When you go on vacation as a couple you leave your home excited for whats to come. A week or weeks of travel and time to relax and reset the batteries.

But sometimes couples go on vacation and leave no longer as couples. Couples go on vacation to rekindle their love all the time but sometimes it just doesn’t work. There are also vacation where couples leave happy but come back with a very different attitude.

These stories shared by real people of the terrible breakups that happened while they were traveling and boy are they drama filled!

52. Talk About Fantastic Timing

I was 16 and totally head over heels for my best friend since I was 8. He felt the same way, we long-distance dated for about 8 months. Before going on a trip to Italy, I call him and he seems distant on the phone. I chalk it up to stress or whatever and go to Italy promising to bring him back something great. I spend the whole trip wearing the ugly dolphin necklace he gave me and spent an insane amount of money on a Ferrari remote controlled car at the Ferrari HQ. I come back from my trip, call his house, and his dad answers. I ask to speak to my boyfriend, and he says “oh, he told everyone you guys broke up before your trip.” I gave the car to my little cousin.

51. Talk About An Emotional Rollercoaster

My boyfriend and I were long distance. I paid for him to fly down and visit me for two weeks. On the second or third day of his visit, my grandfather passed away. I was an emotional wreck. The next day he broke up with me on account of me being an emotional rollercoaster, then got mad when I said he couldn’t stay with me the rest of the visit. He then claimed he didn’t mean what he’d said about breaking up, then broke up with me again as soon as he was back home.

50. A Little TOO Curious

I have two children from a previous marriage, and we have one child together. I went home (another country) to see my eldest son graduate. My spouse, who bitterly hated it when I traveled and he couldn’t go, urged me to “take some time, see your friends.” Historically it had been anger before I left, anger when I was gone, and anger when I got home. He had been unemployed for nine years and was totally dependent on me. He wanted for nothing: every new toy, new computer, new car, new laptop, and all the new games, which he spent hours mastering. It was a pleasant surprise to be offered a bit of time with no guilt. He seemed interested in my son’s graduation: the day, the time, and I honestly thought nothing of it. It felt good.

On the day my son graduated, as we were standing outside for the pictures, my ex texted me from 1,700 miles away: “I want a divorce.” I was a zombie. Posing for pictures, mentally re-arranging travel plans to be completed as soon as my son’s celebratory party was done. I return home and the house had been ransacked: furniture, books, etc., missing. It looked like a tornado had gone through the living room. No note. No address. Nothing.

49. That Will Cause Some Turbulence

A friend of mine broke up with his girlfriend of two-and-a-half years, while on a plane to a wedding in which she only knew him. They shared the hotel room for three days and sat next to each other on the flight back.

48. The Beach

A friend of mine takes his live-in girlfriend to Greece for vacation. On the beach one day, he pulls out a ring and asks her to marry him. She tells him not to be so silly, she’s never going to marry him and tells him to put the ring away so they could enjoy their vacation.

He sat on beach with her for two more weeks before flying back home. That’s when they finally broke up.

47. Something Was Definitely Up

I encouraged my ex-girlfriend to apply (and helped write/edit her entry essay) to go to a symposium in a foreign country because it would look great on her resume and be good for her master’s degree. She gets to said country and a few days into her trip she just stops talking to me. I knew something was up. I could feel it in my heart.

She finally gets back to me and proceeds to blame me for the past three years of our relationship for everything that has ever gone wrong and make me feel like I never made her happy the whole time we were together. This goes on for a few weeks and she wouldn’t admit to doing anything on her trip. Finally, I tell her, “It’s obvious we’re broken up but are you seeing someone during your trip?”

Her answer: “Well, yes and no. But that’s not the reason we’re breaking up!”

46. Not In The City Of Love!

My father-in-law had a girlfriend break up with him in Paris. On Valentine’s Day. And they still had to fly back to the U.S. sitting next to each other on the plane.

45. This Is Not What I Had In Mind

My girlfriend of two years and I lived together and everything. She convinced me that I should quit my job because I hated it even though I had crushing student loan debt. She buys me tickets to Voodoo Fest in New Orleans for my birthday. Instead of it being a romantic vacation for two it turns into me, her, her roommate from college, her brother, best friend from high school, best friend’s cousin, and roommate’s boyfriend. Once in New Orleans, I run out of money very quickly and she dumps me on the Street. Instead of letting me spend the night in the hotel that we were all staying at, she graciously let me sleep in the car. Then I get to ride back nine hours to Austin in a car with her best friend from high school, the cousin, and her brother.

Now she’s married to her best friend’s cousin (the one that went with us). Did I mention that the best friend and cousin were billionaire trust fund babies?

44. That Won’t Get A Like

I came back from a cruise. Everything’s normal between me and my girlfriend. We tell each other how much we missed each other while I was gone and all that mushy stuff. About three days after I got back we were talking on Facebook messenger and I decided to click on her profile and look at her pictures. I noticed that she had apparently entered a relationship with some other guy on the day I left. Unsurprisingly, she ended up cheating on that guy, too.

43. Change Of Plans

My best friend had been dating this girl for eight years. He even asked her to marry him. She wanted to wait until they were a few years older, so he agreed to wait.

Fast forward about six years. My best friend, his girlfriend, and her immediate family went on vacation to Florida for a few weeks. I knew things were tense between the two of them but I just chalked it up to a dispute. They get back from vacation, and a few days later he walks into her bedroom. Sits on the floor, and tells her “I’m dumping you, I’m gay, and I’ve been dating a guy.”

To make a long story short he’s still one of my best friends, but I’ve never in my life wanted to punch him so badly for what he did to his former ex-girlfriend.

42. Well, That Was Short-Lived

My ex-wife and I were on our week-long honeymoon in Jamaica. She told me the second night there that when we got back home she wanted to see other people. We definitely could’ve used the $15,000 from the wedding and honeymoon on something better.

41. A Literal Whirlwind With No Closure

I met her at school. She was in the same year and program as I was. She joined the same newspaper that I was editing for the past year. I wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time, but after a few conversations and texts, I was absolutely enamored. We got together about two months later, and I can honestly say that it was as perfect as two people can be together.

We took a trip to New York with some friends. She got a call that she got the job she wanted in another city. I was happy for her. I had started looking in that city when I heard she was looking at the area. We took a trip to Europe, just the two of us. It needed to happen soon as her job started two months after she got the call. The trip was amazing. I helped her pack up her things, and she drove away. We stayed in touch. I looked for a job in the area. I found one while I was at my sister’s wedding, I flew from the wedding to the interview. I stayed in her new apartment.

Coincidentally, some friends of ours were coming to visit her that weekend. I got the offer letter while we were all hanging out in her living room. Everyone seemed happy. The next day (the day all of us left) we went for lunch and hung out at the park. Great day. When everyone but me was gone, she broke the news. She wanted a break, which immediately became a breakup. I had 8 hours alone on a bus to ponder what had just happened.

She had told me that she was just worried that life was changing. I never got anything too specific, except that she needed time to sort out her life. There was a distinct impression that we might get back together after she had time to think. That was three months ago. I accepted the job because I liked the industry. I had the hope that she would come around, but I tried to remove that from my decision. She was very evasive when I tried to talk to her (about once every 2-3 weeks). She just told me that she didn’t even want to see me to give back each other’s stuff. It’s a real punch in the gut.

40. That’s Not Where She Saw That Going

We were dating for four years and lived together for three. I got into school about three hours away and we decided it’d be best if I moved temporarily. Everything was normal. One weekend I drove to see him and we put an offer on a house that we had been looking at and picked out floor samples. One week later he goes on a business trip and says that he “realizes our whole relationship is a lie” because he never ever wants to get married. He gets together with a woman he met at the hotel, then called me up and told me. I’m pretty sure there were better ways of handling that.

39. Couch Surfing For Thanksgiving

I was going to college in Michigan. She was going to college in North Carolina. We started dating in the fall and we decided that I should fly out and spend Thanksgiving with her and her family. Thanksgiving break comes and I fly out to Greensboro, North Carolina. I get to the airport and she’s not there. I call her up and she says she couldn’t make it, but to meet her at the college. I spend what little money I had and take a taxi. The taxi driver was really nice and didn’t charge me full price, at least.

So I get to the campus and she meets me at the square. We go back to her dorm and she has to sneak me in because it’s a female-only dorm. Once we get to her room she promptly breaks up with me. I spend the next couple of days holed up in her dorm room because I’ve got no way to go anywhere else. After a couple of days, she has her new boyfriend give me a ride to my friend’s house. I spent Thanksgiving bouncing from couch to couch until the day of my flight.

38. You Couldn’t Have Told Me That Before?

I was visiting my family in Brazil and came back to Canada to spend New Year’s Eve with my girlfriend. Things had been a little weird for a while (we were living about 1,800 miles apart because of a school internship). I was excited to see her, but I got there and things were weird. She continued to be distant for the next three days, avoiding spending time with just me. There was always a roommate or a friend with us. One morning we wake up and talk and she dumps me. She said she wasn’t into me anymore after over two years. My flight was a few days later and she lived in a town where I knew absolutely no one. My parents’ house was over 300 miles away, but they were outside of the country, and I didn’t have a set of keys. I couldn’t change my flight dates, so I was stranded at my ex-girlfriend’s house for three days.

37. The Hits Just Kept On Coming

I was 23 years old and going on my first road trip across the country for a month and a half. My friend was supposed to go with me but at the very last minute just stopped answering my texts and calls and eventually told me he couldn’t afford it. This girl I had been seeing for two weeks offered to let me come up and stay with her before I left. After I left by myself on my road trip, she broke up with me over the phone. She never answered a single call, text, or email from me after that.

A lot of this trip was me hiking by myself with just my thoughts. On the trip, I got my iPod with all my music stolen while sleeping at a rest stop in my car, and I lost my camera while hiking through Colorado, with every picture of Colorado on it. To this day it still stings a little.

36. A Not So Jolly Christmas

My ex-girlfriend and I went on an around-the-world trip and when we came back home two days before Christmas, she ended our six-year relationship.

35. The Always Come Back Around

I was having a great time on vacation with a friend. My significant other was going to college four states away and I had just bought $250 worth of plane tickets to go see her (a substantial amount of money for a college freshman). She calls me on vacation and basically says she’s done. Then two months later, she comes back to our hometown, and of course, she tells me she still loves me. I told her I didn’t want to see her or talk to her. I’m doing very well without her now. Everything works itself out with time.

34. Leave A Message After The Tone

My friend’s boyfriend broke up with her when she was on a family vacation. He called and left a message on their answering machine so when they all got home they hit play and her whole family heard the break-up message.

33. Not So Funny At Comic-Con

I spent a lot of money on a trip to Utah for a festival and Comic-Con. Four hours before we left, I got a Facebook message that it was over and she wouldn’t be going. We had planned this for five months and had been dating for three years. I haven’t heard from her since.

32. That Must Have Been A Fun Trip

My soon-to-be ex-wife went off on a weeklong vacation to Vegas on her own and then came home for the holidays. She refused to talk to me until Christmas morning. Only then did she tell me, over the phone, that she wants a divorce and I’m to evacuate our house within three days before she gets home.

31. The Sound Of Silence

My friend’s ex broke up with her on a road trip (on the way to their destination). They camped out in the same tent for a weekend and then drove four hours back. She said the entire weekend was silent.

30. He Saw Flashing Lights

I broke up with my boyfriend at a public festival. It was pouring down rain, and as I started telling him it was literally during fireworks going off and the national anthem playing. I felt like I was in a bad teen movie.

29. Analyze That?

A friend of mine and her husband were married about ten years. They have three children. Husband surprises her with a trip to the same resort in the Caribbean as their honeymoon. On the second day of a five day stay he tells her he wants a divorce. Turns out he had been having an affair for five years. Also he is a psychologist and specializes in marriage counseling.

28. Bye, Bye Baby

My girlfriend of 7 years went on vacation. When she came home, the first night she got back she said, “I don’t love you anymore, I may have never loved you. I’m going back home, can you buy me a plane ticket?”

I bought her a plane ticket home the next day, best $400 I ever spent.

27. But Mom! I Want To Go To Hawaii Too!

My girlfriend from High School, and into the first couple of yrs of college, broke up with me the night before we were going on a trip to Hawaii. The trip was something that her family had invited me on. I had taken the days off work, packed everything, and then when I showed up at the house with my luggage, her mother told me that she no longer wanted me to go on the trip. Only upside obviously is that I had not paid for the vacation. Prior to that night, I had no inclination that she was not happy.

26. Skype Breakup Anyone?

My friend was living with his girlfriend and they’d been together for a few years. He had to go to Spain on business for a few weeks. He flew over alone, and she was going to join him the second week for fun vacation stuff. While in Spain without her, he meets a girl and breaks up with his girlfriend via Skype.

25. That Is Really Not Nice

I met my first girlfriend when I was 16, and we were together until we were 18 years old. We organized a trip with our mutual friends, and rented a little apartment for three weeks by the sea. We were about 5 guys and two or three girls.

Five days before the end of the vacation, she tells me she “Only came here to see if I had to break up with you or not”, and left me.

In those 5 days, she got with my best friend and they didn’t even try to hide it. It was really bad, because I had to wait for my flight, and I had to live FIVE days in the same house as my ex-girlfriend and my ex-friend.

24. Over My Dead Body

We just came back from a trip to France and then I rushed off to a funeral in California right after. I told my family, that I haven’t seen in years, how much we loved each other and how happy I was with him. I said hopefully we would get married one day. I come home and find out he had been cheating on me. He faked being happy so he could have a roof over his head. What a waste of four years. It’s OK. I’m single and it’s pretty nice.

23. Orca Island Wasn’t Worth It

At the age of 13-14 I paid 50 dollars to go on a trip to Orca Island with my girlfriend’s youth group. She had one of her friends break up with me for her when we were on the ferry to get there. I couldn’t go home and I was stuck with her in a tiny house for a full week. All the while she’s trying to be with another guy from the youth group.

22. Friends Forever?

Dated a guy for 10 months or so. We traveled overseas and had a great time. Stopped in a town where a good friend of mine lived and spent a few days visiting her. Came back home and continued as usual.

Two months later, I get an email from the overseas friend saying she’s coming to visit and will be in town on such and such dates. Me: “Awesome! You can stay here, my guest room is ready. Can’t wait to see you!” Her: “Actually, I’m staying with [the guy I was involved with.] I thought he told you – we started emailing back and forth after you guys visited here and fell in love.”Me: WHAT? emails the guy Him: “Oh yeah. I’ve been meaning to tell you. We’ve fallen in love and I’ve never felt this way before.”

21. Bus Ride To Lonely Town

Travelled 10 hours on a coach to Newcastle (from London), stayed for a week.

Got dumped on the 10 hour coach journey home. That was nice. In the month or two that followed, he proceeded to give me false hope by getting “back with me” then repeatedly making excuses as to why we couldn’t work, my favourite being “my mum won’t let me have a girlfriend”. Fast forward a month, he has a girlfriend.

A year later, I’m engaged to possibly the best man in the entire world so I am glad it happened or else I wouldn’t be where I am now.

20. A Failed Engagement

My fiancé had an internship in Boston while I was still at home in the Midwest. We texted constantly, called a few times a week, and Skyped a couple times.

Anyway, I make plans to go see her once she’s been there a month. I’m on the phone with her while I buy a $300 plane ticket to go see her (while being unemployed at the time).

So I travel to an unfamiliar city, navigate the public transportation, finally make it to where she’s staying, and receive the coldest welcome ever. I ask what’s wrong, and she tells me we need to talk. She tells me after 2 years of dating and 6 months of being engaged that she feels “trapped” and gives me back my ring. And like that, it’s over. So now I’m an absolute mess and have to change my flight and get a hotel for the night (an additional $500) and fly home the next day. It was not a good time.

So I travel to an unfamiliar city, navigate the public transportation, finally make it to where she’s staying, and receive the coldest welcome ever. I ask what’s wrong, and she tells me we need to talk. She tells me after 2 years of dating and 6 months of being engaged that she feels “trapped” and gives me back my ring. And like that, it’s over. So now I’m an absolute mess and have to change my flight and get a hotel for the night (an additional $500) and fly home the next day. It was not a good time

This was a bad one. I was in a great relationship for 3 years. We had moved in together and I had just gotten my dream job. I was paying the rent on our apartment, lots of good fun, friends, and life was sweet. I was so in love.

Anyway – one day she says she needs to go traveling. To Egypt. She’d been there before, and loved it, plus she’d just lost her job, and she needed to clear her head. So she wants me to quit my job and go with her. So I did. Walked away from my dream job, and got on the plane with her. We spent 3 months travelling all over Egypt, hated it, too many men trying to hit on her (she’s cute and blonde) and I was not happy someone in that heat, so it was time to go home plus we had no money left.

Then she gets a job in a not-so-nice restaurant, and we’re arguing because this place is always full of gross guys and backpacker hippies looking to get free beverages from her. And I’m real sick of the heat and dust. I have to go back home, she refuses (even though the deal was if I made it to 3 months out there & didn’t like it she’d come back home with me). Heartbroken I get the bus to the airport, wave her goodbye, come home and immediately regret it, I miss her.

Anyway, she stays out there another 3 months. We chat on the phone, Skype, whatever, but she’s not coming back. Suddenly I get a call from a friend who says he saw her in our hometown. So I call her parents, they don’t tell me anything apart from yeah, she’s home but she’s not well.

I’m worried, but I leave her to find the right time to see me. A week later I hear she’s visiting all our old friends. So I go see them, and they say “oh you just missed her, she was here” and she has no cell phone so I don’t know what’s up. I eventually find out that she got back and started dating a friend of mine. A real dumb guy too, so I’m really upset.

I realize all my friends have been lying to me. I freaked out. Luckily I got offered a job in another state hundreds of miles away, a real nice city too, so I say whatever and move into my new job. It doesn’t take long to get over her, I’m meeting new people and having more fun than ever before, really enjoying life. I got my confidence and my mojo back.

Then she gets a job in the city next to mine, where she knows nobody, and she’s calling and suddenly she wants me back. By this time I’m dating other women and just don’t need her problems. She turns up at my place and I have a  girl there, but I invite her in anyway. Other girl leaves and it’s sort of cool but awkward.

Long story short, there was lots of talking. Which was good, but still awkward. Then she goes back to her city, just a few miles away, and so we start dating again but no way I’m exclusively with her. She’s upset about this. I say let’s see what happens, I still have major issues about her ending up with my friend. We argue a lot and I just don’t trust her, it’s just destructive for both of us.

So eventually I head over to her new place and I see her walking hand in hand with a guy. She sees me, drops this guy’s hand and comes up to give me a hug. Guy is not happy with this. Turns out she’s been seeing him for weeks. At this point I was done with this girl for good.

18. Full On K-Drama

My girlfriend had cheated on me and I caught her, she cried and begged and I decided not to break up with her. It took me a while to trust her again. We decided to move to Korea together from South Africa and we lived there for two years. One time she went to visit her sister, who was also in Korea, and I had to stay behind and work. Months later I get home from work and she is on the bed crying saying she can’t lie anymore, she cheated on me while she was visiting her sister, she feels terrible, please forgive her…. I do…

We finish working in Korea, she wants to travel Central and South America before moving back to South Africa to study some more. We spend a year backpacking from Northern Mexico to the Southern tip of South America.

We get back to South Africa and I am struggling to find work because there is no work in South Africa, I freelance as an environmental impact assessment contractor and let me tell you the work is not steady. I end up having to go to very remote parts of the country to try to keep making some money in between the periods of no work. I get back from the middle of nowhere and walk into the door. She says we need to talk, she asks me to leave and go to my parents. I am shattered.

I go to my folks, we break up officially about a week later… I spend six months living with my parents in a terrible state. I guest lecture at universities but don’t care. I decide to move back to Korea. Dad and Mum agree that it’s a good idea.

I still speak with her a bit. One day she says to me that we shouldn’t be friends on Facebook and we need to take some time not talking to each other. I readily agree.

She e-mails me a few months later and says she feels guilty and doesn’t want to lie anymore. She had been dating one of my “best friends” since I walked out the door to go home to my folks. I say “all I ever wanted was for you to be happy and if it couldn’t be with me I hope you can be with him.” I never spoke with her again.

17. I Didn’t Realize This Was An Open Relationship…

Living with my fiancé in a different state for school, she is getting ready to go out after I come home from my part time job. Generally this would be a thing we would do together or at least have a brief by the by “oh hey I’m going out with my girlfriends tonight”… I naively believe I should get ready but as I do I get “oh how bout I get a rain check” on me joining her.

An hour passes at home, I decide to go get a drink at the gas station and some Arby’s (comfort food) to settle my nervous stomach. As it gets later I drop by an acquaintance’s place to try and sort this out. I say “acquaintance” because after a year of living in a different state and not being socially forward the only friend I had was my fiancé.

