The Car Wash Abduction: The West Texas Murder That Still Haunts Kermit

In the summer of 1982, the little oilfield town of Kermit, Texas, was shaken to its core when a mother and her two daughters went missing after a quick trip to a local car wash. What unfolded over the next few days would become one of the most disturbing crimes in West Texas history.

This is a story of unimaginable brutality, resilience, and the young girl who refused to die in the desert. Reader discretion is advised.

The Car Wash Abduction

One June evening, 31-year-old Brenda Broadway took her 14-year-old daughter, Selena, and 8-year-old daughter, Christie, to wash the family car at a local car wash. The streets were empty, and the town was quiet, until a man approached them, knife drawn, and forced them into his pickup truck.

He drove the mother and daughters deep into an oil patch outside of Kermit, out where there was nothing but pump jacks, sand, and silence. He stopped the car in the midst of the dark, desolate, nothingness and proceeded to rape Brenda and her elder daughter, Selena.

During the horrific ordeal, Brenda began to pray out loud, angering Sharp, who told her there could be no God if people were allowed to suffer as she and her daughters were. He then proceeded to stab Brenda and her youngest daughter, Christie, to death.

Miraculously, Selena escaped.

Naked, bleeding, and surrounded by utter darkness, Selena ran 5 miles through the desert before coming across oilfield workers who rescued her. In shock, she was still able to give an approximate location of the assault and a description of the assailant. The bodies of Brenda and Christie were found buried in the desert outside of Kermit, and facial composites of the monster who'd murdered her sister and mother were released to the public; tips poured in.

Selena's bravery became the key to catching 28-year-old oil field worker Michael Eugene Sharp only a few days later. Police in Sweetwater were notified that a man fitting his description was spotted on a bus bound for Louisiana. He was arrested at a bus stop without incident.

A search of Sharp's truck found blood, hair, and torn clothes, tying him directly to the heinous crime.

Read More: How Ordinary Teens Became Murderers In Texas

Sharp was a monster and paid the ultimate price. He was convicted of capital murder and executed by lethal injection in 1997. Selena's testimony in court led the jury to unanimously agree he was guilty.

Before his death, Sharp hinted at other murders he was responsible for. While he was plausibly linked to several crimes and bodies discovered near Andrews, no solid evidence was unearthed to prove his guilt. Locals in the area still whisper of his grisly confessions and wonder if there could be more graves below their feet.

Decades later, the notorious car wash abduction still echoes across the West Texas plains, reminding us of dangers that lie in the most unsuspecting places, but so does the strength you can muster in the face of unimaginable horror.

Selena's survival is proof that hope can be found, even in the most desolate stretch of desert.

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