Kimberly Mercy was a normal middle school girl. She expected that her biggest problems would be boys and homework, but when she met an unexpected stranger, her life would never be the same. For years, she and her family were tormented by a terrifying mystery man named Dr. Ramsey…
A Normal Day
Dr. Ramsey first appeared to Kimberly Mercy on her tenth birthday. She went to the corner store near her house, headed to pick up some spaghetti sauce for her mom. With $5, she bought the jar and on the way out of the store, she met a man…
Meeting Dr. Ramsey
She was walking home when she realized a man was walking beside her. Kimberly craned her neck to look up at the man. He was wearing a lab coat and a stethoscope, and an eerily wide grin. The two got to talking…
Doctor’s Orders
He greeted her with an abrupt “Hi!” Her mother had taught her not to talk to strangers, and this man was as strange as they came. “My name is Dr. Ramsey. I’m a pediatrician. Do you know what a pediatrician is?” he asked. She ignored him…
Staying Safe
Kimberly stayed silent and kept moving. She hoped her indifference towards him would be enough to ward him away, but had no luck. He didn’t care or notice, and kept on pestering her. It only got more disturbing to talk to him…
Things Take a Turn
“Are your parents looking for a pediatrician for you? Of course, you’re almost a big girl now, you’ll be needing another kind of doctor soon, won’t you?” he asked her. Kimberly began to get nervous. Why was this man asking such personal questions? She began to pick up the pace, but he matched her stride…
Do You Like Suckers?
“They can still bring you to me until then. What’s your name? You have beautiful hair.” he continued. She was nearly running now, but he wasn’t swayed. “I was just on my way to get some suckers for the candy jar in my office. Do you like suckers?” This is when Kimberly started running…
Running Away
Kimberly couldn’t take it anymore. She sprinted all the way home, up the back stairs and through the kitchen door. She had narrowly escaped Dr. Ramsey, but this wasn’t the last time she’d hear from him. In fact, things were about to get a whole lot worse…
Friendly Neighbor
It all started slowly. He began to drive by the house, waving at Kimberly whenever he could catch a glimpse of her. Sometimes he’d honk until she came to the window. He would smile at her before driving away again. Her parents weren’t very aware though…
Nonchalant Parenting
“Maybe he just drives on this road on his way home from work,” said Kimberly’s mother when she brought up the strange man. She theorized that he was a new neighbor and wasn’t too concerned about the waving. That is until the calls started…
The Phone Rings
One day, the Mercy family phone rang. Her father answered it but quickly slammed it back down. A man named Dr. Ramsey had called, asking to speak to Kimberly. The calls began to get more frequent and aggressive. Something needed to be done…
Name Game
There was one part no one could figure out. She hadn’t spoken to him at all, so how did he get her name? Furthermore, later phone calls would inquire about Kimberly’s sister as well. They were banned from phone calls, but of course, he didn’t stop there…
Dr. Ramsey Gets Serious
During one routine night of phone calls, Kimberly’s brother John picked up the phone. He put down the line with a terrified look on his face. “What happened?” Kimberly asked. “He threatened to kill you.” The doctor called back to threaten her sister, too…
Calling the Police
There was no other option, they had to go to the police. However, when the family dialed the local station, the police told them that there was nothing they could do. How could that be?
Stalking Laws
Since stalking laws weren’t implemented in the USA until the 1990s, there was nothing that prevented Dr. Ramsey from harassing the family. Technically, he wasn’t doing anything illegal, just being annoying. Of course, things escalated quickly…
Trying Anything
The police told the family that unless he was actually “trying anything”, there wasn’t anything that could be done just yet. So, Kimberly and her family were just waiting for his first attack. The police were able to help in one way though…
Get Home Safe
One of Mr. Mercy’s friends was a police officer, and the cop brought the kids to and from school every day for months. Kimberly and her sister were restricted from going anywhere alone, lest they met Dr. Ramsey again. No 7-11 runs, or friends houses, or even playing outside…
Cutting Him Off
Once Dr. Ramsey couldn’t get to Kimberly anymore, things started going from bad to worse. He started threatening Kimberly’s sister, too. He was around every corner, waiting and watching for a chance to strike. He went way over the line…
Garage Glimpse
One day when taking out the trash, Kimberly’s older brother John walked through the garage. Inside the garage, he saw a mysterious man in the corner. He chased him outside, running all the way down the block to catch him…
Chasing Dr. Ramsey
John followed the man all the way to the Cherokee Park forest. Once in the woods, the man was able to escape by blending into the greenery. The brother returned with only a description of the man and a name that was most likely a fake. Blood was going to spill soon…
Dog Gone
A few weeks after the incident, the family’s saddle-back German Shepherd dog went missing. They spent the day looking for him, but they didn’t have to look long. He appeared dead on the doorstep the next day. They again reported to the police, but the police couldn’t prove it was the stalker and ruled the death accidental…
Frequent Phone Calls
The phone calls became incessant. Almost every time the line rang, it was from Dr. Ramsey. He would prove his knowledge by telling them what he already knew about them. Who was in the house, for how long, the windows that could be opened even if they were locked…
Lockdown
The whole house went into lockdown as Mr. Mercy desperately tried to protect his family. They all slept in the same room and boarded up the doors and windows. He was always watching, waiting for the right moment…
Out of Town
Despite these risks, Mr. and Mrs. Mercy had to leave town for work. Her older brothers were out skating, her sister on the phone, and her youngest brother asleep on the floor. Kimberly was watching TV. The timing was perfect for Dr. Ramsey to finally strike…
Broken Door
The boarded-up doors began to shake. Kimberly’s sister looked out the door to see a man on the front porch holding a pizza box. The kids ran upstairs and locked themselves in a room. Looking out the window, they tried to spy him waiting, but he wasn’t there…
Knocking on the Door
He moved down to the backdoor. “Special delivery!” he said. “Is this the Mercy house? I have a pizza for delivery. Can you come to the door?” The sister told him she was calling the cops. He scurried down the stairs, but the memory lingered…
Brother’s Return
Once John was back, the girls told him what had happened. He grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer in case the man returned, but assured them that they were safe for now. Then, he felt an odd sensation, like someone was watching him in the kitchen…
Eye on the Prize
John turned to see Dr. Ramsey staring at him through the window, but he quickly disappeared into the night. For the next few days, John was nervous and restless all the time, waiting for Dr. Ramsey’s return. Apart from a knock with no one behind the door, there was nothing to go on…
Fire Away
One night, Kimberly came downstairs in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. She found her father with a gun in his hand, waiting. As Kimberly said: “He was tired of his children being terrorized, he was tired of being afraid every time he left for work that something would happen to us while he was gone.”
Over For Good
After that night, she and the Mercy family never heard from Dr. Ramsey again. She never asked her dad what he had done, and he never told her anything. She would have recurring nightmares of Dr. Ramsey’s return for the rest of her life.
Kimberly Today
Kimberly is working through her trauma today and is writing a memoir about her 18 months being followed and harassed by Dr. Ramsey. She lives in Minnesota and hopes to never meet the stalker ever again…