I leave still slightly anxious, more confused and headed for the unfamiliar night scene to satisfy my curiosity. 20 miles later, the first random place I arrive at is a busy place on the beach. I order something and immediately spot my fiancée across the way.

She’s with a guy she works with, I only recognize him from the night she oddly made me go out and have dinner with him and his best friend 3 weeks earlier.

They are clearly on a date. I can’t believe it, I’m in such shock, at the same time trying to remain unrecognized as I work angles, hiding to look through shaking tears at their very intimate moment… horribly interested in seeing where this goes to try to make sense of this blind side.

Gut wrenching moments pass, one after another, kissing, hugging, laughing, looks that had only been reserved for me. I gathered the nerve, I decided if I could walk over, pull her hand and see the ring I gave her, it would tell me all I wanted to know. That she either lied about being engaged and was not wearing it. Or the guy knew and was scheming on an otherwise to-be married woman.

I walked straight up to her. She was not startled or concerned at all by my intrusion to their date. I grabbed her hand to look close. She was still wearing the ring. I told her calmly “Its over” . She mouthed “What?”.. I realized I could barely squeak into her ear a 2nd time over the loudness of the busy place “Its over”. No response.

Somehow I made it back to my car shaking and sick to my stomach. It was a 45 minute drive back to the apartment. I called her mom. I was close with her family and I wanted to let her know that it didn’t work out and that we wouldn’t depend on each other anymore.

She didn’t come home that night, and I didn’t sleep. I packed my car to head home 4 states away. She arrived mid-morning with just enough time to muddle through a circular argument about how inadequate I was.

Numb and lost, our puppy and I took an unplanned 10 hour drive to my parents that summer afternoon.

16. Skype Breakups Are Never Fun

I went for a two week vacation in my home country last 2014. I had a great time. Met some friends, enjoyed, had a good time in general. Then three days before I’m scheduled to fly back to Dubai for work, my then girlfriend and me went had a Skype session to catch up. She lived in Dubai as well. She broke up with me on the Skype call and right after dropping the call started posting some photos of her with another dude on her social media accounts. Photos included gifts from said dude, the works. It then occurred to me that I got cheated on.

15. Can I Breakup With You But Keep Your Family?

Well, instead of having a conversation with me in a neutral and private environment, he lost it, went back to the houseboat and started packing all our stuff and yelling to his entire family about how I was psychotic and manipulative and he wouldn’t put himself in such a toxic environment anymore. Told my 5 year old kid several times that we had to leave because his mom is crazy. The entire time I was silent, and just let him pack. Pretty soon into it, I took my son away from the situation because it was that dramatic and psychologically harmful. I was silently crying and his sisters and brothers were coming to hug me and tell me they love me (they all know how he is). He demanded his brother drive us the 1hour back to the marina, 2 days into the 7 day trip. I gave him a ride all the way home (a couple hours) in my car, because his car had been repossessed a few days earlier. Silence the entire way home, and then he moved all of his stuff out while I took my son to the park.

14. London Falling

13. The Feelings Are Distant

I met a girl a few years back when I lived in London, we spent a few months together before I returned to Australia. The following year she came over and spent 3 months with me before she returned to the UK. We never actually broke up, we just left it as a ‘see you again soon’ kinda thing.

The year after that I booked a flight to London to spend a few weeks with her. The day after I booked my flight she told me she was seeing another guy. It was going well with him so she decided the thing we had was officially over.

Now I totally understand the difficulties in staying with someone who lived on the other side of the world, but come on, coulda broken up with me before I booked the flight!

12. Disney Heartbreak

I was 15. I lived in MA and my dream was to go to Disney World at the time. My boyfriend was going to Florida with his family for a week and his family invited me to go with. It was the most magical time. In my head, everything was going so perfect… I got to go to my dream place with my first love. I fell in love with him so fast and so hard. His family loved me, my family loved him. It seemed so right!

Then the day we got back from this amazing vacation, he broke up with me… Through email! I asked him why and never got a response back, ever. He could’ve at least waited a week after coming back! Way to break a young girl’s heart.

But here is a happy ending to this story…Now I’m happily married and live in Orlando. I can go to Disney World with the hubby anytime I want!!!!

11. This Guy Sucks

A guy I know had spent months planning a trip with his 2-year girlfriend to the Middle East and Europe. He arrived before her, and apparently started seeing local women. Emboldened by his newfound ability to get with the ladies, he decided to break up with her.

Here’s the kicker — he WAITED UNTIL SHE LANDED to break up, reasoning that it’s better to do it in person. They had a multi-week trip planned together, complete with activities and lodging, that she’d already paid for. Needless to say, dude isn’t my friend anymore, for totally different reasons.

10. No Chemistry Is A Recipe For Disaster

I broke up with someone while we were backpacking in a foreign country. Just the two of us. I did it in the first week of travel of a month long trip. In my defense, I could not pretend to be romantically interested in this man for a second longer. The thought disgusted me. We had been dating long distance prior to this and I quickly saw a side of him I did not care for shortly into the trip.

9. Disneyland Is Supposed To Be A Place Of Love

My friend had his first girlfriend and they were dating for about three months. The parents of the girl absolutely LOVED him. This girl however, didn’t really want to even hold his hand. Before I say anything let me throw this out there, this chick isn’t the brightest bulb on the Hanukkah bush, her “dream” was to become a female catholic chaplain. (You can’t do that)

So they invite him to Disneyland for a week and a half. (I think the parents did not her) They drive down there, have a bit of fun for the first day, then, out of nowhere she said, “Listen, I was praying last night and I really don’t think God wants me to have a boyfriend. I’m breaking up with you, we can still be friends though.”

My friend was terribly angry, (he isn’t religious at all), he doesn’t show it though. They are still there for another 10 days and he is stuck with her. He pretty much did absolutely nothing due to the fact that he was so sad(first breakup).

They finally finish that horrible vacation and eventually drive home. That’s when he decided to tell her parents. They were more angry than she was. They started yelling at her and it was an even worse car ride home.

It’s been about 7 months since the breakup and he still has feelings for her. Poor guy, not only did she break up with him, she broke up with him at Disneyland.

8. A New York State Of Mind

I went to New York on vacation with my girlfriend of 2 years. I noticed that in the weeks before, she had been getting a little distant and was texting on her phone a lot, she would never leave her phone just laying anywhere like usual, always had it on her. The night before we leave I asked her if anything was wrong, and told her about how her behavior was a little suspicious. She reassured me and said it was just stress from planning the trip. I knew better, but I said whatever and went on our trip anyways.

The first day we are there she hardly talks to me at all, every time I would point something interesting out she would just say “Oh that’s cool” and go right back to texting on her phone.

So while we were waiting on a table at the Hard Rock Cafe I happened to get a glance of who she was talking to. Was some guy whose name I didn’t recognize, and the message she sent him went something like “I’ll be home soon baby, don’t worry. I love you”. At this point she didn’t realize that I could plainly see what she was typing on her phone over her shoulder. She texted this guy back and forth for our entire 30 min wait for a table, and she didn’t say one word to me that whole time.

I seriously about lost it right there. I wanted to tell her what was on my mind right there in front of everyone in that restaurant. But I kept my cool and waited until we got back to the hotel that night. We still had 4 more days there, and I personally was not about to let her ruin the trip. We got back and I confronted her about it, she went on to tell me that it was just some guy that she was good friends with in high school, blah blah blah. I told her if that was the case then she needed to stop ignoring me and that she needed to stop texting him on OUR vacation. She turned her phone off right there and left it off for the rest of our trip.

I still wasn’t convinced obviously, so I had planned to talk more about it when we got home. We get home, her sister picks us up from the airport in my truck, which I had left at her sister’s house since she dropped us off. First thing I notice is that the full tank of gas that was in my truck when we left is now completely gone and the interior of it was full of trash, so her sister drove my truck around for that week we were gone and trashed it.

Finally get to where we were alone and I told her that I knew what she was doing. I knew that she was cheating on me and trying to hide it. She starts crying and tells me “I can’t believe you would accuse me of that, I told you he was just an old friend and that we were catching up.” Little did she know that I had installed a keylogger on my laptop and thus saw every message that she sent this same guy over Facebook. Most of them were very intimate and it was plainly obvious that she was cheating on me with this guy. I had the proof right there in writing, and she STILL insisted that it was nothing and that I was being ridiculous.

At that point I was so completely dumbfounded about her maintaining innocence even in the face of that proof, so I really had no clue what to say. While I was still trying to process all this she says “I don’t think I can’t keep dating you, you are too insecure and you don’t trust me anymore.” Duh, I just pieced together that you are cheating on me while we were on vacation in New York.

At that point I literally had nothing more to say to her, so I left. I forgot that had quite a few things in her house still. So when I called her the next day to get my stuff she wouldn’t answer. After that day she would not answer or return any of my calls or texts. I ended up having to get her mom to go get my stuff for me. It wasn’t but 3 days after all this that she had already changed her status on Facebook to show that she was in a relationship with that other guy.

I will never understand how one person could be this horrible to another person, let alone the person that they dated for two years.

7. No Extra Credits

We were young and fresh out of high school and in our first few semesters of college. She was brilliant and had suffered the wrath of her Asian parenting for years, but it allowed her to excel and she was able to attend a pretty nice college….three or four states over.

I, on the other hand, did the bare minimum in school and lacked any motivation to improve. As a result, I spent the first few semesters in a local college. This was good, because I finally got motivated. I wanted to do well, stop wasting my potential and get the chance to transfer my credits over to her school so we could be by each other’s side again.

At first it wasn’t so bad. We’d talk every night, played WoW together between homework assignments and generally kept each other updated with what was going on in our lives. All the while, I’d be saving every dime I had to get over there to see her. In retrospect it was a poor use of my money, but I loved her and wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.

So things were going as well as they could be, for a while. Then one autumn rolled around, and she fell into her depression like she always did at that time of the year. I did my best to keep her spirits up as I always did, but this year it wasn’t working. She just kept getting quieter and quieter, retreating from me with each passing day. I should have seen the signs then, but I just figured that school was putting pressure on her that was causing her depression to become even worse. I could totally fix it. I always had before.

Her birthday was coming up and there was something I know she really wanted (I don’t even remember exactly what it was) that she had asked for previously. I took up as many hours as I could at work to be able to afford the gift and to be able to go out and spend her birthday with her. One 12 hour train ride later, followed by a 2 and a half hour bus ride and I was there at her city’s bus stop around 8 AM. But she was nowhere to be found. Odd…she knew I was coming, maybe she had class and couldn’t meet me. Guess I had to walk then.

So I’m running on fumes since I hadn’t been able to get any sleep for the last 14 hours, it’s the middle of November and there was already snow on the ground so it’s absolutely freezing, I’m walking up every hill there is in the city to reach her dorm which is of course at the highest point, and I’m lugging around the really heavy gift I had gotten her in my backpack that’s threatening to snap me in two. I finally reach her room two hours later. I’m sweaty, I’m exhausted, and a little annoyed that she hadn’t responded to my texts, but I’m happy because I’m able to see her again.

She looks much less happy. She doesn’t even crack a smile when I show up at her door. She accepts her gift, but won’t let me kiss her. She tells me she doesn’t love me anymore. She doesn’t want me anymore. So I spent the rest of that weekend alone, trapped in her town knowing almost nobody with nowhere to go until my return train comes back in a few days. She could have done this before I left, dumped me before I paid for the train ticket and traveled a total of 16 hours to get to her. Maybe she wanted to do it in person, sure, but I can only assume she REALLY wanted that present.

6. This Is Why I Only Love Pizza

Timing is everything! A cousin of mine flew to Italy for a 6 week trip (with his girlfriend who was living there at the time), their plan was to travel and hike all around Europe and finally meet her entire family in Spain for a rather grand festival. He broke up with her as soon as he arrived on the plane…

And they then proceeded to go on their trip! He said that it was rough, and that there was a lot of crying (he seemed very surprised at this).

We don’t see eye to eye on many things.

5. Those German Math Tutors Are So Smooth

I started dating a girl during college. I met her when I was a senior in high school and she was a foreign exchange student. Well she obviously had to go back home to Germany so our relationship kind of ended there but we decided to try the long distance thing while I was in college. It was going great and I would talk to her everyday. I made plans to fly to Germany to go see her for two weeks. We were both excited to see each other again and planned on moving our relationship forward. Fast forward. I arrive in Germany and things are going well. On the THIRD day of my TWO WEEK stay at her place. She tells me she doesn’t feel the same way anymore. (She met some guy a month prior to me coming there who helped ‘tutor’ her in math.) She ignores me and flirts with other guys right in front of me for 11 days. I’m living with her and HER PARENTS. (Who were really nice, and mad at their daughter). Worst trip ever.

4. You Think That You’re Still Invited?

I went to visit my girlfriend who was on a year abroad in Paris. We wanted to take a couple weeks to travel around Europe. She gave me a cool reception on arrival and seemed to have business to attend to. I was perplexed but killed some time by taking a walk in Paris. On my walk I was lucky enough to see her walking hand in hand with some guy. I was so stunned that I just went back to the hotel and when she came back and I asked her what was going on, she proceeded to say she was seeing this guy and was breaking up with me. The whole trip was arranged, all my money was paying for both of our fares, rental cars, lodging etc. And she still expected to go on the trip.

3. The Most Spiteful Breakup Of All Time

I work for an airline and I heard that this guy I work with found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him. He told her that he wanted to go on vacation and they flew to Japan. They checked into the hotel, then he waited for her to fall asleep and went back to the airport cancelled her ability to use his discount and then flew back. Leaving her stranded in Tokyo with no money.

2. Caribbean Queen

A couple was dating for a while and were heading on a trip to the Caribbean. She thought it was finally going to be the moment where he pops the question. On the way to the Caribbean, he told her that after the plane landed that they’ll be going their separate ways.

1. You Couldn’t Wait One More Hour?

I got dumped during my father’s wake. It was a couple of hundred miles away from home. My girlfriend and I had a mild argument and she caught a taxi to the train station and went home.

Within a few weeks, she was with someone else, but I only found out later. We had been together for over three years and were talking about moving in together and marriage so this news only confused and upset me further. Plus, she had been coming to see me after I finished work and saying there was a chance we could get back together. In reality, she was using me since I was giving her money during this time. I was a doormat and she knew it.

People Share Their Terrible Vacation Breakup Stories is an article from: LifeDaily

If the movies “Rear Window” or “The Burbs” taught us anything, it’s that you never really know what your neighbors are actually about. They may put on a nice, pleasant, and perfectly normal face in public, but be entirely different in private. We all would like to think that our neighbors are our friends, good and nice people that are going to help and protect us from the “real world” elements.

But when Gayle’s 30-year-old daughter went missing in the middle of the night, she had no idea that foul play was involved. She could never expected or thought that someone so close can be so evil. Nobody ever wants to think that the “devil” is living next door. She ultimately was not prepared for what would uncover as she pressed further in her investigation and tore back the curtains of evil…

Emily Missing

Gayle who is the mother lives with her daughter and her grandson in their tony little house on a relatively quiet street. That evening Gayle went to sleep around 10 or 11pm in the evening. Gayle hadn’t seen Jennifer since they went to bed that night and started to become increasingly worried that something was the matter with her.

At about 1:30 am Gayle suddenly woke up out of a dead sleep. Gayle was hit with a strange feeling, call it a mothers intuition that something was the matter. She got up and checked on her daughter but she was not there. She then checked all the bedrooms, but Emily was nowhere to be found. Now Gayle was really starting to get worried.

Frantic

Gayle searched the house frantically and began calling Jennifers phone in hope’s she would answer and say she was staying at a friends house. It was unlike Jennifer to do that but she was trying to be optimistic. She checked every room, every bathroom and turned the house upside down.

She just could not imagine where Jennifer was. She then went outside to check her garage and the backyard and front yard but still no sign of Jennifer anywhere. Gayle’s intuition was right, her daughter simply vanished in the middle of the night and was nowhere to be found.

The 911 Call

Gayle who at this point was becoming increasingly worried felt that she needed to call 911. She knew that once she made that call that it would kickoff a chain reaction, but she felt it was necessary. She hesitated thinking that maybe Jennifer would show up and she would look like a crazy mom by calling 911.

Gayle ended up making the right decisions and called 911, she told them that her daughter was missing. The 911 operator told her to calm down and that they would send the police over right away to her house. She hoped she was not wrong but her mothers intuition kicked in and she knew it was a race against time to find her.

The Police Arrive

Officers were on the scene almost immediately after the call. They quickly worked to calm Gayle down and asked her to explain the situation so that they can help her find her daughter. Several of them wrote it off as her daughter just not coming home that evening but with the mother as frantic as she was they kept an open mind.

Gayle explained that she had not seen her daughter since she went to sleep that night. She woke up in the middle of the night and her daughter was nowhere to be found. It was very unlike her daughter to just disappear and she had never done this before. She was not answering her phone or texts and she knows, she just knows something is wrong…

The Police Search

The Police checked the neighborhood first, coming the streets and nearby blocks for any sign of Emily. They were unable to find any sign of Emily and began thinking the worst. By lunchtime the next day, they had exhausted all possible leads and felt hopeless in finding Jennifer.

At this point the police felt the best thing to do was to declare Jennifer a missing person. Once the police did that they would have more resources to help them find her. This has no officially gone from a girl who did not come home one evening to a true missing person case.

A Mothers Search

Gayle decided she was not going to sit around and wait while the police waited for reinforcements and felt she would go out and search for Jennifer on her own. After all it was her daughter and nobody would care to find her as much as she.

Gayle Rowe began searching the neighborhood on her own. She couldn’t explain it, but she had a feeling that Emily was somewhere close. What Gayle didnt realize was how close she really was and what she was going to find out about her daughter’s sudden disappearance….

A Friends Help

Eventually, her friend Tracy accompanied her in the search to help and lend support. Tracy felt that her friend desperately needed her and that she would accompany her on her search for her daughter.

Tracy figured they would just walk around the neighborhood and wait for the police and all there equipment to show up and help. The last thing she believed was that she and Emily’s mom would be the one to break the case wide open. Tracy could not have prepared herself enough for what was to come…

The Scream

Gayle and Tracy were exhausted after hours of searching and decided it was time to return home to rest up so they can have more energy to search later on that day. They began walking back to Gayle’s house in a very somber mood.

As they were walking and Tracy was consoling Gayle, Gayle said she heard a scream coming from the direction of where her house was. She quickly told Tracy to come over to where she was standing to see if she heard the scream as well.

Whats That Sound

As Tracy stood there with Gayle she did not a hear a thing and told Gayle she must be hearing things. Gayle insisted she heard something and told her to just hush and listen…They both stood there in silence listening for a sound…

Then as the wind blew and the birds chirped they heard a faint voice coming from a distance. Tracy could not believe what she had heard as she too now heard what sounded like a scream coming from an abandoned shed right next to Gayle’s home. They quickly both ran over to the shed in a fury…

It’s Her

As they approached Tracy told Gayle to be careful. They did not know what was inside or who was watching. The desperate mother ran to the shed and began pounding on the side shouting “Jennifer, if you’re in there peck again so we know you’re in there, we will get you out…”

They waited and listened. A few more bangs and Gayle began to call out “Jennifer is that you, are you in there Jennifer, Mommy is here to help”. After what felt like a lifetime they heard a faint crying whine saying, “‘eeeh, heeelp…” Even if wasn’t Jennifer, someone needed their help…

Locked Tight

Gayle and Tracy immediately went to the door of the shed to get it open but it was locked very tight. They kept pounding on the shed and ran around it looking for any way possible to get in. The shed was old and beat up but was locked up as if a million dollars was inside.

They decided that they could not get into the shed alone and called the officers to come help them. They figured that this was a serious situation and it was best that an officer handle from here.

Police Arrive

Police soon arrived on the scene and found the shed was bolted shut with a padlock. They found this extremely odd given the look of the shed to have been locked so well.

They broke out the bolt cutters and got to work but to work. At first the bolt cutters were not working but finally they were able to get the padlock off and get a look inside the shed.

A Look Inside

The doors finally swung open to the shed and to everyone’s surprise the shed was empty. There was nobody inside and no sign of Jennifer at all in the shed.

The police began to think that Gayle might have been hearing things. Gayle’s friend Tracy told the officers that she heard the screams to and there someone inside the shed somewhere.

Pull it Apart

The police began searching all over the inside the shed. They took everything that was inside the shed out of it in order to be able to show Gayle that there was nothing inside. Emily was nowhere to be seen.

One of the officers decided that they should try to rip up the floor boards just so that they can show Gayle there is nothing at all in this shed. This was not their property but they felt they should do it anyways.

Under the Floor

The officers tore up the floorboards, thinking that perhaps something was hidden under it and at worst they can calm Gayle down who by now was completely frantic over the situation.

