Gang initiates are kidnapping unsuspecting women who are filling up by slipping into their cars' back seats.

See the story here.

• No instance of this crime that closely matches the email warnings has ever been reported.
• 'Killer in the back seat' urban legends have been circulating since 1967.

Urban folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand characterizes these stories as:

• "The Killer in the Backseat" Would-be killer lurks in back, detected by motorist or gas-station attendant.

Brunvand notes that both stories have been around at least thirty years, with the earliest reported instance occurring in 1967.

The alt.folklore.urban FAQ also describes the legend:

• Fb. Woman gets in her car at night; is followed on the way home; calls for help; husband accosts the guy; guy was trying to warn woman of thug in backseat of her car.

[Note: 'Fb.' in the FAQ's parlance means believed false, no evidence has been produced to corroborate the legend.]

The earliest versions of the email that I have received claimed the story happened in Rochester, Minnesota and was being perpetrated by gangs originating in Chicago and operating from Des Moines, Iowa. Somewhere along the line, the mentions of Rochester and Des Moines were dropped from the email, thus broadening the appeal of the story. References to a specific gas station/convenience store chain ('KwikTrip' or 'Quik Trip') were also dropped from earlier versions.

Other supposed settings for the story include Austin, Houston, Oklahoma City, Birmingham and 'near downtown.'

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand discusses "The Killer in the Backseat" urban legends in:

• The Vanishing Hitchhiker (1981)
• The Choking Doberman (1984)
• The Mexican Pet (1986)

Web references:

• Urban Legend Zeitgeist: "Gang Initiation Slashers"
• "Backseat Killers & Ankle-Slashing Gangs" from About.com
• "The Killer in the Backseat" from the Urban Legends Reference Pages

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