Editor's Note: Reporter Brittani Moncrease recently sat down with Brittany Fish 14 years after she was abducted, sexually abused and left in the cold. Moncrease shares how she came across the story, how she connected with Brittany Fish and the lasting impressions of their time together. Part 4 of the series premieres at 5 p.m. Thursday exclusively on Spectrum News.
For the past year, I would come to our Syracuse station, walk into the morning meetings and look at the list of story ideas. At the top of that list was Brittany Fish.
I’d only begun working for Spectrum News in 2016 and wasn’t from the area, so I didn’t know who Brittany Fish was or her story. A colleague who lived and worked in the area at that time shared her story.
Immediately, I wanted to follow up and find where Brittany Fish was today.
After some digging, I was able to find her aunt, Linda Taylor. Taylor had written Where’s My Puppy, a book that relates the experience her family went through when Brittany was abducted to the story line of the book.
Taylor and I spoke for several days and she connected me with Brittany. As a journalist, we encounter stories that are sometimes very sensitive and that was the case here. I had no idea the type of place or mindset Brittany would be in. I wasn’t sure if she had come to a point in life where she was able to discuss her kidnapping, so I wanted to be mindful as to how I approached her. I have family members who have endured traumatic experiences, so I understood and respected any response she might give.
To my surprise, Brittany agreed to speak with us.
It turned out that Brittany recently reached a place where she was ready to tell her story. Brittany and I quickly grew comfortable with each other.
I still didn’t know how much Brittany had grown from her ordeal, but as we talked, it became clear. I would watch the way I phrased questions and tried to avoid saying “Kevin Schaus” — her abductor’s name; however, Brittany showed no hesitance at all. She didn’t hold back on any answers and allowed me to ask whatever questions I raised.
To know that I was sitting in front of a woman who at age 5 had been kidnapped, sexually assaulted and left to die was unbelievable and inconceivable. In no way did Brittany show what she went through. In fact, she smiled from the time we met her to the time we left.
Brittany is truly an inspiration to me. She made a comment saying, “Once you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is higher.”
For Brittany, the worse had happened and she wasn’t letting it get the best of her. As the saying goes, “you go through the fire, but you don’t smell like smoke.” Brittany did not smell like smoke after her fire. She took what she’d been through, acknowledged it and used it to shape who she is today — a beautiful, strong, courageous young woman.
Brittany beat the odds. She is a miracle and, more importantly, she represents hope to all of us.