After they ripped up a few boards they saw something very suspicious as if there was a hole in the ground. This did not look right and the officer called other officers to come have a look.

Hole In The Earth

They noticed a large hole dug into the earth and they saw something, which looked like a body crawled up inside the whole. The officers identified themselves and slowly reached down….

At that point the officers realized there was a person in this hole. They then pulled the 30-year old Jennifer from the pit. The officers couldn’t believe it – Gayle was right!

Pull Her to Safety

Though it was only about 3-and-a-half feet deep and 2 feet in diameter, it had been covered with boards and heavy objects. A slight woman like Emily would never have been able to shift those objects on her own.

Officers immediately began wondering why was she down there? Did someone put here there? What happened that this girl got locked in a shed? These questions would soon be answered…

Scared Beyond Words

The officers approached Jennifer to find out what happened. Jennifer was completely unable to speak when she was found, she was in shock, almost apoplectic.

Thankfully there were no obvious signs of any sort of physical injury, but whatever he had put her through must have been traumatic. Despite being rescued, Jennifer was not out of the woods yet…

History of Seizures

One of the officer observed that her silence and shock might actually be some form of seizure. As it turned out, he was right. As it turned out, he was right. Jennifer had battled seizures nearly all her life.

The officers immediately called for an ambulance to take Jennifer to the hospital. The entire way to the hospital, she was in and out of the seizures.

The Hospital

Once at the hospital the officers desperately wanted to find out what had happened to Jennifer so they can catch the culprit who did this to her and bring him to justice.

“Every time she would wake up from the seizure thing, she would try to run and she’s screaming, ‘No!’…She was terrified,” said Gayle’s friend Tracy. Unfortunately Jennifer was not in position to talk to officers yet.

The Recovery

Eventually Jen made a full recovery and the seizures stopped. At that point the officers really wanted to speak with her and asked Gayle if they could.

Once Jennifer was properly away she finally told the police who had put her in the pit and caused this all to happen. They police couldn’t believe who she fingered as the culprit.

The Culprit

Jennifer told them that her neighbor Dennis Dunn, was responsible for taking her. The police officers were able to find out that the shed Jen was kept in was owned by Dennis.

With this new information at hand the police headed out to arrest Dennis Dunn. They wanted to know the reason why he kidnapped her, what his plans were and how did this all happen.

The Arrest

Police officers at 8am headed out to arrest the the 45-year old Dennis Dunn. They had to be extra careful as they felt he may be armed and dangerous and must take precaution.

According to officers at the scene, he came to the door in a nonchalant manner, acting as if nothing at all was wrong. The officers felt this was very odd behavior.

Criminal Record

Dennis Dunn’s criminal record wasn’t exactly squeaky clean. He was arrested for drug possession at three separate times in 2007, 2008 and 2009, not to mention a string of traffic-related charges.

Yet, these misdemeanors were nothing compared to the escalation he exhibited when taking Jennifer. How did this man go from a petty criminal into a monster?

History of Harassment

The local sheriff’s office reported a history of incidents involving Dennis Dunn and Jennifer Elliott. In October of 2016, Emily reported to police that her next-door neighbor had been harassing her with phone calls and text messages.

At the time, she thought Dennis was just creepy, but harmless and declined to press charges. That would end up being a fateful mistake made by Jennifer.

Love and Abuse

The abuse continued when he kidnapped her as well. According to Emily, Dunn would alternate between uncharacteristic pleasantries and downright abuse.

“When he closed the shed door, he said ‘I love you” explained Jennifer. “He would make threats and call me a ‘piece of s—,” Dunn’s history of mental illness would explain this behavior as well…

Psychological Issues

Several months before the incident, neighbors reported that Dunn was in his yard, screaming and brandishing a pistol. They called 911 and officers arrived on the scene.

He was disarmed and talked down without any violence occurring, but was subsequently admitted to Clermont Mercy Hospital for a psychological evaluation.

The System is to Blame

It was clear that Dunn was in real need of inpatient mental health, but was released from the hospital with a clean bill of mental health after only a short stay.

His paranoia worsened after he was released, when he called police four times in a month claiming intruders were trying to break in. Dennis needed help but was unable to get it.

His Best Friend

Emily Noe, who identified herself as Dunn’s best friend, spoke out about him afterwards. She was shocked and terrified that someone she had known for years was even capable of kidnapping and imprisoning another person.

Emily Said “”He was a good guy… It’s just really scary knowing that I’ve known somebody for five years and wouldn’t see something like that..”

Sweetest Family

Friends and neighbors couldn’t believe that anything like this could happen in their neighborhood. “Jennifer and her family are the sweetest people you’d ever want to know,” said neighbor Lisa Crawford.

Lista Continued “I get chills thinking about it. I’ve got three kids. I can’t imagine.” After his arrest, Dunn’s father weighed in as well…”

Apologetic Dad

Dunn’s elderly father showed up at the scene later that morning to apologize to the police for having to deal with his son. He was very apologetic that the whole situation happened.

Meanwhile, Dunn was charged with kidnapping and will go before a grand jury. If he is found guilty he could face up to 30 years in prison.

Lucky Break

“I’m just lucky we found her because if we wouldn’t have found her, she’d be dead,” Gayle Rowe said of her daughter when it was all said and done. Her determination to find her daughter not only saved Jennifer’s life, but her abductor as well.

Indeed, if she hadn’t found her so quickly, Jennifer’s seizures would have surely resulted in her accidental death and a life sentence or worse for Dennis Dunn.

Mother Hears Missing Daughters Cries Coming From Abandoned Shed is an article from: LifeDaily

How well do you handle stress in your relationship? Disagreements between couples are a normal part of a healthy relationship but what happens when the argument becomes too unbearable to handle? What happens when arguments push the limits and go to far? For this couple who was seemingly living the perfect life a single night would change everything. While all relationships have their troubles most do not go to the brink of disaster…

In an argument between Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend Kasandra, Jovan found himself pushed over the edge into a decision he would deeply regret. As an NFL player whose job it is to be violent on the field, it his not his job to be violent off of it. But that is the situation that Jovan found himself in as his temper and rage took over. In the heat of passion in the heat of an argument so many lives can be changed so fast and so quickly…

Early Career

Jovan Belcher grew up in West Babylon, New York a tony town that is about an hour and a half away from the bright lights of New York city. He was a star high school athlete playing in Suffolk County Long Isand which is where he was noticed by many college scout’s. These scouts lamented over Jovan’s natural ability on the field and ultimately recruited him to play football.

Jovan head north for college which is something many athlete’s from the Tri-State area end up attending college. He accepted a scholarship to play at the University of Maine where he would join their football team. Jovan had a stellar collegiate career and was named an All-American twice in college. In his Junior year he switched his position from linebacker to defensive end where he dominated and had his name put onto the national stage.

Undrafted

Belcher was a very strong player but he played at what people consider a “small-school”. Unlike many NFL prospects who play in the larger programs across the country Jovan did not have that kind of mainstream exposure. Jovan was though on the NFL radar and many teams showed much interest in him before the NFL draft. As it ended up, Jovan went un-drafted in the 2009 NFL Draft. This left a chip on his shoulder and made his desire to play in the NFL even stronger.

While his agent quickly worked to speak with teams in order to get Jovan signed after the draft not all teams were answering their phones. Jovan eventually signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs who decided to take a chance on the star athlete. The risk paid off as Jovan eventually became their starting inside linebacker in 2010. His most productive season was in 2011 and he was rewarded with a new contract by the Cheifs.

Life is Good

Jovan’s life was going very, very well both on and off the field. A star athlete in the NFL he was earning millions of dollars each year something he could never have dreamed of as a kid. Jovan also had a beautiful girlfriend to share his life with. From all accounts he was living the American Dream.

With his NFL career taking off and him becoming financially stable, Jovan and his girlfriend discussed having kids. They both wanted to start a family of their own to live in Kansas City where he played and trained. They felt Kansas City was a perfect place to raise kids and build a family and while Jovan was not from there his mom was more then happy to come out and help the young couple out at any time.

Met His Love

Kassandra Perkins was a beautiful young girl who was happy and always made everyone around her laugh and smile. She was introduced to Jovan Belcher by former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles. Jamaal’s wife was a first cousin of Kassandra’s and they felt Jovan would be a great match!

Perkins was very active in the Kansas City community. She had done various volunteer work in the community and with the Chiefs. She was part of its Women’s Organization, a group of players wives and significant others who do charity work and run awareness campaigns. This work was something that fulfilled her and reflected the type of person she was – warm, loving and caring.

Baby Girl

Jovan and Kasandra decided it was time and they wanted to have a baby and settle down. When Kassandra got pregnant she was overjoyed and finally becoming a mother. Jovan and Kassandra ended up having a beautiful baby girl who was bright and quirky and always laughed and giggled. They worked very hard to provide a home for. Jovan and his wife loved the precious gift they received.

At this point in their life and to all who knew them, they were a happy couple building a brand new family. With the birth of their baby girl it seemed as if everything was going right. Nobody could have expected or even imagined what would come next just 3 months after their baby daughter was brought into the world…

Heated Relationship

Friends stated that the couple while seemingly in love and beaming with pride of a brand new baby argued frequently. Many felt that all couples argue and that is was no big deal. Most couples argue and they both had a lot on their plate so it wasn’t unusual for them to fight and then make back up.

Many of their friends ended up missing a lot these warning signs of what was tragically to come. While the arguments were frequent in public they were even more frequent behind closed doors. Those closed door arguments the friends did not know about although Kassandra did confide in some very close friends. Since her husband was high-profile she kept a lot of it to herself.

A Cold Night

On a cold December Saturday, they decided they deserved a night off from parenting and each go out. As any parent know’s its late nights and early morning’s that are non-stop in the first year of a baby being born. The couple decided they would take a night to themselves.

It was something that all parents deserve and need, and they were ready to make the most of their one free night. While they were both excited for a free night they decided that they would each go out separately and meet up later. This decision would end up being fateful…

The Night Begins

While Jovan’s mother watched over their sleeping daughter, Jovan and Kassandra headed out on the town. Kassandra and her friends went to a Trey Songz concert at the Midland Theatre where they enjoyed the music and the atmosphere.

They each had their fun, Jovan even had a few drinks over the course of the evening. Perhaps though, they loosened up a little too much and maybe drank a bit to much. As the night wound down they would find themselves each crossing path’s in different state’s of minds then when they had left home.

Late Night Party Animals

As the night ended and reality settled in, Jovan again called home half drunkenly to check up on his daughter. He asked where Kassandra was and was told she had not come home yet which immediately threw Jovan into a blind rage. Why was she now home? Who was she with? What kind of mother does not come home?

Once he found out that his girlfriend had stayed out too late he was angry at her for her carelessness. He immediately went home to wait for Kassandra and to confront her. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was past history but something was getting under Jovan’s skin and the beast was beginning to growl…

Kassandra Comes Home

At around one in the morning Kassandra returned home from the Trey Songz concert. Immediately as she walked in the door argued was confronted by a very angry Jovan. Remember Jovan is a hulking NFL player and even though that was her babies father any time a man of that size scream it is frightening.

Kassandra, not wanting to deal with Jovan and a bit startled stormed out of the house after the argument. She ended up going to the Power and Light District, an area by Midland and Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City to cool off and calm down.

The Run-In

Jovan also left after the argument and went out to meet a girl friend of his in the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City. He decided to cool down with another women after fighting with his baby mama. This was starting to turn ugly…

At the end of the night Jovan ended up losing this women in the crowd and was unable to find her. With the night coming to an end he decided to jump in his car and drive to her house to stay there for the night. Unfortunately she was not home when he arrived.

Angry Drunk

Fueled with anger, Jovan could not do anything about his argument he had with Kassandra as she was not around. He wanted to go home but he too was far too intoxicated to drive at this point and decided to sleep it off.

As he kept calling Kassandra and going straight to voicemail Jovan was increasingly becoming more and more irritated. He expected more from Kassandra and was mad she was not responsible.

Sleep it Off

All he could do was sleep off his drunkenness in his car outside the apartment complex he parked in front of. He figured once the morning came and his drunkenness ebbed away, he could finally drive home to confront his seemingly careless girlfriend.

As Jovan slept in his car to try to sober up he was quickly awaken by flashing light and the noise of a siren. He quickly realized there was police officers by his car. Why were the cops there? Did someone call them? Is Kassandra behind all of this and is trying to ruin his NFL career now?

Police Check

At around 2:50am the police after receiving a phone call pulled up on Jovan while he was sleeping in his car. They were unaware of the situation and walked to his passenger door to find out what was going on.

Jovan told the police he was waiting for his girlfriend and fell asleep. The police told them there were only temporary tags on his car and urged him to leave the car and find a place to stay.

Heading Home

The police said they did not smell alcohol on Jovan and he was not slurring his words. They believed him when he said he simply fell asleep in his car.

The police got Jovan to leave his car and go somewhere to sleep urging him to do so as they were “trying to cut him a break”. What the police did not know is this was not the last time they would see Jovan that day. Jovan was eventually let into the apartment complex to sleep it off.

Returning Home

At around six thirty or 7 o’clock int he morning Jovan left the apartment complex and drove home to his house he shared with Kassandra and his baby girl.

While driving home Jovan rage came back to him and he was looking forward to confronting Kassandra about the night before. What he didn’t know was that his life was about to change forever.

Nap Time Over

When Jovan arrived home, one of the first things he did was charge into the master bedroom where his girlfriend and baby girl were sleeping. He came barreling through the door startling everyone in the house.

Shouting and harsh language quickly ensued, and words got pretty nasty. It was a knock-down, drag-out argument of the highest order. “You can’t talk to me like that!” she yelled.

Break the Silence

Without warning, Jovan pulled a gun on Kasandra and fired. The room echoed with the loud bang of the powder exploding as the gun went off with multiple shots. Boom! Boom! Boom!

At the time Jovan’s mother, Cheryl Shepard, was staying at his house as she recently moved to Kansas City from West Babylon, New York to help care of their baby Zoey. The mother quickly realized what had occurred and knew that her son had just murdered his girl friend.

The 911 Call

Cheryl just had witnessed her son murder his girlfriend in cold blood. She immediately tried to help Kassandra and picked up the phone to dial 911 and get the police to the house immediately.

On the 911 call you can hear the baby crying in the background and commotion ensued. Kassandra who at the time was only 22 years of age had been shot in the neck, chest, stomach, hip, back, leg and hand a total of 9 times.

Vanish

His shocked mother and frightened watched Jovan pack a bag while apologizing profusely to her. He knew he had done something wrong but needed to leave before the police arrived.

As his daughter was hysterical crying from what happened, he kissed his daughter on the forehead and then drove away without saying a word about his where he was going.

The Drive

Jovan ran out of his home and jumped into this 2007 Bentley Continental GT which was about five miles away from the parking lot of the Chiefs practice facility.

As Jovan was driving towards the Chiefs practice facility, police officers were speeding towards his house to try and save Kassandra. Once they realized she was not able to be saved their attention turned to finding Jovan.

A Shower Would Have Helped

As Jovan drove, the monumental consequence and permanence of his actions started to set in. He drove to the only place he felt familiar, the football stadium where he practiced with his friends and teammates.

As Jovan pulled up to the Cheifs stadium he was still disheveled and distressed by his own violence. As he stepped out of his car, he bumped into his general manager Scott Pioli.

Easy Case

On the brink of a breakdown in their stadium’s parking lot, Jovan confessed everything to his mentor. “I did it. I killed her,” he told him. His guilt and mental strain had caught up with him.

He broke down then and asked Scott to take care of his daughter. All the words he’d spoken, and all of the things he had done wrong that day, all came to light. He confessed everything.

Plan B

When he had finished confessing, not knowing what else to do, Jovan sobbed and pointed the gun to his own head. Desperately, his mentor tried to get him to put the gun down, there had already been one life lost that morning.

He begged him to understand that his baby girl still had at least one parent left in the world and he needed to be strong for her. At this point Scott knew this situation was bad and was trying to calm Jovan down.

Plan C?

As they sat in the parking lot, his mentor continually tried to get Jovan to understand that his life was not over, to make him understand what was left. He still had people who cared for him and didn’t have to do this.

Scott felt he still had a chance to get his situation worked out, a slim chance… a very slim chance, but the point was that not all hope in his life was lost. At this point he was willing to do or say anything so that Jovan would not commit suicide and end his own life.

Dramatic Music

Jovan did not seem to be swayed. He still panicked and sobbed uncontrollably while his mentor tried to wrest the gun away from him. Meanwhile, time was running out.

His mother had called the police about the attack in her home and, despite her great love for her son, about the man who had killed Kasandra. They were on the hunt for him…

The Great Escape

The stand-off between Jovan and his coach came to an end only when the whirring sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance. He told his coach, “Guys, I have to do this. I have to go. I can’t be here.”

There was no where else for him to go, however, and the approaching police only served to create more panic and fear in he believed himself to be capable of.

End Game

Jovan stepped behind his car, and prayed one last time, asking for forgiveness for what he had done. Slowly, with the sirens and lights blaring all around him, he raised the gun to his head…

…And pulled the trigger at point blank. The shot echoed in the same way as the one that had killed Kasandra. His lifeless body fell behind the car.

Shock of the week

His mentor, helpless in the car, watched as Jovan slowly brought his gun to the temple of his head and pulled the trigger, taking his own life with one shot to the head. His friends, and family were shocked by his actions and how this unraveled so quickly.

Everything had been so senseless, had happened so fast. As the news came in, his mother was at a loss, having lost her son after witnessing a murder in her home and caring for a now orphaned girl.

Tomorrow Never Came

Kasandra’s family was devastated by Jovan’s actions as well. The two of them had a baby and they could afford to raise their daughter and be ok. They couldn’t understand what could cause Jovan to snap and do such evil things to the people who he loved so dearly.

They had plans and dreams for their daughter, they had trusted Jovan, but that was all over now. In the span of less then 12 hours everything came to a crashing halt. Everything, their financial stability, his promising football career, it was all gone in a blink of an eye….

Key Point

While we can never know what fully went through his head that night, what pushed him, what cracked within him and caused him to break, we can get a feel for him from those he left behind.

Everyone has moments of being hot headed and doing dumb things in a relationship. But no one would have suspected that his rage would be so great that he murdered her in cold blood. It was beyond anything either family could ever imagine. Now this beautiful baby girl would grow up without any parents at all.

Nothing Really Matters

His break cost him everything. The moment of hostility toward Kassandra had cost him whatever life he would have had. Had he survived to be caught life would have changed forever.

Having murdered Kasandra he would have been behind bars probably for the rest of his life and would have lost his career with the sport he loved. In that instance Jovan felt it was better to be dead then to be alive at all and that suicide would be a better way out.

Clock Strikes 12

Behind bars, he would have certainly missed his daughter’s first word, her first steps, probably even her first day at school, everything that matters to a parent. He would also have to live with the fact that he took away his daughters mother from her.

Stories like this should serve as a lesson for most of us and remind us how important it is to stay calm, and seek help when we need it. It also brings up the state and well being of NFL players mental health where there has been a documented history of non-violent NFL players turning extremely violent off the field.

The Sad End

Sadly his poor little girl will be growing up without a mother or a father while having to live a life knowing that her father took that all away from her. And while she still has her grandma, the life of their small child will never be the same.

One day her grandparents will have to explain to her what happened in their home, and to her parents. With any luck she will take it well, but if she doesn’t, hopefully she will have all the support she needs to move on and be ok.

Kassandra’s Mom Speaks Out

Seven years after losing her daughter Kassandra’s mom has spoken out due to many incidents that have been occurring around the NFL and domestic violence. The Kansas City Cheif’s in 2019 were in the news as two star players both had their own domestic disputes made public.

Tyreek Hil a star wide receiver and Kareem Hunt the teams star running back ended up in the news for all the wrong reasons. Kareem Hunt after he had gotten into an altercation with a group of women back in a hotel after a night out. Tyreek Hill ended up in the news after his girlfriend’s friend leaked information of domestic incidents.

A Mother Tells All

Becky Gonzalez who was Kassandra’s mom decided to speak out about the NFL and domestic violence. She did not want to speak by phone or in person so she spoke via text message to KCTV5’s a new station in Kansas City..

She said that she went through unimaginable trauma with the death of her daughter something that no mother should ever have to go through – burying her own child. She said the mere fact of reflecting on it makes her physically ill.

This Has to Stop

Becky first lamented at the fact the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Tyreek Hill in 2016 despite the fact he had a domestic violence conviction only two years prior. One would think they would have learned something from her daughters incident but based on their actions they did not.

In addition to that Becky pointed out that defensive end Frank Clark was traded for by the Chiefs and signed to a huge financial contract after the trade was complete. She went on to say the Chiefs did this despite a 2014 arrest for domestic violence that was pleaded down to disorderly conduct.

