiple charges, including unlawful imprisonment, felony firearm, assault with intent to commit murder, and possession of a firearm. Meanwhile, Cynthia was taken to MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland, where she was treated for her severe injuries.

Cynthia Hartman Struggled with Multiple Mental Health Issues After Incident

Following the traumatic incident, Cynthia Hartman underwent several surgeries to recover from the bullet in her skull. His judgment was reportedly impaired due to skull injuries. Moreover, in the following years, he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with paranoia, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Because of his experience, he lost contact with many of his loved ones, including his beloved children. During Shaun Cleary’s sentencing in January 2014, Cynthia took the stand and spoke in court.

In a moving statement he said: “He should never leave prison again. I don’t think he can ever be rehabilitated. It is not designed for society. It will never happen. He’ll do it again.” Ultimately, the convict was sentenced to nearly thirty to 65 years in prison for his crimes. In the following years, he appears to have found love again with a man named Denny Reynolds, while continuing to take medication for mental health issues. Cynthia Hensel, August 4, 2017′ He died in his home at the age of 38 from a lethal mixture of prescription drugs.

Read more: Shaun M. Cleary: Where Is the Kidnapper Now?