Kylie vs. Predator

We are Mike and Paula McIntyre. In March 2016, our 14-year-old granddaughter, Kylie, revealed to us she'd been molested and raped by her stepfather for the last several years. We are raising money to help cover a portion of the family court legal fees, medical costs and emergency housing our daughter, Jenny, accrued while struggling through a bitter three 1/2-year divorce and custody battle, all while trying to put a pedophile in prison.

Kylie was in the gifted program in her first few grade school years. She was frequently recognized at school and consistently appeared on the principal's list. My wife and I were determined to give our granddaughter opportunities we couldn't give our children. We taught her early on to be open, honest and non-judgmental. She was keenly aware that everybody was different and that these differences made everyone, including her, unique. People described Kylie as "worldly." As she grew older she became involved in dance, gymnastics, karate, judo, swimming, violin, painting and horseback riding. She even traveled with us on vacations. Her kindness and love of friends and family were paramount among all her beautiful talents and traits. She was headed toward a shining future.

Kylie was five years old when her mom met and began dating Jason, who eventually became a steady fixture in Jenny and Kylie's life. They were married in 2014, and soon Jenny gave birth to a baby boy.

At about eight years old, Kylie began struggling in school.  Her concentration was off, and her grades were slipping. At ten years of age, she began experiencing mood swings and changes in her eating habits, leading to several visits to her primary doctor due to unexplained weight loss, urinary tract infections and multiple bouts of strep.  With treatment, it seemed these issues began to subside until it was discovered that Kylie had started self-harming. That just became too much for her or her mother to bear. Desperate, Kylie finally asked to see a therapist. At 13 years of age, Kylie was diagnosed with PTSD due to Severe Trauma, Severe Anxiety, Depression and an Eating Disorder.

Kylie finally revealed to her mom after a therapy session that she had suffered several agonizing years of sexual abuse and rape at the hands of her stepfather. She was kept quiet for years by threats from her attacker, aimed at her mom and little brother. Kylie's mom, devastated and in shock, immediately notified the Police and Child Protective Services. She removed the kids from the house and found emergency housing. The pedophile (and his mother), eager to save face, discovered where Jenny and the kids were living and showed up, demanding the family move back home. Jenny refused. Confused and afraid for their safety, Jenny moved the children in with Paula and me and filed for an Order of Protection. This news prompted Jason's younger sister to come forward to file charges against her brother for sexual assault that took place years before. The pedophile's immediate response was to file for divorce, believing he could distance himself from the situation. His secret world of lies, deceit, manipulation and abuse was suddenly crumbling around him, so divorce seemed like an easy escape.  

Knowing Jenny had little in the way of disposable cash, the rapist, with the help of his mother (and her money), began a long, bitter and expensive fight for custody of their three-year-old son.  Jenny was forced to hire an attorney to keep this alleged pedophile from gaining control or visitation to groom another victim.

Criminal charges were finally filed after a 16-month investigation by the authorities. We learned the wheels of justice do grind very slowly. This allowed time for the predator and his mother to force Jenny through a long, expensive, emotionally draining battle through family court.

Kylie's physical and emotional struggles continued with several outpatient therapy sessions. Eventually, she became suicidal. It's tough to hear your 14-year-old grandchild say she doesn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to think about what had happened; she didn't want to live. Finally, Kylie was admitted to in-patient therapy at a facility in California for several months. 

Divorce proceedings lasted three-1/2 years.  During all of the legal proceedings, Jenny filed police reports, attended multiple detective interviews involving herself and Kylie, met with Child Protective Services and attended therapy sessions while struggling to provide for her family. During this chaos, she was forced to begin a new life with her children.  Leaving her home, changing jobs and keeping the kids safe while dealing with the emotional and financial burden created by this tragic situation. 

 

The negative life changes everyone experienced during this ordeal were orchestrated by a cold and calculated narcissistic mind.  Pedophiles groom not only the children but parents, friends and other family members. Grooming involves gaining trust by establishing emotional connections with children and adults over time.  Kylie's grooming consisted of gifts, praise and false promises that soon led to isolation, threats, physical, emotional and sexual abuse and death threats involving the lives of her mother and little brother. 

We slowly began to see less and less of our granddaughter because of his underhandedness.  As close as we are to Kylie, we were surprisingly unaware of what she was going through. Only now do we have some understanding of the fear, pain and anguish she went through and continues to experience.

Thank you so much for your thoughts, donations and well wishes. If you will, please share this with friends and family. I'm hoping that, in some way, this helps someone who has experienced the pain, fear and desperate suffering of sexual abuse, especially at the hands of a trusted person. We plan on carrying forward all we learned during this heartbreaking experience.

If any part of this situation seems familiar or coincidental in your life or the lives of any family member or friend, please do not disregard. If you see something or feel something, say someting.

Much love, Mike and Paula McIntyre.