A Mothers Rage

Becky went on to say ” It stings when I see this topic not being taken seriously. What more has to happen for a change to be made? It’s very discouraging that teams do not hold to a higher ethical standard and are still hiring players with a DV history.”

This topic a highly debated topic across the media and sports landscape of how sports teams should handle domestic violence and should they get involved in personal matter by giving support and education on the effects of it.

Something Good

A year after Kassandra’s death her family created Kasi’s Kids, a foundation in her honor to reflect on the one thing she loved to do which was give back to her community. Kasi’s Kids was created “”to provide [for the] immediate needs of the children that are orphaned by domestic murders.”

Becky said it was an honor to be able to help families just like hers that were effected by tragedy and who may not be as fortunate from a financial perspective as she was. Unfortunately this made her own healing process more difficult and after 5 years they ended the charity. Becky Said “I have to think on the good memories. She’s terribly missed.” Kassandra and Jovans daughter is now 6 years old and is being raised by her cousin.

NFL Star Murders Girlfriend After Heated Argument Then Pulls Trigger on Himself is an article from: LifeDaily

While it may seem impossible for someone to disappear without a trace in this day and age, people go missing every single day. Authorities have to be very disciplined in the beginning of any missing person case to ensure they don’t develop what many people call “tunnel vision”. Tunnel vision is when authorities early on develop a theory and try to prove that theory instead of keeping the mind open and looking for all possibilities. With any missing person case the rule of thumb is that every hour and day that goes by the chances of finding that person safely gets slimmer and slimmer.

In early February 2018 authorities in Alabama were faced with an extremely difficult case to solve. Lisa Holman went out with a friend on a Friday night and simply vanished. When she never returned home, her family knew something was wrong. The Alabama mom had disappeared, and as hours turned into days, her family feared they’d never find. It was a true race against the clock and the stakes were life or death….

A Night Out

On Friday, February 9, 2018, Lisa Holman had made plan’s with a friend of hers who she had not seen in some time. She told her family she would be out that night visiting and getting dinner with her friend in the area of Helena, Alabama. Helena was usually only about a half an hour drive from her house where she lived in Chelsea, Alabama.

Every mother deserves a night out with a friend and Lisa was no exception. She looked forward to nights out with her friends and was very excited to head to dinner and be able to let loose a little bit. While she loved her family she also loved spending fun times with her friends and enjoyed their company.

Never Came Home

Lisa’s family knew she’d be out all night so it was not alarming as the night grew on and she did not arrive home. When the 45-year-old mother still hadn’t returned home by 11 p.m. it was a bit odd as that was a lot later then Lisa would normally stay out to. The family started to get a bit worried at it wasn’t like Lisa to stay out that late.

As 11 pm passed and it was getting closer to midnight her family began to wonder where Lisa was. They called her phone but did not get any answer. Next they texted her saying to please call as soon as she see’s the text but never heard back. Her Family knew something had to be wrong since she didnt answer their calls or text messages. Staying out later then usual was one thing but not responding to calls or text’s was something entirely different.

She Left Dinner Fine

The family then reached out to Lisa’s friend who she was having dinner that evening with. When they got in contact with her she was surprised Lisa had not come home yet. According to Lisa’s friend, she hadn’t heard anything from the 45-year-old and just assumed she had gotten home safely after she left to drive home a little after 9 that night.

Lisa left in fine spirits and was totally normal. She was not drunk or under the influence of anything so there was no concern for her safety going home that night. What was very concerning to the family though was that she left dinner at 9pm she should have been home by 9:30pm. It was not close midnight and their was no contact with Lisa. As the sun began to rise on the next morning there was still no sign of Lisa.

A Night of Wonder

The family sat up all night wondering what was happening and their biggest fears began to sink in. They thought about calling the police that evening but was optimistic that this was just a mistake and there was nothing afoul. The police typically don’t define a person missing unless their is no contact for 24 hours so all the family could do was sit home and wait.

It was a vey long night where the feared the worse. Trying to go to sleep knowing Lisa was out there somewhere and possibly needed there help was impossible. The family sat up all night pondering if something happened to her? Was she kidnapped? Who would want to her hurt? So many questions that they would eventually get answers to.

Retracing Lisa’s Steps

Early that Saturday morning, Lisa’s sister, Kathy Holman Caufield, and Lisa’s 17-year-old son, Jackson couldn’t sit around waiting any longer and decided to go looking for Lisa. At this point she was not gone for 24 hours so they thought that they couldn’t get the police to help them and did their own search initially for Lisa.

To start their search, the pair decided to retrace the route Lisa would have taken to Helena, Alabama. They felt this was the most practical strategy and would help once they got the authorities involved. They decided to drive along the route that Lisa would have taken to dinner and carefully look for any clues for her along the way.

The Car Crash

At first when they were driving they saw nothing that stood out. They wondered if this was a big waste of time. But then while driving along County Road 36 in Pelham, Jackson spotted what looked like a car. The car looked as if it had crashed off the side of the road and told his aunt to pull over. They were both shocked and astonished to find something they thought could be Lisa on their search.

Jackson was unsure if it was his mom’s car but whoever it was needed help. Jackson and Kathy both pulled over on the side of the road and began calling out Lisa’s name in hopes they would hear a response. After a few minutes when they heard nothing they decided they were going to go in the woods.

The Car is Found

As they entered the woods and their hearts were both racing in anticipation of finding Lisa. As they got closer they realized it was Lisa’s car and immediately thought that they finally found her and things would be ok. The terrain was tough and as they approached they felt a sigh of relief but this would only become the beginning of this terrible ordeal.

According to Lisa’s sisters estimation, the car had slid off the road and down a 20-foot embankment. “I fell down the hill trying to get to her,” said Kathy. Kathy then ordered Jackson to stay back as she did not want him injuring himself due to the rough terrain.

Calling For Help

Kathy then immediately asked Jackson to call 911 since she wasn’t sure what she was going to find in the car. Kathy feared that Jackson would see something that would cause great anguish to him so she wanted to protect him. Jackson ran back and immediately dialed 911…

As Jackson waited in anguish as he saw his aunt searching the car he did not get the reaction from his aunt he was hoping for. He expected her to say “we found her” but those words were never muttered out of his aunts mouth. Now Jackson was hoping the police got there quickly as he realized this situation was much worse then he had thought.

Hoping For The Best

Kathy finally got down to the car in the embankment and began calling her sisters name. She assumed she would hear now that she was closer to the car but she didn’t hear anything. Her anxiety and fears began to rise thinking the worse had happened but it was very odd to her that she found the car but no Lisa!

Kathy finally got to the car and she recounted “I finally ripped the (car) door open and she’s not in there,” Kathy said. Based on the condition of Lisa’s car, it was obvious it was a bad crash, so Kathy started looking around the area for Lisa thinking she may have been thrown out of the car on impact. Looking at the area surrounding the car there was no sign of Lisa at all…

The First Good Sign

While looking around the car, Kathy first noticed there wasn’t much blood. By not seeing any blood she believed that was a good sign that she was alive. This gave her hope that Lisa hadn’t been badly injured in the wreck. Then out of the blue Kathy noticed another good sign….

From a distance Kathy saw an item on the ground. She was not sure what it was initially but it looked to be something of Lisa’s. As she walked closer she discovered Lisa’s purse and said that it had looked like it had been intentionally placed on the ground. At that point in time Kathy later said “I knew then that she made it out…”

No Stone Left Unturned

At this point after discovering what they discovered they felt that she must be in a hospital by now. They assumed Lisa was in a crash and was taken to the hospital and nobody had contacted them just yet about it. Kathy and Jackson started calling all the hospitals nearby to see if Lisa had been admitted, but there were no patients that matched her description. This left them in total shock….

Kathy and Jackson assumed their must be a mistake and the hospitals had the wrong name. Lisa’s sister said “We called them multiple times,” and “I know we drove them crazy.” This was deeply troubling to the both of them and since there was still no sign of Lisa, her family tried to guess what had happened to her.

The Three Theories

The family came up with three theories as to what could have possibly occurred to Lisa in order to solve the mystery and bring home Lisa safely. After speaking with everyone and putting together all the details they though they had it figured out what could have happened to her…

The first theory was that Lisa must have after crashing her car got out and got lost in the woods. This would make sense as she was literally nowhere to be found and they knew the car crashed. The one thing that threw them off about this theory was why she left her bag behind? It didn’t make sense that she would leave the bag especially in a way that made it seem as if she left it on purpose.

Second Theory

Their second theory was that after the crash she got out of the car alive and ok. They felt that she then must’ve walked back to the street to find help. It was late and dark out and the road was poorly lit so finding help would have been a bit difficult.

They thought she must have walked into the street when she saw a car come and got hit by the car. The car probably thought they hit a deer or animal and continued driving. This would explain why they were unable to find her body by her car. Maybe they just searched in the wrong area and had to expand the search area?

Third Theory

Their third theory was that after the crash she was badly hurt and weakened. Somebody driving by must have seen the crash and went down to see what was going on and saw her lying there all alone in the woods by herself.

The person though, was not there to help and had sinister intentions in mind. Instead of helping her, they abducted her and took her away. While this seems far fetched it would explain why their was no body and why her purse was left behind. So which theory was it they pondered?

The Search Begins

After some time to calm down the family called the police. Not long after, Pelham police and firefighters and Shelby County sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene of the accident and began their first search. Although Lisa was not missing for 24hours the police had a car crash and can start there investigation early. Finding Lisa’s car and getting the police involved early would be a pivotal key to solving the mystery…

The search initially focused on a 200-foot circumference around Lisa’s car and 20 yards on both sides of the road. The authorities set up a grid of the area and assigned different search groups different area’s of the grid. Each group was to report back their findings.

Gone Without A Trace

The search team combed through their grids inch by inch looking for any clue possible at what had happened. These searches can be very tedious to those involved as you must line up shoulder to shoulder walk. It is very strenuous on the searchers as they must walk through tough terrain with their head down most of the time looking at the ground.

At one point they found what they thought were glasses and the group got very excited. Authorities raced over to determine if it was a piece of evidence but ultimately ruled it out as just garbage in the woods. Lisa did not wear or have glasses so they could not be hers. The searchers continued on none the less determined to find a clue…

Drone Search

Despite their best efforts, there was still no sign of Lisa and any tracks or traces of where she had disappeared. Then to make matters worse it began to rain during the search hampering the search teams efforts. Due to the train the search team was called back and the search was put on hold. Lisa’s family was devastated…

Authorities decided that the needed to keep the search going even if it was raining as time was of the essence and at this point time was also not their friend. They went “high-tech” by bringing in drones to search for her which would use a camera as well as a heat detector. “They flew the drones over there the whole afternoon and night,” Kathy said. “They found several heat sources, but they were transformers and deer…”

24 Hours Later

When the sun started setting, the search was called off and scheduled to restart at 6 a.m. the next morning. The family was not in good spirits as they had to go home empty handed with not much more information then when they had first started. Kathy decided to stay the night at her sister’s home with Jackson and her 15-year-old niece Anna Grace.

The family was very disappointed but remained optimistic. “I’m sitting here. In my sister’s house. The quietness is deafening. My heart is broken. My spirit is broken. My hope is gone,” said Kathy, who couldn’t sleep knowing her sister was hurt and possibly in danger. She had to stay strong though for Lisa’s kids.

Unanswered Questions

As the family sat there in Lisa’s house they could only wonder if any of their three original theories were right. It was a grueling experience to have to sit there all alone and wait and hope and pray for good news. Everyone know’s that every hour someone is missing the chance of finding them goes down significantly.

“The unknown is tearing me apart…Is she cold? Is she hurting,” Kathy asked herself. “Does she know we are desperately trying to find her? Is she alive? Did someone take her? How can you vanish after being in such a horrible car accident? So. Many. Questions…”

The Search Resumes

Early the next morning the family and friends from the first search gathered at the site to resume searching for clues or some sign of Lisa. What they didn’t know at that time was that on this day they were finally going to get answers to all their questions and it would shock them to their core.

Pelham police and firefighters, Shelby County sheriff’s deputies, Shelby County EMA, the Chelsea Fire Department, the Childersburg Rescue Squad, the Alexander City Rescue Squad, Regional Paramedic Service, SAR K9’s of Alabama, the American Red Cross, the Red Mountain Search Dog Association, Lisa’s friends and family members, and strangers from the community came together to form a search party of nearly 500 people this time around.

The Search Heads Out

At 7:15 that Sunday morning the first search team went out with directions from the authorities and were each given their specific grids again. Along with drone’s they also sent out tracking dogs this time in hopes of the dogs picking up a scent on Lisa.

The teams were sent further into the woods this time as the grid expanded as the initial grid had already been cleared. The authorities were cautiously optimistic with how far they expanded. What they didn’t know at the time was what they were going to find so deep in those woods….

The 35th Hour

The team had been walking throughout the woods calling out Lisa’s name for about an hour. The dogs were barking and overheard the sound of buzzing was coming from the drones above. As they called her name again they heard a voice scream back. At first they thought it was another search party but then…

They heard Lisa calling back screaming “help me, help me, I’m over here”. At this point the search team knew it was not another search team yelling back and that it was in fact Lisa. They had found her! But what was her condition and was she safe?

Under a Rock

700 feet from where her car was located they had finally found Lisa. When the search team approached they approached with caution as they did not know the condition she was in just that she was alert enough to scream for help.

At 8:14 in the morning the team ended up locating her huddled underneath a rock for shelter. “I’m basically jumping up and down in the car,” said Kathy, who was already on her way to the scene when she received the call that her sister had been found.

The Rescue

Immediately authorities and paramedics came racing to the scene. It was chaotic as they needed to get all the people who were out searching away from Lisa so they can get in and do their job in finishing rescuing her.

Authorities knew how long Lisa was out there for and knew she would be in dire condition. She had gotten into a bad accident and then was out in the woods all alone for almost two days. She lived this long so they wanted to move fast to save her.

The Injuries

Rescue workers were able to get Lisa out of the woods and then rushed to the hospital to be treated for her injuries. They were able to tell right away that Lisa was in bad shape and believed her injuries were life threatening.

Once she arrived at ER she went through a ton of tests and x-rays and body scans. They concluded her injuries were which a broken clavicle, 6 cracked ribs, a fractured C7 vertebrae, and a lacerated spleen. Now authorities wanted to know what had happened…

What Happened?

After a few days authorities were finally able to speak with Lisa and find out what exactly had happened. Lisa explained that she passed out after her car slid off the road in the rain about a mile away from her home.

Lisa explained “She doesn’t know for how long but when she came to, she thought the car might explode and she knew she had to get out,” her sister Kathy explained. This explains why she was found so far away from the car and how they missed finding her during the initial search.

Lost In The Woods

Even with all her injuries, Lisa managed to climb into the backseat and was able to get out of the car. “She stumbled out of the car and went 10 or so feet, put her purse down and decided she needed to try to find help,” her sister Kathy said.

While walking, Lisa lost her bearings and was unable to figure out the direction she was walking in. She got lost and ended up walking deeper into the woods instead of to the road. “She said just wandered that whole first night,” Kathy added…

A Miracle

When the sun started to rise, Lisa was exhausted and in pain, so she found a rock overhang and crouched underneath for shelter as it started raining again. “She said she prayed the entire time,” Kathy said.

All alone, injured and cold lost int he woods by herself was List. “She just knew she had to get out and get help.” 35 hours after the crash, help finally arrived when the search team finally found her.

The Power Of Prayer

Throughout this entire ordeal the one constant for Lisa was the power of prayer. Every minute she prayed that someone would find her. As scared as she was she turned to her faith in hopes of living to see her son again.

“We’ll never be able to express our gratitude to everyone who has called, texted and prayed. Thank you seems so inadequate,” said Kathy. “Believe in the power of prayer,” she added. “I believe angels were watching over her and protecting her every step of the way. I don’t have any shadow of doubt about that.”

Thankful

A few days into her recovery Lisa met with a few of the nearly 500 volunteers who had serached to find her. Still in her hospital bed she laughed and smiled with the rescuers and released a statement thanking everyone.

For someone who felt that she might not make it out of the situation alive Lisa was with extreme gratitude to every single person who spend any time searching for her and looking to rescue her. Her Statement read…

The Family Statement

“Needless to say, the last two days have been very emotional for our family. Lisa’s rescue Sunday morning was definitely an answered prayer,” the family released on the facebook page of the police department.

“Amazingly, she has suffered only a few broken bones and other minor injuries as a result of the accident. Her ability to withstand these injuries, the weather conditions, and the length of time in the woods is a testament to her resiliency.”

Missing Alabama Mother Found In The Woods After Sister Discovers Her Car is an article from: LifeDaily

Jill and Ryan Finley were a regular couple living in Oklahoma City when their worlds were completely turned upside down. Being married only 4 years, the Finleys’ were very much in love. They spent their weekends relaxing and sleeping in just like any other young couple would after a long hard week of work. This weekend was going to be different then any other weekend they every lived…

What started out as a normal Saturday morning, turned into a nightmare when Ryan went to wake Jill up from her nap. At first Ryan just thought she was in a very deep sleep but when he began shaking her he realized that she was completely unresponsive. Seeing your loved one in this kind of state will rock anyone to their core. This scary ordeal was going to just be the beginning of a long journey for the couple. Ryan had no idea what was in store for him….

Married Life

Jill and Ryan spent their weekends like most couples do by relaxing and enjoying each other company. They were just like any other middle american couple looking to build a family and have kids of their own. They lived and worked in Oklahoma City an area where both of them were very familiar with.

Ryan would typically let Jill sleep-in on weekends, while he sat on their porch reading the newspaper. It was something they often did on weekends so it was no abnormal for Jill to not have awaken just yet. But one Saturday in May, Ryan had a weird feeling that he should wake his wife up early…call it blind intuition that will have major impacts for Jill.

Saturday Morning

It was Saturday, May 26th in 2007 and by all accounts was just another beautiful spring Saturday that the couple would get to enjoy together. Jill being 32 and Ryan being 31 they lived for their weekend together. As newly weds the love they both still had that spark between each other and cared deeply for one another.

This Saturday morning was a bit different as Ryan had a very weird feeling that he needed to wake up his wife early. It was unexplainable the feeling he had but his intuition was telling him to wake Jill up. So he went into the house and over the room and opened the door…

Not Your Average Saturday Morning

Ryan walked over to Jill’s bed to make sure all was ok and called her name as he opened the door to the bedroom to wake her up. Something was telling him that he just need to “check in on her”.

As he walked in the room Ryan tried to wake up Jill and found that no matter how hard he tried or how loud he yelled, she remained unresponsive. Ryan was now very nervous and feared the worst, that Jill might be dead.

CPR Training

After shaking her and not getting a response he checked her pulse and to see if she was breathing. Once he realized she wasn’t breathing, he recalled a CPR course he had taken very long ago, about 10 years ago to be exact and dragged Jill out of bed and onto the floor to begin chest compressions and CPR.

As he stood on top of her body compressing her chest and breathing into her mouth Ryan mind was racing of thoughts and trying to figure out what had just happened. The CPR was not working, Jill was showing now signs of life at all…Ryan had to act fast…

Panic

Ryan immediately then called 911 and administered CPR, staying on the phone with the 911 operator while he waited for paramedics to arrive. The moments were tense as Ryan waited what felt like forever for the paramedics to arrive. Then he could hear the sirens of the paramedics racing down the street, he felt they were now hear to save her…

The paramedics raced into the house and immediately got to work to save Jills live. The paramedics shocked Jill’s heart back to life and were able to get it beating again. Once they got a pulse on Jill, they then rushed her by ambulance to the Oklahoma Heart Hospital nearby.

Prayers

As the ambulance sped to the Heart Hospital all Ryan could think about was what wen wrong, why did he feel he needed to wake her up and was Jill going to be ok. He kept asking the paramedics what was happening and they told him to remain calm.

Ryan then turned to prayers asking God to please save his beautiful wife and not let him loser her. His faith in God and prayer would help him through this harrowing ordeal and bring her home safely he thought…

The Hospital

Upon arrival to the hospital Jill was immediately rushed into ICU so doctor’s could figure out what was going on and how to help save her. She had a pulse but they knew but nothing else at that time. Ryan waited frantically the emergency room calling family members to notify them of the situation and what was happening.

At this point, the doctors decided it was best to put Jill on a respirator while they worked to figure out what was wrong with Jill. The doctors were unsure at what they needed to do to help her. At this time nobody knew the cause of all of this or what the long term damages would be…

Inside the ER

At the hospital, Ryan watched doctors put his wife in a special suit meant to lower her body temperature. This was done in an attempt to minimize any damage to Jill’s brain caused by her lack of oxygen. This quick action by the doctors would end up having huge effects later on for Jill…

The good news was, Jill was alive and breathing, with a beating heart, but he was told that she would remain in a deep coma for an undetermined amount of time. Ryan began asking many questions but was left with little answers as doctors will still working….

