Abducted in the Everglades: Are Beverly and Carly O’Connell Based on Real People?

When a young girl named Carly is kidnapped during a night out in Miami, Florida, her mother, Beverly O’Connell, is forced to take matters into her own hands by conducting an investigation of her own. As explored in the Lifetime thriller ‘Abducted in the Everglades,‘ a harrowing tale of abduction leads to a seismic event in the life of a mother and daughter who are miles away from one another. The film focuses on their resilience and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds and dangers surrounding them on all sides. After the local authorities show no signs of locating Carly, Beverly teams up with a local boatman named Ray to scour through Miami’s backwater spots to rescue her daughter. Their relationship forms the movie’s emotional backdrop and the thriller narrative’s center.

Beverly and Carly O’Connell are Fictional Characters Who Reflect the Realities of Families Torn Apart By Harrowing Crimes

At its heart, ‘Abducted in the Everglades’ is a film about a family overcoming a terrible circumstance and trying to survive. While the film relates to several real-life fears, anxieties, and incidents, it is mainly fictionalized, making the story more thematic in its delivery. To that end, the characters and events depicted within the film are drawn from the imagination of the scriptwriters Dane K. Braun, Thomas Dolan-Gavitt, and Richard Pierce. This extends to the central characters of Beverly O’Connell and her daughter Carly. Although they may be fictional, they can be seen as a representation of real families affected by cases of disappearance. As depicted in the movie, such incidents are often heartbreaking for the people involved and require tremendous strength and grit.

Tori Spelling, who plays Beverly, said in an interview with Us Weekly that many of her character’s fears are sentiments she has shared herself. As a mother of five kids, the actress often worries about her children’s safety, especially when they go to parties. Thus, when she read the script for the film, she found an instant connection with Beverly’s plight. Her character’s desire to save her daughter no matter what particularly resonated with Spelling, who stated that she did not have to put on an act in some scenes as the context “hit home.” She even understood Beverly’s reasons for believing that maybe she should never have let Carly out of her sight. However, on the flip side, Carly, like other young kids, wants to have fun in her own way, and her mom has to come to terms with the fact that the world is a dangerous place no matter what precautions you take.

Through the mother-daughter duo, the film highlights the importance of trust in a relationship, especially when something goes wrong. Rather than blaming her daughter for going out, Beverly takes action and fights to save her child. All parents can attest to her incredible willpower and desire to put herself in the way of danger, especially when their children’s lives are at stake. Therefore, while the characters themselves may not be real, the situation facing them is close to reality and often eerily so. The actual incidents described in the movie may be exaggerated, particularly the action scenes; however, the core emotion and message stay relevant and accurate to life. In that sense, Beverly and Carly can be viewed as a fictional stand-in for those affected by crime in real life.