Untreated, Unhoused and Unwanted-Amber

Quick Overview

Amber recounts the harrowing experiences of being kidnapped and abused by multiple individuals, including a man named Ricardo Roy who was allegedly posing as a family friend and later a cult leader, leading to her being shot three times and enduring severe trauma, including being poisoned with substances like poison oak and ivy.

Key Points: Amber was kidnapped from the Alamo area of Oklahoma and brought to California, where she was forced into prostitution. Her primary abuser was a man named Ricardo Roy, who she initially knew as a family friend and who later became a cult leader figure. Ricardo Roy allegedly shot Amber three times in the chest with a bullet and had her wear black and white uniforms while being held captive. Amber reports being poisoned with substances like poison oak, poison ivy, and occasionally smoking crack cocaine or lightbulb paraphernalia, but denies using meth. She was also subjected to abuse by other members of the group, including Britney Murphy and a man named Henry Winkler, who she thought was involved in cult-like activities. Amber states that she is now living on the streets in Skid Row, Los Angeles, and is actively trying to stay safe and avoid further danger. She mentions having thyroid cancer and hypergylcemia, and that she had to pay child support to the men who fathered her two children.

Context: This video is an interview segment from the documentary series "Soft White Underbelly" by Mark Laita, focusing on the life story of Amber, an unhoused woman living on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Amber shares deeply personal and traumatic details about her past, including kidnapping, abuse, chronic illness, and the complex relationships she had with her abusers and their associates.

Detailed Analysis

Amber shares her difficult past, starting from growing up in Missouri and moving to Oklahoma, before eventually ending up in California. Her high school subject was story major, which she enjoyed. She recounts traumatic events, including being shot three times in the chest with a bullet by a man named Ricardo Roy, who she knew from her childhood family friends in Oklahoma. Roy allegedly used narcotics like poison oak, poison ivy, and crack cocaine (smoked via lightbulb) on her. She also mentions that Ricardo Roy's associates, including Kimberly Murphy and Henry Winkler, were involved in threatening her and others. Amber managed to escape this captivity, but she still fears being harmed by the people involved, noting that some of them were associated with the Raiders football team, a military background, or were connected to the Oklahoma City bombing victims. She mentions that she is currently living on the streets of Skid Row, Los Angeles, dealing with thyroid cancer and hyperglycemia, and is trying to stay safe. She also revealed that she pays child support for her two children, one of whom was fathered by a man named Ricardo Lee Roy, whom she believes was not Ricardo Roy. She states that she does not regret leaving her husband, who she claims was abusive, but she is proud of herself for getting out of a boot camp and later escaping the kidnapping situation, even though she still fears the people involved.