The Diagnosis

The doctors told Ryan that after a full examination of his wife that they determined she had a heart attack while she was sleeping. Ryan could not believe what he was hearing. She was the picture of perfect health or so he though. The doctors then went on to say…

That not only did she have a heart attack but her brain had been deprived of oxygen for a total of five minutes. Ryan knew right away that the brain not receiving oxygen for five minutes was very bad and could have lasting health implications for Jill…

Undying Love

Ryan watched his entire life flash before his eyes. His loving wife was comatose and might never wake up. They were just about to enjoy a beautiful Saturday morning and now this. This sudden event was beginning to take a toll on Ryan and their entire family.

He decided that from that moment forward, he would stay by Jill’s side and never leave her until she was healthy. This was a commitment he made to Jill while she lay in the hospital bed in her coma. He slept on an empty hospital bed next to her nightly and read the bible to her.

The Odds

A few days passed and despite his attention and efforts, Jill remained in her comatose state. The days were long and the nights were longer but Ryan was determined to help Jill at all costs. When they got married they vowed to be by each others side in sickness and in health and Ryan was fulfilling his commitment.

Between his bible and his prayer Ryan believed his wife would be ok. But as the days continued on and less and less health improvement from Jill, Ryan’s faith was put to the test.

One Percent Chance

The Doctors came in one day and asked to speak to Ryan. The looks on their face said it all and Ryan new that he was not going to be receiving any good news. He was not sure what they were going to say but he also didn’t expect them to tell him….

The Doctors, being very gentle with their words, were indirectly telling him that his wife’s situation was hopeless. They told him that there was a one percent chance that Jill would survive. This was not the news Ryan was hoping for and it rocked him to the core.

Just Pray

The Doctors went on to say that with those odds, even if Jill did survive, she would not live the rest of her life as a functioning person. Due to the lack of oxygen to Jill’s brain she would become severely disables. The doctors explained to him that she will never be able to live a “normal” life again.

Yet, despite hearing his wife’s fate, Ryan was unwilling to accept it and he kept praying. Maybe he was in denial, maybe he wasn’t ready to accept that his wife would be gone. He felt his faith was going to pull the both of them through this and God would heal her.

“The Journal”

Ryan decided to keep a journal to write down his thoughts and hopes and wish’s. He found it very comforting to write these things down as he felt one day Jill would be able to read it herself. This journal was very therapeutic to Ryan…

Ryan wrote in one journal entry “She’s my soulmate and my wife, my everything in this whole world. I would be lost without her. I will not give up hope. I will never give up on her.”

“Just A Bad Dream”

Ryan said about his situation that “Every morning that I woke up, I’d realize this wasn’t a dream.” Doctors told Ryan that there were never any signs Jill was coming back and it was time to make difficult decisions.

Ryan said about his situation that “Every morning that I woke up, I’d realize this wasn’t a dream.” Doctors told Ryan that there were never any signs Jill was coming back and it was time to make difficult decisions.

Agonizing Decision

It is very tough for any family member to have to make a decision like this. While your hopes and prayers want you to hold off making the permanent decision you also wonder if the person is suffering. You never want the person to suffer in these situations and to keep them alive for “selfish” reasons…

With his wife now in a coma and doctors saying her chance of surviving or living a normal life was slim to none Ryan was faced with the most difficult decision of his life. Should he take his wife off life support or should he continue the fight?

Tough Choice

While contemplating his wife’s options Ryan recalled when his aunt years prior was placed on life support and what Jill had said to him during that incident. What Jill had told him was very important in helping Ryan make a decision on what to do with his wife.

She had said that she would never want to be kept on life support and alive if she were to have to live a life in a vegetative state. Remembering those words made Ryan ponder even more this agonizing decision. She he fulfill her wishes to him when she told him that? What is the best thing he can do? Tough questions and a tough choice lie ahead…

Time to Act

After consulting with Jill’s entire family, Ryan concluded that his wife wouldn’t want to spend her life in a hospital bed, so he requested a court order to disconnect Jill from life support. That court order was eventually granted…

On the morning of June 9, 2007, doctors began to prepare Ryan for what to expect when his wife was unhooked from all the machines that were keeping his wife alive. Many people who are there during this process say watching a family member get unhooked is the worst thing you can imagine.

“The Last Rally”

The doctors explained to Ryan so he wouldn’t be surprised that Jill will exhibit slight movements and restlessness when she was unhooked. They told him this would be totally normal and not to be spooked. Doctors have been through this before and understood these movements typically freak family members out.

Doctors call this movement the “Last Rally” which refers to an unexpected return of mental clarity and memory, or suddenly regained consciousness that occurs in the time shortly before death in patients suffering from severe psychiatric or neurological disorders.

Time to Disconnect

At about 6 p.m., doctors disconnected Jill from the machines that had been keeping her alive. Ryan and Jill’s family gathered by her bed side to say their final goodbyes and let Jill pass in peace. She didn’t die immediately, and at about 11:45 p.m., Jill began getting restless.

Ryan decided to take out his phone to record the final moments of Jill’s live so he can have this memory and be able to look back years later at the final moments he had with his wife

A Miracle Happens

She didn’t die immediately, and at about 11:45 p.m., Jill began getting restless. This was making the family there very uneasy as if they though something was going wrong and she was in pain.

Ryan believed after being told by the Doctors that this was normal that everything was going as planned. He remembered the “Last Rally” conversation he had with the docts. What he was not prepared for was what happened next….

To Much To Handle

Ryan watched as her whole upper torso shift a bit and then the mumbling started. “When that began, I left the room. I got physically sick.” Ryan thought this was the beginning of the end.

Ryan left the room to wait in the hallway. He was hurting way to much to see his wife like this as well as spooked by the whole process. He felt it was be better to sit outside and pray, then the nurse called him….

She’s Awake

One of the nurses called Ryan into the room and said that Jill was talking. Ryan figured this behavior was normal and attributed it to the “last rally” mumble, but, still, he returned to the room.

As Ryan walked into the room he saw Jill sitting there and what seemed to be alert. Ryan was a bit confused as this is not what the doctors explained was going to happen. Then Jill spoke….

Wide awake and looking directly at Ryan, who by now was totally in shock about what was going on, Jill said: “Get me out of here.” Then she made the most shocking request…

The Shocking Request

Jill said: “Take me to Ted’s and take me to the Melting Pot.” These two place were both of their favorite restaurants, and Ryan was in disbelief at what he had just heard.

He proceeds to ask Jill questions like what their phone number was, and the names of their dog and cat. After answered all three questions correctly, Ryan knew “this was far from the last rally.”

Doctors Explain

After a few days of recovery she was already beginning to feel better. The doctors then sat down with Jill and Ryan to explain what had really happened.

Doctors ended up discovering that Jill had a congential condition that was unknown. This condition is what caused her heart to stop beating int he first place and led to her going into a coma.

Out Of Her Coma

Jill had come out of her coma and was breathing on her own. By a miracle of God, she underwent surgery to implant a pacemaker for her heart condition and then went into a rehabilitation center.

But, Jill doesn’t remember anything and doctors are still not sure what happened or how she woke up. Since Friday night when she went to bed until two weeks later she had no idea what happened.

No Regrets

Jill says her explanation is “God.” She believes he is the reason she is here today, and also thanks to her husband Ryan. As far as Ryan’s decision to pull the plug on his wife, he says that if he had a second chance, he would never change his actions.

Jill thinks he made the right decision as well saying, “I would not have wanted to live like that.” She did not want to live like a vegetable and agreed with Ryan’s decision to take her off life support.

New Beginnings

After waking up from her coma, Jill spent the next few months relearning simple tasks like brushing her teeth, tying her shoelaces and learning how to cook. All of which are normal for coma survivors.

But like many people in a coma, Jill could not remember anything that happened at the house, in the hospital or anything in between. She did remember one thing though…

What Jill Did Remember

The only thing that Jill remembered from her time in the hospital was the big shower they wheeled her into every day. She also remembered going into inpatient therapy and the names of all the occupational therapists and speech pathologists that helped her.

Besides that, Jill has speech that she’s working on and her short-term memory is off, but other than that, she is pretty normal. One of her friends even told Jill she’s jealous of her because Jill and her husband act like newlyweds.

Jill Tells Her Story

Jill and Ryan in 2010 did an interview with Today. She opened up during this interview about the traumatic event that had occurred and her life after the whole ordeal.

Jill told Today that while she was doing good heal-wise and is trying to get better day by day that she is still in recovery. There are many things that she needs to work on and improve.

New Love

Not that they didn’t cherish each other before, but now, Jill and Ryan spend every waking minute together. After a scare like that you find a new form of love for one another.

They go everywhere together, even the grocery store. “To this day, there’s not a night that goes by that I don’t wake up. I’ll usually kick Jill in her sleep.”

“We’re OK”

“If she kicks me back, I know we’re OK,” Ryan says. Now, Jill spends everyday cherishing her life with her husband, who was nominated for an Oklahoma Heart Hero award for his CPR work.

The couple also has gone to Ted’s and the Melting Pot, to honor Jill’s special requests.

Woman In Coma for 3 Weeks Wakes Up To Learn Her Family Pulled the Plug on Her is an article from: LifeDaily

As parents, there will always come a point in our children’s lives that we have to step back and learn to trust that they’ll be ok without us for a little bit. This is one of the most difficult things that all parents have to do. Whether it be sending them off to their first day of school, off to summer camp, or even just an overnight at a friend’s house for a sleepover.

Sometimes though, our fears about what might happen to our children when they’re out of our sight can shift horribly from paranoid fantasies to brutal reality. It is a parents worst nightmare to think that something may happen to their child and they are unable to protect them. It was 6am in the morning when Pam got a phone call about her two girls, both of whom had been sleeping at a friend’s house the night before…

Worrying Call

It was a Friday, New Year’s Eve, and Pam’s two daughters had stayed at a friend’s house the night before. The family was in a transition stage as they were moving from Kansas to Texas. Pam felt that it was good for her daughters to make new friends.

The move was hard on her young kids so Pam was doing all that she could to try to make this transition for them easier. In the wake of the move it was the least she could do in the.

The Call

With her kids out and having a sleep over at a friends Pam was a bit nervous. They were in a new state with people they didn’t know very long and her daughters were staying at a house she was not all to familiar with. Pam was happy though about enjoying a night to herself.

At 6am Pam got a call that would change her life forever. The phone rang and at such an early time Pam immediately wondered who was calling and why. When she picked up she found out that her daughter Krystal was in the emergency room. They told her to get there right away as Krystal was fighting for her life…

An Attack

Texas Ranger Johnny Allen first got the phone call about a half hour before Pam. He had been told that there was a violent attack at the Harris house. He knew right away this was a very serious situation as their was kids involved and immediately jumped in his car to head to the scene.

Upon arrival Johnny found out that one of the Harris children, 13-year-old Kaylene, had been brutally stabbed by a home invader. The crime scene was beyond bloody, even for such a horrific crime. But apparently Kaylene wasn’t the only victim of the attack…

Popular Girl

Kaylene Harris, or Katy as she was called, was a very popular young girl. She was beautiful, outgoing, and had everything in the world going for her. She did all the things that most kids do growing up and had great plans for her future.

She had made friends with 10-year-old Krystal and her little sister Marque, who had moved into the area recently and the group were having a sleepover the night before the attack. They never could have imagined that they would not be safe in their own home…

Sisters

Krystal and her little sister Marque, who was 7, were staying at the Harris home in Del Rio, Texas. In general, like many sisters of that age, they didn’t get along very well. Although the sisters would fight and make up quite often they were very protective of each other.

But in the Harris household, which consisted of a rather big family, their behavior was nothing new. The Harris family lived in the middle of a fairly deserted area, they didn’t get many visitors, so they felt safe, or so they thought…

The Sleepover

Like many young girls sleepovers the night consisted of many fun activities. From playing dress up to watching a movie and eating popcorn the sleepover wasn’t anything out of the norm.

The girls enjoyed each others company and laughed and played all night long. What they didn’t know and nobody could have know at the time was that this sleepover was going become very tragic for two families…

Scary Guy

Katy and Krystal had stayed up late and slept in the same room. Krystal awoke suddenly in the middle of the night to the sound of someone screaming. Their was bunk beds in the room that the kids were sleeping on.

She was on the top bunk and the sound had come from the floor below her. Instead of hopping out of bed, she leaned over and looked around. At the end of the bed was a man she’d never seen before in their room…

Saw It Happen

The man, basically a shadowy form in the darkened room, had long, dark, curly, scruffy-looking hair and a bushy beard that took over his whole face. As a young girl who just woke up to someone screaming you can imagine how frightening this must have been for her.

His eyes were dark and mean and Krystal could see that her friend Katy was on the floor beneath him. She could not tell exactly what was going on but it seemed as if Katy was struggling with the man.

The Knife

At this point Krystal was beyond scared but did not want to make a noise and alert the man to her being in the room. At that point she thought the guy did not know that she was there and she didn’t know what to do.

Before she could even move to do anything, and seemingly out of nowhere, the man took a knife out. She was unsure where the knife came from. Then he held to Katy’s neck and slashed her across the throat…

Throat Cut

At this point, the murderous stranger was so enthralled by what he was doing that he didn’t even notice the 10-year-old girl cowering on the top bunk. The man looked to be in a rage so Krystal hid under her covers after seeing him use the knife on her friend.

Then the man slowly walked to the door and looked as if he was about to flip off the light. Then he stopped and turned around one last time. His eyes met Krystal’s, and in those eyes she saw that she was about to meet the same fate as her friend…

Krystal Cut

The murderer had seen Krystal looking at him and now he was headed towards her. He couldn’t walk out now knowing that Krystal had seen his face. She tried to scoot to the right side of the bed, because he was on the left, but his reach was too great.

He reached over and just like he did to Katy, he cut her throat. He did so effortlessly, as if it was an afterthought. It was lucky for her that his attack was little more than an afterthought however, because she somehow survived and now was clinging to life…

Watching Her Go

Krystal Surles lay there for what felt like a long while. At this point the intruder now had slashed both Katy and Krystals throats. Katy was in much worse shape though then Krystal was. They both were slowly dying…

The light turned off and she heard the door shut. Though she could feel the wetness around her throat and a pain stinging her neck, the injured girl made her way to the floor and to her friend’s side. Katy was worse off, bleeding out and choking and making a gasping noise. She didn’t know what to do.

Comfort Her

All Krystal could do was comfort her friend. Even though she was injured herself she was brave enough to try and help her friend survive. She tried to talk, but no words came out. She wanted to tell her that “Everything’s gonna be OK. Everything’s gonna be OK”, but she couldn’t.

Instead, she rubbed her back and cried, and comforted her until the sounds stopped and she knew that Katy had departed the world. Now Krystal as in for the fight of her live to survive and not succumb to the same fate as Katy…

Escape

With her friend now deceased and sitting in a blood soaked room Krystal knew that she needed to get help quickly. She was bleeding pretty bad and it was only a matter of time that she would also pass if she did not get help.

She thought to herself, “Get outta here. Get up. Come on, go. Don’t lay here. Go.” She knew that she had to escape. She was in her pajamas, barefoot, but she knew that she needed to find help. Unfortunately there was a major issue for her to figure out…

No Parents Home

By now you are probably wondering where the parents are! How come the parents did not hear the screams and come in to help the girls. Well the reason was because the Harris’ parents weren’t home.

Krystal didn’t know if the man was still in the house and did not want to be attacked again. She slowly and quitely made her way outside, into the dark morning as if in a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Needing Help

She saw a light in the distance and headed towards it. It was cold in that early morning and though she was still bleeding out, she trudged towards the road, towards that light. She knew if she could only get to that light she could find help.

As she crept closer and realized it was a house, she knew it was the salvation she needed. She walked up to the door and banged on it. A voice inside asked who was there, but she couldn’t answer. Finally, she banged again and he opened it….

Help is Here

When the person opened the door they could not believe what they saw. Here standing at their front door was a girl who had her throat slashed. It was unbelievable. To make matters worse it was difficult for her to speak and tell them what happened.

They immediately called 911 to get her help and brought her inside for her safety. They were unsure if whoever did this to her was still lurking in the shadows looking to attack once again.

Is Katy Ok?

Hours later, Krystal awoke in the hospital. She was hooked up to tubes and machines, but she was alive. Her mother Pam stood over her, calming her and telling her, “Mommy’s here.”

The doctors told her that the blade had nicked her vocal chords and that was why she couldn’t talk. Eventually, her voice came back. The first thing she said once she was able to speak was asking if Katy was ok. The news of her friend’s death was a crushing blow.

Point Him Out

As sad as she was over her friend’s murder, Krystal knew the only chance of catching the bearded man was if she could gather her strength and tell police what she knew. When she was well enough, she gave them a full description and they did a sketch.

Then the police went to work with their resources and put together all the criminals that they knew of who may have done this. When police had assembled a photo lineup, she picked him out of the bunch. The photograph she pointed to was that of Tommy Lynn Sells…

Who Was Tommy Lynn Sells?

Tommy Lynn Sells was raised by his aunt in Holcomb, Missouri before eventually returning back to the care of his mom once she found out the aunt wanted to adopt him. He had a twin sister who had died when they were 18 month old form meningitis.

Sells would later tel people that when he was 8 years told he began spending time with a person name Willis Clark. Willis he claims molested him with the consent of his own mother. He said the abuse affected him greatly and the reason why he committed evil acts.

A Bad Man

Tommy Lynn Sells was a very bad man with a long criminal history. From 1978 to 1999 he hitchhiked and train-hopped across the United States leaving a trail of crimes behind him. Tommy drank heavily and abused drugs.

In 1990 Sells was sentenced to 16 months in prison for stealing a truck in Wyoming. At that time he he was diagnosed with a personality disorder and doctors felt that he was bi-polar and very depressed.

His First Attack

In May of 1992 a 19 year old girl from Charleston, West Virginia was driving when she came across Sells who was panhandling under an overpass while holding a sign that read “Will work for food”.

This girl felt sorry for Tommy so she picked him up and took him to her home while asking him to wait outside while she got food for him. By the time she came back he was now standing inside her house. He trapped her in a bedroom and then raped her.

Let Free

Tommy was arrested for this vicious crime. He stabbed the woman 18 times and raped her which led to him being indicted on five counts of rape and felony assault in the fall of 1992.

Tommy ended up taking a plea deal and was sentenced to just 2-10 years in prison. The rape charges were dropped. in prison he married Nora Price and when released in 1997 he moved to Tennessee to live with his wife.

Police on His Trail

After Krystal picked Tommy out of a lineup the police now had their suspect and knew who they were looking for. The police tracked down Tommy Lynn Sells and got to his home in the early hours of the morning, around the same time he had attacked the girls.

He opened the doorway without any sort of resistance and told them, unabashedly, “I’m glad I finally got caught…I was tired of doing this.” They arrested him for murder and told him that this time he would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Caught Him

Meanwhile, Krystal, Marque and their mother sat in her hospital room, keeping her company as she recovered from her near-death experience. The phone rang. It was the police calling to tell them that she had been right.

The killer was indeed Tommy Lynn Sells and the police now had him in custody. It was a weight off their shoulders knowing this man who did this was not free to attack again, but Krystal felt somewhat unfulfilled…

Just Lucky

Krystal felt as though the news of Sells’ capture was bittersweet. Her friend was dead, she’d nearly died, and now the killer was brought to justice and would be punished. He couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.

Everyone kept telling her how brave she was, even as she testified against him. But all Krystal could think was that she wasn’t brave, just lucky. She continued to feel guilt that she survived and her friend did not.

Sexual Assault

Further investigation led police to believe that the attack on the girls was due to the killer having noticed Katy’s burgeoning beauty. The window to her bedroom was open, he saw her as he passed, and he wanted her.

He even cut her bra off before having slashed her throat. On his way to jail, they learned it was not an isolated incident. “I guess you wanna know about the other murders.” he said. He now had the police’s attention….

The Confession

Tommy Sells was interrogated for hours and during the course of the discussion, admitted to having committed a total of 22 murders. The police were totally astonished by all of his admissions and had no idea they had a serial killer in their interview room.

He was a cold-blooded serial killer of the worst kind. “My daddy told me a long time ago, ‘Dead men tell no tales…’, explained the unabashed killer while smirking. Sells was subsequently put on trial and Krystal Surles testified against him.

Dardeen Family Murders

Sells began to tell many tales to authorities of his life of crime. One was the Dardeen family murders in Illinois, that he claims to have committed. The States attorney’s office declined to prosecute the case of the quadruple killing.

