“Proof Of Life: A Voicemail Five Years Later”

A few weeks ago, Utah-resident Logan Petersen and Sacramento-area police officer Katie Muela walked a 3.5-mile route from Logan’s parent’s house to a CVS where, eight years prior on one fateful October night, Logan was in the throes of a mental-health crisis that nearly ended his life.

This time, it was daylight. This time, he wasn’t alone — he was with the cop who saved him. In his words, Logan “reclaimed the road.”

And what a road it had been…

Back on October 16, 2017, 27-year-old Logan was experiencing a psychotic break brought on by financial pressure to support his growing family, Adderall abuse, and undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Logan found himself spiraling and disoriented inside a CVS down the road from his parents’ home in Elk Grove, California.

Years of “putting Band-Aids on bullet holes” had finally caught up with him. Mentally, he was bleeding out.

His mom sped in her car to get him… but, when she arrived at the scene, she was too scared to open the door. She didn’t know what he was capable of. In retrospect, Logan didn’t know either.

Faced with the flashing lights and piercing sirens of arriving police cruisers, Logan was terrified, overwhelmed, and desperate. The first officer who responded to the situation only made things worse… but the second, somehow, made Logan feel “seen and safe” in a “sea of confusion.”

That was Officer Muela — a veteran of the Elk Grove Police Department who was working the graveyard patrol shift that night.

Katie didn’t shout or command. She stepped forward quietly. “You’re not in any sort of trouble,” she told him. “We’re here to help you. There are people who love you and care about you.”

That was the moment everything shifted.

Katie offered to drive him to the hospital herself. “I can take you through the back so nobody has to see you.” He agreed, and she stayed with him until he was stable.

Before she left, she handed him her business card, something she had never done before and told him to call her in five years.

Logan did just that, five years to the day. He called the Elk Grove Police Department and left a message:

“My name is Logan Petersen. I've emailed her a couple times in the past, but she helped save my life [...] I would just love to chat and give her a hug and shake her hand. Just tell her thank you.” 

It took Officer Muela a moment to process what she heard… “I haven’t had many people reach back out to me like this. Nothing of this magnitude.”

When they reconnected, Logan told her that because of her compassion that night, he was still here. He’d kept that card the whole time, tucked in his wallet like a compass pointing him forward. He “even had to laminate it because it’s so worn.”

Now, Logan was not only a healthy husband and father, but also hosts a popular men’s mental-health podcast — having dedicated his life to helping others speak openly about their struggles, so they don’t have to walk down the road he did.

He turned the worst night of his life into the catalyst for doing good.

But Logan knew he still needed to face the place where it all started, a stretch of asphalt he hadn’t been on since that fateful night. And being able to do it with Officer Muela was a transformative experience. “Walking that road with the person who helped save my life... it was like turning the light on.”

And that night had changed Officer Muela as well. She had gone on to train other officers on practicing empathy and understanding in moments of crisis. “Our job can be ugly and messy sometimes. But if I have a 25 or 30-year career and if I can help one person like Logan, it’s worth it.”

The road that once marked Logan’s lowest point is now a symbol of hope. It’s a reminder that one quiet act of compassion — like Officer Muela did — can not only change the course of a life, but save it.

A heartfelt thank-you to Logan Petersen and Officer Katie Muela for sharing their story. If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

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Here are some reactions to two of my stories last week — “Every Second Counts” and “Juan Mendoza.”

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