Man Shows Up At A Single Mom’s Home After Allegedly Using Her Social Media Videos To Stalk Her Location
She had to handle the situation on her own because the police were no help.
Africa Studio | Shutterstock A single mom shared that she was in a truly frightening situation after realizing that she was being stalked by an unknown man who found her location through her social media posts.
In a TikTok video, a content creator named Melissa Anne Marie admitted that she hoped her video about her stalker would help raise awareness about the importance of internet safety and the reality that the police and justice system rarely take these terrifying situations seriously.
A single mom revealed that a man showed up at her house after using her social media videos to find her.
In Marie's video, she began by showing a clip from an unassuming video she'd been making, writing in overlay text that she had no idea just shortly after the clip was taken that her life was about to change. She explained that for weeks, she'd been receiving phone calls from a restricted number, and at first, Marie didn't pay them any mind, thinking they'd stop soon.
"I made a police report but never heard anything back. I started living in fear," Marie said. "I would soon learn I had a stalker who had been watching me and gathering info about me for quite some time."
The single mom claimed her stalker had found her home address online and flew across the country to find her.
Showing footage from her doorbell cam, the man had attempted to open her front door on numerous occasions, showing off an engagement ring. Unfortunately, this dangerous and intrusive behavior isn't uncommon, and there are few protections in place should it occur.
The National Violence Against Women Survey found that 8% of women have been stalked at some point in their lives. Survey stats broke that down to one out of every 12 women experiencing a stalking incident. What's even worse is that police rarely ever do anything to provide support and assistance to women that come forward following these incidences.
The Guardian reported that a victim will experience at least 100 incidents before reporting it to police, and yet, they still rarely take action. Most of the time, victims are told by police that there's nothing they can do besides helping them fill out a restraining order.
It isn't until the victim is physically harmed that police eventually step in, but sometimes it's often too late. It's no secret that women are often subjected to victim blaming when they come forward with allegations of abuse, harassment, or being stalked. They're made to feel as if they're the problem instead of being treated as people who need protection.
The single mom said she called 911 multiple times but never received any direct help.
Footage from her doorbell cam showed the man getting angry that Marie wouldn't open the door for him and throwing the jewelry he bought for her into her mailbox. In a different clip, he was seen yelling at her neighbors and going up to their doorsteps to ask for information about her.
During the multiple calls to 911, Marie was told that she needed to call the non-emergency line, despite this obviously being a direct emergency. It took an entire hour for authorities to come to her house, and during that time, the man stalking her was driving up and down her street, and he would only leave when he saw police outside her house.
MART PRODUCTION | Canva Pro
"He was sharing vlogs on TikTok of his experience trying to find me. He would DM them to me," Marie continued. "I found his rental car at a hotel he booked for a week only a mile from my home. Without the help of the police, I was able to gather information on his identity so I could file for an emergency restraining order."
On her own, Marie had to lure him to a public place where her friends served him the restraining order because police refused to help her. They went to court and the judge granted her a five-year restraining order against her stalker, but she's still waiting for criminal charges to be pursued by the district attorney.
It's truly scary that not only was Marie responsible for handling this entire debacle on her own, but that it was so easy for her stalker to find her. Ultimately, Marie hopes her experience is a warning to anyone who posts on social media. You need to be extra vigilant about what you post and what private information you may inadvertently be showing the camera because you never know who's watching.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.