The states position was that they felt he had been making it up. There were facts of the killings made public and other facts that were not. Since Sell’s only spoke to the public facts the state felt that he was lying and did not in fact commit that crime.

Another Admission

In 2004 while at this point in jail Sell’s decided to reach out to authorities and confess to another crime that he claimed to have committed. This crime happened in 1997 in which he claimed to break into the home of a little boy.

He further went on to say that after breaking into the home he took a knife from a butcher block in the kitchen and stabbed the little boy to death and fought with a women. Those details were corroborated by Julie Harper who was initially convicted of the murder of her own son. Sell’s admission allowed her to go free.

Sentence To Death

Sells who was convicted for killing Katy and many other crimes he admitted to was ultimately given the death sentence. In January of 2014 the Judge set his execution date to April of that year.

Sells death sentence was carried out by the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. When asked if he would like to make any final statements Sells replied “No”. A minute after the lethal dose was administered Sell’s closed his eyes and took his last breath.

Krystal Lives On

Today, Krystal has healed from her wounds, both physical and psychological. For a young girl to go through a traumatic experience like that will have a very lasting effect on them mentally and physically.

Krystal in an interview said “I don’t ever think about Tommy Lynn Sells. I don’t ever give him the time of day. He’s dead to me.” And indeed, he’s dead to the world as well.

Daughter Wakes Up To Serial Killer Sitting at The End Of Her Bed is an article from: LifeDaily

When young boys are up to no good, people will often say “boys will be boys” as a way of excusing less than ideal behavior. The idea is sometimes, kids will get up to a bit of mischief but in the end, they’re still good kids. But what happens when “boys will be boys” is unable to explain it away? What happens when young kids cross a line they can never return from?

The line between “a bit of mischief” and serious bad behavior is a lot thinner than some of us like to believe. When 2 young boys skipped class one day, they would show just how quickly that line could be crossed. In the aftermath it was then put on authorities to figure out the punishment that should be given which turned a community upside down….

Friday at the Mall

On a Friday afternoon in the Strand shopping center, just a few miles from the heart of Liverpool, shoppers milled about, going in and out of the center’s over 100 stores. Among the customers, there were two people who didn’t belong.

Walking around with the rest of the crowds were two very young 10-year-old boys. Why were they walking around a shopping mall on a Friday afternoon? Both of them decided to play hooky from school, a decision that would turn very badly for them…

Playing Hooky

Unlike the movie Ferris Buellers Day Off, these two boys had bad intentions on what they planned to do after skipping school. It is one thing to skip school but it is an entirely other thing to skip school and go on a small crime spree.

Over the course of the day, the 2 boys had shoplifted several things, including some candy, a troll doll, some batteries, and a small can of blue paint. For all appearances, it seemed like the they were up to some typical schoolboy mischief…

Getting Some Shopping Done

That same day, one of the customers in the Strand center was a woman named Denise. She’d brought her 2-year-old son James along to do some shopping with her brother’s fiancée, who’d brought her own little girl along as well.

There plan was to enjoy the day as future sister in-laws and be able to bond. It was also always nice when they were able to get the two girls together. They were a tight family and having their daughters bond a such an early age was important to them.

Bored Kids

The children grew restless as their mothers took them along from store to store. They went first to a clothing store, then the grocery store then a few more errands. Young kids are not the easiest to take around with you while you need to get things done.

At last they finally stopped into a butcher shop, where Denise wanted to pick up some chops. She had planned to make a steak dinner that night for her husband. Denise love to cook for her family and had frequented this butcher shop often, known for his great chops.

Being Watched

Unbeknownst to Denise, she and her 2-year-old had caught the attention of the 2 boys playing hooky. They had been casually watching young children in the mall throughout the day. The mother had not noticed these boys at all and even if she did she probably would not have thought much of it.

When the two boys playing hooky saw James walking around the butcher shop a short distance from his mother, they decided to approach him. The two year old boy had no idea who these kids were or what they could have wanted from him…

Sinister Plans

The two boys unknown to Denise had been watching the little boy James for some time now. They had already stole a few items from different stores around the shopping center and now were looking to push their luck and steal something more precious…

The young boys who were naive to how the real world works concocted a plan to steal a child. Maybe they thought it would be a funny joke or prank, nobody could really know exactly what they were thinking when they devised such a plan.

Just One Moment

As Denise spoke with the store clerk over a mix up with her order, James had wandered a few feet away toward the door. Denise usually kept James in close sight but she was a bit distracted talking to the store clerk.

At that point, the 2 boys started talking to him acting very friends to the innocent child. They then took him by the hand and led him out of the store. By the time Denise realized her son was missing, just moments later, they were out of sight…

Panic

In a panic, Denise Bulger and her brother’s fiancée looked frantically around the butcher shop. They asked everyone in the shop if they had seen James and nobody said they did. Denise looked under counters and in any spot she thought maybe James was hiding in.

When they finally realized James was no longer in the store Denise came flying out the door of the store screaming James’s name. She frantically looked around outside figuring he maybe walked out and got lost but he was nowhere in sight.

Vanished

At this point Denise and her future sister in-law were in total panic mode. How could James a 2-year old boy just vanish into thin air? It was less then a minute that her back was turned, how far could he have gotten and where could he have wanted to go?

After a few tense minutes that felt like hours they decided they should immediately alert security and get some help. The security guards were very helpful and began asking questions as well as a description of James and what he was wearing so they knew who they were looking for.

Kids Out For A Walk

The 10-year-olds, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables decided to take the younger James on a meandering 2.5 mile walk across Liverpool to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. They knew the area well and were familiar with their surroundings.

A large number of people saw them, 38 to be exact, but to people passing by it just looked like some boys out walking with a younger brother. No one stopped them, nobody wondered what were 3 young boys doing walking on a Friday afternoon all alone with no parent’s in sight.

Cruel Joke

When they arrived at the Canal, Thompson and Venables joked with each other about what they should do next with James. At this point they were in an isolated area with nobody in sight. The boys came up with a few evil plans on what to do next…

They joked with each other asking if they thought the young boy could swim. They they came up with the idea to find out for themselves. They discussed a plan to push James into the water so they can watch him swim or drown…

Dropped On His Head

The boys ended up scraping their plans of experimenting on the young James and decided to go a different route. There knew plan was just as sinister as they discussed different ways of hurting the young and innocent 2-year old boy.

Thompson and Venables then too turns picking the boy up and dropping him on his head. They did this a few times which led to a big bump forming on James head. James was now very scared, alone and crying asking them to please stop…

Passerby Stops them

After the assault, they kept walking along with James, who was now hysterical crying. As they walked they noticed people staring at the 3 young boys walking together and were getting a bit nervous that someone was going to stop them.

They were right to be afraid. At two different points people stopped them and asked questions. The boys were very clever and figured out a way to get out of it and let the people know that they were alright.

The Lies

The first person who stopped them approached them and asked what was going on. Thompson and Venables told them that James was their younger brother who got hurt and they were taking him to their mom.

The second time the boys came up with a different story to fool a passerby. They told a person who stopped them that James was lost and they were taking him to a nearby police station. Both of these encounters could have stopped what was going to happen next…

Two Choices

They actually did take James to the police station but, standing across the street, they hesitated. They both felt since the boy was injured that the police would not buy their story that they found James who was lost. They decided to continue their “game” with James…

Instead of taking James into the station, Thompson and Venables led him up a steep bank to a railway line near the abandoned Walton and Anfield train station. The boys were about to cross a line that nobody could have imagined…

Terrible Game

Once Thompson and Venables got to the railroad tracks, they started torturing James. James at only 2-years old stood no chance to defend himself agains the much bigger boys he was faced off against. He was helpless with no help in sight…

The 10-year-olds took paint they’d shoplifted earlier in the way and began to open the can up as James stood there all alone. Once the can was open they began to throw the paint into James’s face and eyes…

Strip Down

The boys then made James take off his socks and shoes. Once those were off they then told him to take off his pants and underpants. At this point James now stood there naked on the railroad tracks as the boys giggled and laughed at their sinister game.

With the young boy undressed they then took at batteries they had and stuffed it into his mouth to stop the noice of him crying. After that the boys then picked up nearby rocks and began to throw them at James.

The Final Blow

Finally, they found a 22 lb railway fishplate. A fish plate is a flat piece of metal used to connect adjacent rails in a railroad track. It is a very heavy object that can inflict a lot of damage if used as a weapon. They brought it over to where James lay on the ground, unable to move.

They lifted the fishplate and dropped it on James’ head. The crushing impact led to the fracturing of his skull in 10 different places. James laid their motionless. The two boys had now murdered him….

The Coverup

After Thompson and Venables had killed James they began to devise a plan to cover it up so they would not get caught. They decided to lay his body down across the railroad tracks and weighed his head down with debris.

The boys hoped that he’d be hit by an on coming train which would make his death look like an accident. They figured if it looked like an accident then people would think James got lost, wondered to train tracks and was killed accidentally by a train.

Broken Doll

James’ body was indeed struck by a train. The train had struck James but continued on as it did not know it hit anything. Then, two days after his death, a group of wandering boys stumbled across his body.

At first they thought it was a broken doll. As they slowly approached to see what it was, they realized what they were seeing. The boys were immediately in shock and decided to run to the nearby police station just 100 feet away.

The Police Station

There was a police station only 100 feet away from where James was killed. This was the same police station the boys thought of bringing James to which would have ended a senseless murder from happening. The boys sprinted as fast as they could over to the station house….

When they got inside an officer asked them what was going on. They were out of breath and the officer told them to calm down and explain what is happening. They told the officer they found a body of a baby child laying near the train tracks

Fatal Blow

At first the officers thought that James’s death was an accident. But when an autopsy was performed on James’ body it was clear that he had died before being struck by the train. The autopsy revealed many serious injuries.

There were 42 injuries in total, that none could be isolated as the fatal blow. They also suspected that there was a sexual element to the crime. They found injuries and saw signs of abuse on James’ privates…

The Family Notification

James mom and family spent almost 3 days agonizing over the whereabouts of James. The family could not believe this was happening and had no idea who would want to take or harm their little boy. Almost 72 hours after he went missing the police came to their door…

These conversations are always tough for police officers to have but it is extremely difficult when there is a young child involved. The police told Denise what they had found and promised here that they would find out who did this and bring them to justice…

Unthinkable

The police quickly started their investigation and began back tracking James’s steps that day focusing on the butcher shop. They found CCTV footage of James’ kidnapping from the Strand shopping center. They assumed an adult took him but they were in for a big surprise…

When they found that it had been two children who’d abducted James, they were shocked. “I’ve dealt with many murders but I’ve never seen the extent of the injuries that were inflicted on someone incapable of defending himself,” said the head detective on the case. “You couldn’t think the person responsible for this was a child.

Identified

The police needed help in identifying who they young boys were that took James. They ended up sharing the images with news stations to help them solve the case. When images of the 10-year-old boys were shown on national television, a woman recognized Venables.

The woman at first was unsure and hesitated contacting the police. She knew he had been playing hooky with Thompson that day and decided to call the authorities. The boys were arrested shortly thereafter…

Tried as Adults

Despite their young age, Thompson and Venables were both tried as adults due to the severe and gruesome nature of their crime. It is not typical that you see a 10 year old juvenile tried as an adult. Usually people don’t get tried as an adult unless they are over 18 years old.

This decision to try the young boys as adults as highly debated locally and nationally. The crimes these boys committed were evil but at 10 years old did they have the capacity to think like an adult? Was it taking it to far to try them as adults?

The Trial

The boys went to trial where they faced a prosecution that had gathered a ton of evidence agains them. The prosecutor had video footage of them taking James as well as DNA evidence.

The boys were found guilty at trial. They were then sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. While many people felt it was borderline trying them as adults, those same people felt the punishment of life without parole crossed the line.

Names Changed

Both boys were paroled after their 8 year sentences were up. Because of the high profile of the crime and the threat of vigilante justice against them, they were each given new identities.

The boys entered into a witness protection-style program after their release. At least one of the boys reoffended following his release, and was again incarcerated for possession of child porn.

The Interview

Venables was hauled into the police station and interviewed. His parents, Susan and Neil, accompanied him during the interview process. Venables only admitted to his part in the tot’s murder once his parents reassured him that they would love him no matter what he confessed to.

The interview transcripts reveal how Susan cried with anger when she heard her son admit to the crimes. When detectives asked about the damage to James’s private parts, Venables broke down and attacked his distraught father.

Charged With Murder

Susan cried in anguish as she sat in the interview room and listened to all the details of what these boy’s had done to James. She was there when the police officers formally charged Venables with murder. She had to eventually leave Liverpool after receiving a ton of death threats.

She said: “He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.” “What he’s done is wrong so he needs to be punished. What upsets me is I’ve no way of bringing him up for the rest of his young years so he’s going to lose all his childhood.”

Families Destoryed

Venables father Neil also made statements and explained how all the families involved lives were destroyed due to his sons actions. He could never imagined that his son was capable of committing just an evil crime. He went on to say…

Neil added: “I feel for that family. I feel so sorry for them. I have lost my son as well. We will never be able to do the fun things any more… football, snooker, things like that.”

Venables Charged Again

Venable after being release from prison was charged again for child pornography. He admitted to having a “pedophile manual” which told him how to attach and prey on younger age girls. He also pleaded guilty to having more then one thousand pictures of underage girls on his computer.

After his latest release Venables was banned from any internet access but the Judge found out he was once again searching the web for young girls images. He was thrown back in jail for 40 months and told police “needed help to understand why he did this and ensure he didn’t do it again”.

James Parents Outrage

James parents were enraged that these boys we let out early and then about how Venables once free was committing crimes again that could endanger underage children. James father Ralph said “40 months is a joke. It’s an insult to the family.”

He added: “We’ve got to watch this sexual deviant. We know what he’s capable of. He’s just waiting for another victim. “Let’s make sure there are no more victims.” Ralph has called for Venables new identity to be revealed for the safety of the public.

Stay in Witsec

In March of 2019 it was announced the Venables was going to be able to keep is anonymity in the witness protection program after a judge ruled it would protect him from “serious violence”. Ralph hired lawyers to help work the case and overturn the judge’s decision.

In their bid to have Venables identity revealed, lawyers for Ralph argued that certain details about the killer and his live are “common knowledge” and easily accessible online. But the President of the Family Division who makes these decisions rejected it claiming that by letting it was in place to protect Venables from being “put to death”.

Decision Rejected

The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane said: “My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy. The reality is that the case for varying the injunction has simply not been made.”

He added: “As Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss held, (Venables) is ‘uniquely notorious’ and there is a strong possibility, if not a probability, that if his identity were known he would be pursued resulting in grave and possibly fatal consequences.”

“This is, therefore, a wholly exceptional case and the evidence in 2019 is more than sufficient to sustain the conclusion that there continues to be a real risk of very substantial harm to (Venables).”

Thompson Paroled

Thompson upon his ability to be released on parole, told the Parole Board he had lied about his involvement after being overwhelmed by the public reaction to the crime. He said: “I am deeply ashamed of what I did, and of having played a part in this horrible murder.”

Thompson also detailed his traumatic childhood stating that at the time he was “completely out of control”. He added: “I was out of control because my life on the streets was better for me than my life at home.”

10-Year-Old Boys’ Sentenced To Life In Prison After Child Goes Missing is an article from: LifeDaily

It was an unusual day for the vet conducting an ultrasound on this female dog that visited her clinic. She moved the wand around gently, trying to make out what she was seeing on screen but couldn’t make a definitive conclusion. In fact, she was also confused about the results. She repeated the procedure several times to make sure she wasn’t just imagining things.

But there it was — and what she was viewing on the screen did not change at all. In her many years of practice as a veterinarian, this was her first time experiencing anything like this. It was a curious thing on the screen and she wanted to explore more, but something also tells her that time is crucial and that she must act fast to ensure the dog was safe.

The Important Choice

When Mariesa and Chris finally decided they would adopt a pet, they decided that having a dog would be best. They went to a number of dog shelters in the area in the hope of finding that one canine that would capture their hearts. The agreement was that they would choose just one dog this time because they already have several rescues at home.

However, choosing among the many pets that needed their love and attention proved to be difficult. When they chanced upon this mother in one part of the kennel, all with her innocent look and almost pleading eyes, they fell in love immediately.

Belly of Puppies

It was fate that led the couple to this particular dog, who upon seeing them immediately approached and started to lick their hands. She was pregnant and Mariesa could see that it was this pet that needed the most care among the others. Because she had unborn pups in her belly, it was only right that she give birth in a loving place where she and her babies would be properly cared for.

Right then and there, they decided that this brown, pregnant pit bull was the one. But the story doesn’t end there just yet, as what they found out later made them rethink their decision to adopt that would change all their lives forever.

Bred and Then Abandoned

Pit bulls are known to be fierce and tough, but the story of this pregnant canine was far from this idea of strength. Storie, what Mariesa named her, had a sad past.

She was bred by somebody who had a backyard dog business, but when the owners found that it was expensive to take care of pets, they left the animals at the nearest shelter, instead.

In Need of Love

Storie needed more love than ever, especially with her condition. There was no way that Chris and Mariesa would leave her at the shelter like that and vowed to make things right for their new family member.

It was hard enough that she was carrying pups in her belly and a shelter definitely was not the right place for her to give birth, much more raise her babies. However, that was not only problem with Storie. As it turns out, her condition was much more complicated.

Huge Pit Bull Fans

Chris and Mariesa weren’t just pet lovers — they were huge pit bull fans. You could often find them going from shelter to shelter looking at dogs to rescue. It is always tough to walk into a shelter and see all those dogs but not be able to take them home.

Rescuing dogs from shelters was not new to the couple but it is often the pit bull that catches their affections. For whatever reason whenever they see a pit bull in need of rescue they swoop in to save it. In fact, they have a whopping 10 dogs at home.

“Hotel” For Dogs

When you have multiple dogs like this couple, one of the first orders of business is their sleeping conditions. For a household with 10 or so canines, you would need to have plenty of beds to ensure every single one of them is comfortable. In the case of Chris and Mariesa, they got what they called a “megabed” to accommodate every one.

According to Chris, their dogs preferred to sleep on the bed. Since they were always being pushed out to the couch, they finally decided to build a dedicated bed that’s 7 feet wide and 14 feet long for all their pets to share. The couple wanted to sleep in their own bed, too, and found that this idea solved many problems when it comes to bedtime.

Something New

As their pet family grew, the couple realized that there was so much more they can do for rescued dogs. When they found out what Storie had been suffering through, even with plenty of pet experience on their belts, her case was something they haven’t encountered before.

Nothing could have prepared them for the ordeal that their new family member would be going through. After adopting dozens of dogs they thought they have seen it all, but this event would test their capabilities…

Loving Pet Parents

The couple no doubt shared an intense love for animals. In one interview with the local press, Mariesa admitted that some of her relationships in the past did not work out — and that she chose to leave — because her partners then were not as loving to pets as she was.

Most of them did not understand why she was so passionate about dogs, and some of them even objected whenever she brought home new rescues. It was always difficult for her to have and keep a partner as they always felt she was choosing the dogs over them.

This Time, It Was Different

When she met Chris she knew in heart that she had found the right man. Chris was a a fellow dog lover who was just as obsessed as she was with pets as she was and she had finally met her match!

Together, their affection for each and their animals grew — and so did the number of dogs in their shared home. They loved spending time together as well as with their dogs and Chris, a dog lover himself, did not mind the amount of time she spent with all the dogs.

Friendly Faces In These Places

A lot of rescue centers and animal shelters deal with problems that go beyond their resources. This is the reason they cannot possibly care for all the animals they want to rescue no matter how much the staff might want to.

When Chris and Mariesa went to the Pibbles & More Animal Rescue, they noticed that there was one particular breed of dogs that was present in overwhelming numbers: pit bulls. They had a hard time believing that these friendly dogs did not have a loving home to call their own. The lovebirds did not know it then, but one of these creatures would change their lives.

A Reputation They Did Not Deserve

Pit bulls have received a terrible reputation, although this is nothing more than one big understanding. You see, the features of this dog breed would be a large head and a muscular physique, although this is not indicative of the risk they actually pose.

Even though this is the case, a lot of states have deemed it illegal to have a pit bull as a pet. That is the reason animal shelters take care of so many pit bulls and there is a growing number of pit bulls that are put down compared to other dog breeds.

Trying To Change The Stigma

Chris and Mariesa were both aware that this is the case, which is why they took in as much pit bulls as their resources allowed. They felt the need to rescue as many and save as many of them from being put down as they can. They couldn’t bare the though of these dogs losing their life based on a “stigma”.

They never witnessed any violence from their pets whatsoever. This only made them want to help the lovely dogs, although they did not have a clue what fate was planning for them.

Loving And Loyal Creatures

Even though pit bulls are thought to be the most dangerous breed of dog out there, no research has actually come up with findings to support this claim. The truth is that they can be loving and loyal like any other dog breed. Of course, they might behave badly when mistreated.

However, this does not mean they are predisposed to act like terrible creatures. These dogs are actually amazing creatures when you give them a chance. At the shelter, one special pit bull was going to prove everyone wrong.

The Pups Should Have Popped Out Already

The staff at the center informed Mariesa and Chris that it was high time for Storie to deliver the puppies. In fact, she should have given birth by then.

They did not know why it has not yet happened, especially since the pooch looked ready to pop. What a precarious situation! What could possibly be going on?

Life And Death

This animal-loving couple knew right away that this meant trouble for the poor pit bull. This was not a good situation and some tough decisions lie ahead for this couple.

They had to make a decision on the spot since it could make the difference between life and death for the dog and her unborn puppies. This decision was heart wrenching for the both of them…

Helping The Soon-To-Be Mom

Time was of the essence in this case. Storie needed to be taken care of right that instant, but the couple had to think it over some more as to what wast the best choice to make…

When they were talking to each other, Storie rested her beautiful face on her prospective human’s knee and pleaded with her eyes. It was something the couple could not ignore, and Mariesa came, at that point, to a quick decision then.

Big Dog Family

She knew she would be bringing Storie home, but was this actually the right choice? After all, this meant that the big family would get one more member – if not more!

This was going to a big challenge, that much was for sure. However, they would soon learn that things were more complex than they seemed.

The Perfect Solution

Even though they were aware that keeping Storie would mean taking care of an additional 10 dogs, they did not want the pregnant dog momma to be at the shelter for longer than she needs to be.

Mariesa wanted to help Storie and give her a safe space to deliver the pups. They did not want to risk Storie and the pups lives but ending up in the wrong hands…

An Idea

The couple started to talk about it and weighed the pros and cons of bringing home Storie. Without a doubt, it was not a practical idea as they already had so many dogs and a lot of responsibility on their plates.

However, Chris suggested something that made perfect sense for the situation at hand. It sure seemed like their best bet, both for their family and for Storie and the pups.

Foster Parents

He suggested that they would foster Storie and her puppies. However, this was only going to be temporary as the animal rescue team would then look for their forever homes.

This was a good idea since they could not afford to keep more pets with their eight other dogs. This would allow them to take care of Storie till she gave birth and ensure all the puppies found a home after.

Another Problem

The suggestion was a brilliant one, but the problems did not end there. They still had to find out what was wrong with the pregnancy. They thought that would be easy to figure out but it ended up being much more difficult.

What was the reason Storie had not yet give birth even though she was close to bursting? This was the next thing they had to tackle. They needed to give the pregnancy the attention it deserved.

Looking For Answers Online

This was the first time they have ever encountered anything like this. There must be some reason Storie was unable or unwilling to give birth to the babies.

Chris and Mariesa had been worrying about it, so they decided to go to the internet and look for a way to address the issue. Did they find anything of relevance over there?

Terrifying

Unfortunately, they did not find a lot of reassuring things online. In fact, they came out even more worried about the situation then when they first started to search!

Well, this is normally what happens when you look for answers online. Chris and Marie felt even more anxious about the whole thing and began to get very nervous about the whole situation at hand…

Relationship Between Trauma And Birth

Humans have a tendency to underestimate just how intelligent most animals actually are. Especially dogs who are some of the smartest animals there are.

When Mariesa and Chris started to look for answers, they found out why a dog might resist the delivery of her puppies. They even found a source that seemed to perfectly describe what was happening.

Stressful Conditions

What did they learn? Research showed that animals often experience a lot of stress and even trauma when they live in rescue shelters.

Of course, pregnant dogs are more vulnerable to this. While shelters have the intention of helping animals in need, they get crowded quickly. A crowded place is not the best environment for a pregnant dog. A loving home such as Chris and Mariesa’s can make a big difference.

Realizing How Dangerous The Situation Is

Chris and Mariesa started to read up about the matter some more and realize things could escalate further. There was a possibility that Storie would lose her puppies.

Not only that, but she might also lose her life! They certainly had no idea how bad thing were. Can you believe that this is not all?

Traumatic Experiences

Mariesa found out that pregnant dogs experiencing trauma get so worried about the pups that they could chose to refuse delivery completely.

This situation happens since they are under the impression that the babies would be at risk…

Off To The Vet

Chris and Mariesa were able to tell that this was a precarious situation. They had to bring the pregnant pooch to the vet as soon as they could.

This was important if they wanted to ensure the safety of the babies. They popped back in the car and drove to the nearest vet.

What The Ultrasound Showed

The vet conducted an ultrasound scan on the dog, but she saw unbelievable results. She quickly shook her head almost in astonishment at what she was looking it. She has never seen something like this before…

How could this even be possible? There must have been some kind of mistake, is the machine broken? Is the machine sending back false signals? What was she even looking at!

Something Isn’t Right

What she saw there would change things for the couple and the others involved. Mariesa picked up on the fact that something was not right and the vet seemed deeply concerned.

However, nothing about the results changed or disappeared, not the shapes nor the numbers… It was true. right. What was it now?

The Shock Of A Lifetime

The veterinarian took a deep breath before she delivered the news. She went into an explanation of the abnormality she found in Storie’s womb.

They had been expecting to see six puppies, but this did not align with the ultrasound results. There were way more puppies being shown on the ultrasound, something entirely out of the norm…

Frozen In Shock

The vet pointed to the outlines and then counted them for the couple. Chris and Mariesa then figured out what was happening.

They were now in shock as well. They were told that Storie would have six puppies, but the ultrasound revealed that this was not true. What exactly was going on?

A Development No One Expected

The vet did not expect this either. She tried to count again. After this, she gave it another round and even called in an assistant to double check her work.

The assistant confirmed that the results were always the same. At last, she figured out there was no choice but to tell them what it was…

Unexpected

Chris and Mariesa had been expecting six puppies, but the vet knew this was wrong. The pregnant dog was carrying not six puppies but was in fact carrying twelve!

Yes, that is twice the number of dogs they were expecting. At any rate, Storie had TWELVE puppies in her womb. How were they going to solve this mess?

Disbelief

The lovebirds could not believe what they just heard. How could this happen? Six dogs already sounded like too much but twelve?

Clearly, the problem was even more serious than they originally thought. Was Storie going to be okay? Was she going to deliver all twelve of her babies? Let us find out.

Go Home And Wait

Even the vet had no idea why Storie had yet to give birth to her large litter of puppies. This was troubling some of the most experience vets in the area as she had called on her colleagues for advice.

At the very least, the ultrasounds showed her that the puppies were all fine. That was a huge relief for everyone! What was next for them?

Preparation

The vet said that the best thing they could do was head home and get ready for the birth. If Storie still had not given birth after 48 hours, they should return for yet another examination.

Chris and Mariesa did not know it at the time, but Storie actually had a great reason to wait.

The Parents Are Anxious

You can probably imagine how stressed Chris and Mariesa had been at that moment. Storie was not only in danger of losing six babies but a dozen of these babies.

They could not help but feel anxious about the following 48 hours. Was Storie going to be all right if she failed to deliver the pups in that timeframe?

A Brilliant Idea

It is easy to see that this was a dangerous and terrible situation at the same time. However, there seemed to be nothing they could do for Storie.

The only thing left to do was make her feel at home. When they went home, Mariesa came up with a clever plan.

Giving Her A Space Of Her Own

By that point, Chris and Mariesa already went through a lot of articles about trauma and stress. They knew how hard things have been on Storie.

They tried to help her by giving her a very inviting space. Mariesa chose a spot in a spare bedroom. She even placed pillows and blankets for the dog.

Sanctuary

After that, they showed Storie her new sanctuary and prayed for the best. The could never have imagined what was going to happen next…

Chris and Mariesa gave it their all because they wanted to make it just right for the pooch. They even kept track of the room temperature and noise level in there.

Oblivious

The couple did not know that something incredible was going to happen there.

The two of them headed of to bed for the night and then went to see how Storie was doing upon waking up. They wanted to see if she was feeling better and more comfortable.

Extraordinary

As Mariesa and Chris headed to the room where they left the pit bull, they could hear some curious noises.

They hurried and entered the bedroom. They did not expect to see what they laid their eyes on!

During The Night

They entered the spare bedroom. Much to their delight, they found Storie in there with her 12 adorable puppies!

She was able to deliver them all while the two of them slept. What an incredible sight it was.

Thrilled

Mariesa and Chris were reduced to tears by what they saw. Who would have thought Storie was finally going to deliver the pups?

They were thrilled. Soon enough, they learned just why she waited so long.

A Dozen Puppies

When dogs give birth to puppies at the shelter, it often becomes stressful for both the mom and babies.

Storie was somehow aware that the shelter was not a good place for anyone to give birth in an environment like that one. This is the reason she decided to wait for someone like Chris and Mariesa

Less Than A Day

Isn’t it incredible that Storie only had to spend one whole day, even less, with Chris and Mariesa to feel comfortable around them?

She was so at home she even delivered her litter of puppies! What made it even more special was the fact that no one understands what was going on. Good job, Storie!

A Great Dog Mama

Storie was great when it came to looking after the puppies. Well, what else did you expect from the best dog mother in the entire world?

It did not take long before people started to file adoption cases for the dogs. The couple already knew that they would not get to keep the puppies for a long time. Was Storie going to be okay with letting the puppies go?

Puppies For Adoption

After several weeks, the puppies finally opened their eyes. Mariesa and Chris had been enjoying the time they had with the litter of puppies.

The babies took over the yard and goofed around with one another. You know what puppies are like! Storie was happy to have all of her pups with her. Sadly, the time came for them to say goodbye…

Waiting For A Little TLC

When Storie was taken to a good and secure environment, she was able to let her body do the work and deliver the puppies.

This was how she got to welcome the puppies, all twelve of them. However, what was next for her and the babies? Let us find out.

A Pack Of Her Own

It seems like Storie knew just what she needed to give birth to her babies. All she wanted was the feeling of protection and security!

The foster couple managed to give her these things, which was how she birthed her twelve strong puppies. She sure is one smart dog.

Heading For Their New Homes

It is impressive to hear that they managed to find foster parents willing to adopt the puppies when they were 10 weeks old.

Chris and Mariesa might have adored the babies, but they simply did not have the means to keep them. They had to give them up for adoption, sadly. It was a heartbreaking moment, but it was the right thing to do.

10 Weeks Old

When they were 10 weeks old, the puppies were brought to their new homes. We’re glad to hear that, but what would become of Storie?

The puppies were all in good hands now, but what about their mother? After risking her life for her children, this wonderful mother deserves only the best.

Her Forever Home

It is not all that surprising to hear that the story went viral when it was posted on Facebook. The inspiring story of Storie reached someone who fell in love with her right away.

This man then contacted Chris and Mariesa to schedule an appointment. He wanted to meet this lovely dog and then see from there. What did he have to say?

They All Found Homes!

He ended up loving Storie even more and decided to take her with him! Storie has, at long last, made her way to her forever home.

She and the rest of the puppies were then taken to their amazing homes. Not only that, but she also got spayed to prevent any more massive pregnancies. Let us hope she never has to go through anything like that ever again!

The Best Dog Mom

Even though Storie gave birth to a large number of puppies, she still remembered to give them the attention and love they deserved.

When she was still with them, she was the image of a perfect mom. Aren’t you excited to hear such a lovely thing?

The End Was Nearing

Chris and Mariesa were both happy and proud to see Storie accomplish such a big feat.

She even cleaned and nursed the puppies while she waited for them to reach a good health status. Sadly, the couple did not have much more time with them…

If Not For Them

The twelve pups all went to loving houses they now get to call their forever homes. They are glad this is the case because they will never run out of love and affection now.

Storie stayed with Chris and Mariesa until each of the puppies were taken. Her maternal instincts are still as bright as can be.

A Crucial Chance

If Mariesa and Chris failed to take a chance on her, some very terrible things would have happened to her and the babies.

We are happy that they took a chance on the incredibly pregnant dog they found in the crowded animal shelter. Otherwise, things would have gotten a much sadder ending. Whew!

A Happy Note

Even though the story of Storie had a happily ever after, there are so many dogs out there who will never get to find a forever home.

Shelters typically need plenty of help to take good care of the animals. If you are unable to foster a dog for some reason, you can do more by checking out your other options.

Helping Out

Of course, it is always a good idea to take in a new dog if you can. However, you can opt to donate money or spread the word about the shelter or rescue home.

These might sound like little things, but they will go a long way to help the people who work in the shelters.

The Mr. Mo Project

Mariesa and Chris are the founders of a nonprofit organization that looks after elderly and sick dogs. It is called the Mr. Mo Project.

The dogs that fall under these categories have a high risk of euthanasia, so the couple wants to look for places they could call their forever homes. The project also takes care of medical and living expenses. The “fospice” homes, meanwhile, provide care and love.

A Family Affair

If you can adopt or foster dogs, you should always keep this story in mind. There is no need to fret if you do not think you have enough bed space for all the dogs you want to adopt.

Should that ever happen, try to follow in the footsteps of Mariesa and Chris. Although the average king bed measures 6.6 feet long, theirs is nearly double that! This is an option you might want to consider.

Happy Holidays!

By this point, you should know better than anyone how much Mariesa and Chris love dogs. You can even check out the Instagram account for ‘The Mr. Mo Project’.

On that account, they posted this photo with a caption that read, “Happy Easter and Passover from our dog house to yours #happyeaster #happypassover #lifeinthedoghouse #mrmoproject #gomrmo #18dogsandcounting #72paws #rescuelife #shelterdogs #rescuesdog #seniordogrescue #adoptdontshop #multidoghousehold #siblinggoals #squadgoals #packlife #easterbunnies #easterpictures #love #proudparents”.

She Looked Like She Was Pregnant With 30 Puppies, Then Vet Gives Mom The X-Ray is an article from: LifeDaily

When it comes to the ways we interact with society, there are a lot of things we take for granted on an every day basis. We expect to be treated with basic decency and respect by the strangers that we interact with, especially in situations where we’re spending our money. Unfortunately that does not always occur and sometimes when it happens and people are treated poorly the consequences are astonishing…

But if there’s one thing that’s true in this world, it’s that for all our lofty ideals about all men being equal in the eyes of God and the law, different types of people are treated in very different ways. Just as in The Prince and The Pauper, the very rich and the very poor may as well be living in two different worlds. The way this one man was treated for the sheer fact of how he lived has angered many who have called for a change!

Living on the Street

Nobody wakes up one day and say’s “I want to be homeless”. Many people walk by or encounter people who live on the street on a daily basis in big cities and in small. It is often a misconception that these people chose this life or made poor choices so that is why they are where they are. In some cases that is definitely true but in others there are many other reasons…

Whether it be mental illness or just “falling on hard times” there are many reasons that can lead a person to become homeless. Emory was the latter who tried to live a productive life and do the right thing but kept finding himself falling down and unable to get back up.

Forgery Arrest

Years before he ever stepped foot in a Burger King for breakfast, Emory made an awful mistake. Down and out on his luck he needed money badly to pay for basic life needs. Unable to find a stable job or even an odd job Emory made the bad decision of trying to steal in order to get money.

Emoy decided he would forge a check in order to get some free cash. This was a bad decisions as he was not an “experienced” forger. As you can imagine, Emory was quickly arrested on charges. Luckily for him though he got off with a break and only received probation. The probation he received would later cause mass trouble for Emory….

Breakfast Time

Emory now free and back living on the street was trying to stay on the straight and narrow. He decided he would live a more productive life and was actually picking up small jobs to earn cash that he was able to use. While he was still homeless he put the life of crime behind him….

It was a November morning in Boston when Emory walked into a Burger King. Like every other customer in the store, the 37-year-old man was there because he was hungry and while it may not be the healthiest way to start the day, breakfast at a fast food restaurant is nothing if not quick and inexpensive.

Simple Transaction

Emory went to the counter, placed his order, then handed the cashier a $10 bill, just as millions of other people would do around the country every single day. But this time, it would result in the kind of treatment no other Burger King customer would have to deal with…

The cashier immediately looked at Emory as if he was trying to determine what type of person he was. While it wasn’t blatantly obvious he was homeless he also wasn’t totally “up to keep”. The cashier looked at him up and down and Emory had no idea why….

Hold On

Rather than ringing him up and handing him a receipt then moving on to the next customer while his food was prepared, the cashier stopped and took a close look at the bill. The cashier was acting very odd and Emory was beginning to get nervous. He felt like he was being profiled and asked “is everything alright?”.

The cashier told him to wait a minute as he walked to the back of the restaurant. At this point Emory began looking over his shoulder totally embarrassed by what was occurring. What he didn’t know was what the cashier was going to come back and say to him…

The Accusation

As he stood there he noticed the cashier walking oddly back towards him, almost with a grin on his face. As the cashier approached Emory asked again “is everything alright?”. The cashier then smiled and said “good try” to Emory. Emory had no idea what the cashier was talking about and asked him what did he mean?

Emory was then surprised when the cashier accused him of trying to use counterfeit money. The cashier had said the $10 bill that Emory had handed to him was a fake and that he was calling the police. Emory now totally embarrassed could not believe what was going on, but it was about to get worse…

Treated Differently

Being treated differently from most people wasn’t exactly unfamiliar to Emory. He was a homeless person, which meant he was used to people looking down on him or thinking he was up to no good, whether or not they had any cause to.

This was different, he was not being accused of a crime! It is one thing to look down or feel pity for him but it is an entirely different thing to accuse him of using counterfeit money to purchase his breakfast. This was not a good situation for someone like Emory to be in…

Fine, I’ll Go

But in this situation where he was just trying to buy a meal like everyone else, it came as something of a shock. Still without any food in his belly, Emory was willing to just take his $10, all the money he had to his name, and leave. While he found it ridiculous that he was being accused of this he didn’t want any trouble.

He figured that if this Burger King wasn’t willing to treat him with respect, he would get his breakfast elsewhere. There were plenty of places to eat and he was not going to give them his business or be treated so disrespectfully.

No Money Back

Emory at this point politely asked the cashier if he can have his money back so he can go eat somewhere else as they did not want his business. The restaurant refused to give him his money back. Emory was in complete disbelief.

While to most of us $10 may be a nominal amount but to a homeless person who only has $10 to their name it was everything. He could not just leave without his money as he needed that money to eat that day, it was all the he had. He asked them to please just give him his money and he will go. They said no and had other plans for him…

Call to 911

The workers at this Burger King instead of just returning the mans money decided that they would call the police. They were confident that this man was using stolen money to make a purchase and they wanted to teach him a lesson so he would not return and try it again.

The question you have to ask yourself is if this was not a homeless man would he be accused of such a thing? Would an ordinary person be put in this kind of situation and accused of using fake money? It is something that Emory asked himself as he waited…

Police On Way

Emory decided to stay and wait for the police to come because he needed that money badly and couldn’t leave without it. He tried to talk some sense into the cashier and the rest of the staff while he waited for the cops to arrive.

He figured that when the cops arrived they would sort it all out and realize it was not fake money that he was using. The police would give him his money back and he would be able to go on his way and find somewhere else to eat. Boy was he wrong….

The Police Arrive

It was still early in the morning when a squad car with officers pulled into the Burger King parking lot after receiving a call that a man had tried to purchase a meal using fake money. It is not a usual call that officers get but none the less when they are called, they show up.

The officers walked into the Burger King expecting a commotion but saw a man calmly standing there as well a few workers mulling around. They were unsure who were the involved parties were but were immediately called over by the employee’s so they can explain the situatoin.

The Accusation

The workers at the Burger King told the officers what had happened and why they made the call. The officers had asked the workers to see the $10 bill as well as many other questions such as if Emory has ever tried this before and if he was a frequent patron.

After watching the officers speak with the employee’s Emory felt confident that he would get his money back and be able to leave. He figured the officers had to recognize a $10 bill when they saw one. As Emory stood there and waited he had no idea what was coming for him…

The Arrest

The police walked over to Emory and asked him his side of the story. Emory explained what was going on and implored the officers to take a look at the bill. Thinking that once they did look at the bill this whole mis-understanding would go away Emory was relatively calm.

The officers said they had looked at the bill and they believed it was fake. They questioned him a bit more to ask where he got the bill from and Emory could not believe it. Then without hesitation they arrested Emory on the spot…

Terrible Day

Instead of starting the day off with a hot meal, Emory Ellis was starting it off with a ride in the back of a squad car. On the ride to the police house Emory could not believe what was happening to him. He felt he was profiled for being homeless and felt this was totally unfair.

As they pulled up to the police station it began to dwell on Emory that he was in serious trouble. While he did nothing wrong he did not have the means to defend himself. Emory was officially charged with forgery of a bank note, a crime that can carry a life sentence…

Even Worse

On top of the hefty jail crime he could be facing, the arrest would have an even more harmful impact on Emory’s life than it might have for another person. As mentioned earlier Emory was currently on probation for forgery, although this time he really didn’t do it!

This arrest triggered a probation violation for him, which meant he would be held without bail. Emory would have to sit in jail for no reason at all until his final probation violation hearing. This was a bad situation…

Locked Up

Emory Ellis was not sitting in jail, locked up behind bars, for almost 3 months.. As Emory sat in jail wondering why this was happening to him he also had to question his past decisions that landed him here. It still felt brutally unfair that he was in prison because someone profiled him and then the police didn’t believe him.

Emory had to wait for the bill to be verified. This is done by having the bill sent to the Secret Service, the arm of the justice system that deals with counterfeit money. They would then inspect the bill to determine if it was real or not…

Free At last

After the investigation was completed by the Secret Service and Justice system they determined the bill was not a counterfeit. Their investigation proved what Emory had been saying all along, the $10 bill was real…

The prosecution then admitted that no crime had been committed and the charges against him were dropped. A judge also subsequently determined that there’d been no crime, thus no probation violation and Emory was finally released from jail. But his next ordeal was just about to begin…

Still Not Right

Just because he was out of jail, everything wasn’t automatically right with the world. Emory had lost over 3 months of his life to this foolishness, not to mention being subjected to the fear of being locked away for the rest of his life. As an icing on the cake, he didn’t even get his $10 back…

Emory was not back on the street without any money and his dignity lost. To make matters worse he was fearful of now returning back to jail for things he did not do but would be accused of. These were not good times and made it harder for emory to “get back on his feet”. Emory was looking to seek revenge, to right this wrong…

Wanting Revenge

Emory seething with anger wanted revenge. He wanted someone to pay for the 3 months he lost and the embarrassing ordeal he was put through. Instead of turning to violence though he turned to the law. He felt someone had to pay for what had happened to him both literally and figuratively.

Emory secured the services of a lawyer to get some sort of restitution for the way he’d been treated. He secured the services of a lawyer called, Justin Drechsler, who filed a lawsuit against Burger King, the cashier, and Two Guys Foods, Inc. which was the franchisee.

3 Months Gone

Justin Drechsler sat in his office as Emory told him everything that had happened to him. Justin felt just like Emory did that someone had to pay for this and he was the man to make that happen. Emory felt confident his attorney could get the job done. Justin worked quickly to draft up a formal complaint.

The complaint said that Emory suffered “public humiliation and shame, sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression” because of his arrest and incarceration. “He’s expressed to me many times how much it sucks to lose 3 months of your life,” Drechsler said…

Damages

The suit alleges that Emory was discriminated against because he appeared unkempt and seeks damages for civil rights violations, defamation, theft of Emory’s money, and compensation for the months he spent in lockup. In total, they were seeking $950,000 in damages…

Justin spent much time crafting this complaint and ensured it covered every aspect that Emory told him. He felt the complaint should properly demonstrate the pain that Emory went through and to let the public know how this man was treated.

Racial Factor

Though their lawsuit did not say that Emory was discriminated against because he was black, his attorney, Drechsler suspected that Emory’s race was a factor, combined with his disheveled appearance.

He said that if a white man in a suit such as himself had handed the same $10 bill to the same cashier on that same day, there would never have been a question of its legitimacy.

It Would Be Different

Even if they were, he said, the cashier would probably have apologized and said he couldn’t accept the money and it would have ended there. The police never would have been involved, Drechsler said…

Drechsler knew that this could be a controversial point to make but he felt it was necessary to point out the hypocrisy in all of this from the cashier’s actions all the way to the police officers actions.

‘Who Cares?’

“A person like me would’ve gotten an apology, but a person like Emory somehow finds his way in handcuffs for trying to pay for his breakfast with real money,” the attorney added emphatically.

“People will say, ‘He was homeless. Who cares if he went to jail for 3 months,'” he added. Unfortunately Mr. Drechsler had a fair point and was making an argument most people could agree with.

Freedom

Drechsler when describing his dealings with the insurance company for Burger King said: “And even when you negotiate with these insurance companies [for the franchisee], they’ll say, ‘Well, he didn’t lose any wages.'”

Drechsler continued. “He lost his g**damn freedom! You think wages mean anything?” Two Guys Foods (the operator of the Burger King where the incident occurred) offered Emory a $10,000 settlement but was turned down. “We didn’t think that was nearly sufficient,” Drechsler said. “$10,000 is a nuisance money offer.”

Not About Money

Still splitting his nights between friends’ couches, shelters and, when there’s no other option, the street, this isn’t about the money for Emory. “Acts of discrimination, subtle and not so subtle happen every day and most of them don’t see the light of day because most of them don’t result in any consequences,” said Drechsler.

Drechsler continued: “If Emory was in it for a quick buck, he would have just taken the $10,000. How many homeless people do you know that would turn down that money.”

Burger Kings Statement

A Burger King Corp. spokesperson said the company does not tolerate discrimination “of any kind” but cannot comment on the specifics of this case.

The company went on to say that the franchisee, Two Guys Foods, Inc. is responsible for employee training and handling legal matters about the location.

Seeking Damages

The lawsuit filed was first reported by the digital legal news service Law360 was filed in a Suffolk Superior Court. They are seeking damages for $950,000.

While this is not about money Emory feels he should be compensated for the 3 months he had to spend in jail as well as all the other things he dealt with. To him the $950,00 would make someone pay for what happened to him and he can have a second chance at life.

Viral Story

This story was eventually picked up by the national news and went viral on the internet. It sparked a conversation online about treating people the right way, discrimination and how things like this should be handled in the future.

Emory was glad that this story made it’s rounds as he felt it was important for people to know he was a real person to and that even though he was homeless it does not mean he should be treated differently then others.

Homeless Man Sues Burger King For a Million Dollars, Over 3 Months Spent In Jail Without Proof is an article from: LifeDaily

It seemed like a normal day when Mike took out his metal detector to see what he can find. He let his mind wander while he absentmindedly swept the area as he walked. Suddenly the machine started to beep furiously.

Jolted back into the moment, Mike could feel the adrenaline pumping through him as his excitement mounted. What had he just found? The answer to that sent him running to call the police.

A Grey Day

It was a rainy day like any other when Mike headed outside. While pursuing his hobby, he had become accustomed to being outside in all kinds of weather, including grey and rainy weather, so it didn’t bother him in the least.

He enjoyed swinging his metal detector back and forth as he walked, never knowing what he might find. It was a calming peaceful experience. This time as no different, that is until his metal detector started screeching.

Buried Treasure

Everyone gets excited by the idea of finding buried treasure, especially children. There are any number of children’s games that involve trying to find something hidden. Who doesn’t love playing ‘hide and seek’ or going on Easter egg hunts?

There is a special kind of thrill in finding something hidden after spending so much time trying to find it. This kind of thrill is part of why Mike enjoyed his hobby so much. Though he never would have expected what he was about to find.

Paying Off

The thrill of finding something that has long been buried under the ground and forgotten. You never know what you might find. This was the situation Mike was about to find himself in on this rainy day.

Mike felt his heart start racing as his metal detector started to beep. What had just found? An old coin? A simple metal can? Not in his wildest dreams would mike have guessed what he had just stumbled across.

History Buff

Mike has always been somewhat of a history buff. That is why the thought of what he found that day is something that excites him to this day. The idea of unearthing something that had been buried for so long was unthinkable.

Out of everything that he has ever discovered, this particular discovery will always be his favorite. As a lover of history, Mike never imagined he would ever find such an amazing historical object.

Uncommon Hobby

Generally, it’s not uncommon to find people shopping, reading, playing games, or watching TV in their spare time. Some people have more uncommon hobbies such as painting, the theatre, or fishing. Mike had an even more unique hobby.

Mike is a Detectorist. That’s the name for people like Mike who like to search for objects with a metal detector. He spends days on beaches or in fields just looking to see what he might find.

Addictive

Mike doesn’t often find anything very big or terribly important. However, the hobby is an addictive one that keeps Mike coming back again and again. Mike searches areas that he thinks have a relatively high chance of success.

As much as he has to deal with let downs and not finding anything. Sometimes though he gets lucky and all his hard work pays off in the end. Nothing else has ever paid off as much as this day would, however.

A Certain Kind Of Person

Not many people are willing to brave the elements the way that Mike has to on occasion. Mike is outside in everything from sunshine to rain and snow to pursue his hobby. This is the nature of the hobby.

The weather in Pembrokeshire, in the United Kingdom where Mike lives is often very rainy and wet. This means that much of his time is spent in the cold and wet while he searches for lost treasures.

Little Hope

Not only do detectorists have to brave all kinds of terrain and weather, they also have to deal with a lot of disappointment as they rarely find anything of value. Often they merely find junk or trash.

Mike hadn’t had much luck in the area. The old pennies that he often dug up were naturally not of much value. However, Mike’s luck was about to change and in a very big way. This would be a day to remember.

Change Of Plans

Mike had a field that he liked to take his metal detector to. He enjoyed searching that field often but today he would not be able to scour his favorite field but he didn’t know that yet.

There had been a steady downpour that week. When Mike reached his favorite field he was disappointed to discover that it was completely waterlogged. He would need to make a different plan.

Luck Was About To Change

Mike had to go to a different field and eventually chose a new one at random. He had a strange inexplicable feeling that today was going to be special. He had no idea that something lay out there in that field just waiting to be found.

Mike geared up and headed out into the field. He started his usual search pattern, his metal detector waving back and forth as he trudged through the rain and mud unaware of what awaited him.

Never Give Up

As Mike walked through this new field he was excited to see what the day would hold. He had no idea that this would be his lucky day. Maybe he would find an interesting old coin or something similar.

However, this field would not only have something to offer, but it would be the biggest and most important find Mike had ever made. This field held an ancient secret and decided that today it would reveal what it was hiding.

Out There Somewhere

Mike had been waving his detector in a wide arc as usual with no luck. Suddenly he heard the tell-tale beep start to come from it. Something was nearby. All he had to do now was to pinpoint it.

He started to walk around to narrow down the location of the object. The beeping wouldn’t stop, however. This wasn’t making any sense. How could he not be narrowing down the location of this object?

Hope Springs Eternal

Mike was very confused. How was it possible that he couldn’t isolate the source? It simply made no sense. After a while he could only assume that his gear wasn’t working properly. That had to be the only solution.

Even though his gear wasn’t working properly Mike was determined not to give up. There was something nagging at his thoughts. Something kept urging him to keep on searching. Despite the weather and his faulty equipment he pushed on.

What’s This?

The only other thing that it could mean was that there was something very big underneath him. That seemed highly unlikely but Mike needed to know the truth. What was going on?

His curiosity finally got the better of him and he wasn’t about to give up on what might be the biggest day of his life. Little did he know how right he was. It would be a day he’d never forget.

Imagination Gone Wild

Mike had no choice but to start digging; after all, he couldn’t ignore that there was a chance that something incredible beneath the ground. He began to dig in the spot he chose with no idea what to expect.

Ideas started running through his mind and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was about to happen to him. He began imagining all kinds of things as he kept digging deeper and deeper. What lay below him? he wondered.

Digging Through The Dirt

He had to abandon the piece of equipment, pull out a trowel, and then start to dig. The wet dirt did not stand a chance, and he soon found a round chunk of metal in the soil.

He couldn’t imagine what this metal object could be. He kept digging to try and clear it out so that he could see just what he had found.

Digging Deep

He used his hands to dig through it until he got a solid grip on it. He couldn’t wait to see just what he had found. Could it be something interesting?

He then tried to pull it out with all the might he could muster but despite his best efforts it wouldn’t budge. What could possibly be buried here?

More And More

This rusty piece of metal just would not move no matter how much he tried to pull it out. Again and again, he tried but with no luck.

Refusing to give up, however, Mike continued to try before stopping to reconsider his options. Mike decided he would have better luck if he dug around this mystery object.

Can’t Give Up Now

As he started to clear the soil around the metal thing, he learned that it was actually connected to something else. What could it be?

What was so heavy underneath this soil that he couldn’t move it even one inch, no matter how much he tried to? He couldn’t stop now!

Uncovering The Mystery

He kept digging and then uncovered another link, and then a third one. The more he uncovered the more perplexed Mike became at the sight that was unfolding before him.

When the realization dawned upon him, he felt a chill run through his body. He was filled with a mixture of shock, excitement, and confusion as he looked down. He couldn’t believe what he was looking at.

A Chain Link

He had stumbled into a strange object, that much was clear. It came with iron links that did not seem to end. He couldn’t imagine why there was a chain buried in this field.

He unraveled more things as he went deeper into the soil. What was it attached to? Mike’s curiosity drove him on to uncover more and more of this mysterious find.

Left In The Dark

As he went on, he eventually realized that it was turning into night. The light was fading and he couldn’t see what he was doing anymore. He rushed to his car to get a flashlight so that he could keep going.

He could not help but curse when he found out that he did not have a flashlight on him. As much as he pained him he knew he had to abandon his find for the night. He couldn’t solve the mystery within the day.

The Stuff Of Nightmares

He hardly got some shut-eye that same night, and he told only his closest friends about what he saw. Mike came up with several theories about what he might find connected to that rusty old chain.

That night his dreams were filled with all the crazy and scary possibilities of this find. He slept restlessly, part of him just eager to get back out there and solve the mystery.

It Could Be Dangerous

Could there be something terrible down there? Mike was starting to get worried that he was not uncovering something unique and awesome, but rather something that someone did not want to be discovered.

There could be any number of explanations for what he was finding and not all of them pointed to something good let alone something that needed to be uncovered and dug up… Could he be in more trouble than he thought?

Thinking Positive Thoughts

He previously read about old burial sites that were lying underneath Pembrokeshire, although this was not a comforting thought whatsoever.

Could this be one of those sites? He was hoping it wasn’t, but he had no idea what he was about to uncover. He was getting nervous.

Scared And Nervous

This uncertainty only filled him with a sense of horror! He knew he needed to think more positively in such an uncertain situation.

He wasn’t going to walk away from this scene, but he was anxious to see what would happen next. As scared as he was, Mike was determined to solve this mystery no matter where it led him.

Mysteries All-Around

It was not lost on him that Pembrokeshire has been described to be a land of enchantment and mystery by the unknown author of the 11-century folktale collection known as The Mabinogion.

These were fantastical folktales from the area, filled with all manner of magical and mysterious creatures, peoples, and events. The only thing Mike knew for certain was that anything could be possible.

Surrounded By The Sea

The last rocky Welsh outpost is surrounded by the Celtic Sea and continues to be steeped in myth and legend. There was so much mystery and there were so many questions about what Mike was about to find.

All the questions that ran through his mind both scared and excited Mike. The possibilities seemed endless so finding out the answer to the mystery was just that much more enticing.

What Was In Store For Him

With so many tales of magical and wonderful creatures and beings as well as being an area with a long and rich history. it is no wonder it has since become known as one of the world’s most haunted places.

Mike disregarded these thoughts and simply stayed determined to solve the mystery he had begun to uncover. However, Mike did not know that he was about to go face-to-face with the eerie past of the country.

By Daybreak

As soon as the day broke out, he already found himself outside. He headed for the site right away. He needed to find out what was lying at the other end of that mysterious chain.

Once he got to the field, Mike parked his car and walked to the spot where he had been the day before. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the site had been untouched since he left it. Mike set to work again.

Getting The Authorities Involved

What secrets could be lying there for such a long time? He did not think that it would lead to authorities on the field later that day. Little did he know that this was exactly what was about to happen.

Mike set about uncovering more and more of the mysterious object until he came across something he never dreamed of. What was about to happen would surprise everyone who was helping out at the scene.

Something Chilling

Mike found the site the same way he left it. He was ready to get back to digging, although he was feeling some trepidation this time around.

He worked with a new fervor as he continued to uncover the object he discovered the day before. As he uncovered more of this strange object, he noticed something. It sent a chill through his spine.

Close To Solving The Mystery

The trowel then hit a smooth surface. He could not stop his eyes from going wide when he wiped off the dirt and found something brown and hard.

He couldn’t believe what he was looking at. The more he cleaned off the dirt, the less he could believe what he was seeing. He knew he had to call someone immediately!

A Sinister Find

He was a metal detecting hobbyist, so he knew the laws that came with his findings. However, not once did he expect he would have to call the authorities.

Despite knowing the laws that were involved in finding something of value, Mike never imagined that he would have to make that call. He expected to make the call he did even less. He had never been in this situation before!

Uncovering The Bones

The dig had been nothing more than a fun excursion in the beginning, but he learned that he was out of his depth as soon as he discovered human remains. What could this possibly mean?

When he started his hobby as a Detectionist, Mike had imagined finding all manner of things. This, however, was not something he had imagined. There could be so many outcomes from this discovery…

Calling Someone To Help

Mike inspected the object he had in his hands and was terrified when it dawned on him that he was holding a tooth! To be specific, it was a molar. He shuddered when he realized that something was amiss here.

The more he examined the tooth, the more uneasy he felt for some reason. Then it finally hit him and he realized just what it was that he held in his hand. Mike reeled from the shock.

Ringing The Authorities

Mike got in touch with the officials at the National Museum of Wales before anyone else. However, they only laughed at him when he made the call!

He had expected any number of possible responses to his discovery. Shock. Horror. Awe. He most certainly had not been expecting laughter. They didn’t believe a word he was saying to them!

He Wasn’t Lying

“What the archaeologists said at the time was that because there had never been a find down here before, they didn’t believe it,” he recounted during an interview.

Mike couldn’t imagine that anyone would make up a story like this. He was an honest man and most certainly would not lie about something this serious. How could he prove that he was telling the truth?

How To Convince Them

Mike needed to convince them that he was telling the truth, so he dropped that he had reason to believe that there were human remains there. As soon as he said this, they changed their attitude in no time.

The news that there were remains turned his story from something amusing into something sinister and serious that had to be investigated one way or another. But what would they uncover when they did?

They Were Speechless

Mike waited for them to arrive. When they finally did he could see that they were still skeptical about his story but they were also worried. What he said he found could have serious implications.

They asked him to guide them there. “The look on their faces when they saw it said it all,” he said. Mike was just thankful that they took him seriously and came to help him.

The Excavation Process

This was how the excavation began that June. Archaeologists found two rusted iron chariot wheels. This was what they needed to confirm that this was a promising discovery.

What they discovered was something extraordinary. No one had imagined that there was a site like this right under their noses all this time. It was a Celtic chariot burial site!

Bragging To His Friends

What Mike had stumbled across was a complete chariot that had been buried there. It was not an uncommon tradition at a certain time in history to do so but finding a site like that was exceptionally rare.

“My first find was a Celtic horse harness junction piece,” Mike informed reporters. “When I found it my friends said I would never top it, but the next day I went back and found the rest.” There was more.

What Else Was There?

After he dug a hole around eight inches deep into the ground, Mike discovered other decorative items such as a brooch, bronze bridle fittings, and some tool handles.

What were these items from? He couldn’t wait until everything was pieced together properly. The wait seemed endless but in the end the results were well worth the wait.

Entering With Caution

All of these items had turned green from all the corrosion, although the bronze bits were still wrapped in bright red enamel. He wanted to be very careful with these items, of course, as he didn’t know if they were valuable!

Mike carefully excavated the pieces he could find and made sure not to damage them. He was excited and amazed to be part of such a huge and magnificent discovery.

He Was Blown Away

“This is unprecedented,” he said, “and underneath the chariot, there is still the three-meter metal anomaly. If you go by other chariot finds there could be weapons or it could even be treasure.”

There was so much more that could potentially be uncovered based of what had been found at similar sites around the world. He couldn’t believe what he found.

Achieving His Dream

It was not unheard of to find a burial chariot dating from the period all over Europe. However, what made it so special was the fact that this was the first one they found in the United Kingdom.

Mike may have dreamed of finding treasure but never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine that he would be part of finding something so extraordinary and unique.

Is This Real Life?

“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “Obviously I’ve read other people’s finds. I’ve watched them on the telly, and I’ve always thought, I wouldn’t mind finding that, it’s still surreal, and life-changing.”

To be like the people he had watched on TV and envied in the past was incredible. The more they discovered the more amazing it was. He thought he was dreaming!

A Gut Feeling

He went on, “It was just instinct. I’d read all about chariot burials and just wished it could have been me, so finding this has been a privilege.”

Now that his hobby has led to a major discovery, the location has since come under legal protection. This was done in an attempt to protect the site from all manner of dangers such as looters.

Seeking Answers

Aside from that, Mike needed to sell the artifacts that he got there from the day before the actual excavation under the law. What did he get anyway?

There were so many things that he found that he wanted answers about. With this in mind, he approached the experts to discover the truth about the pieces that he had dug up.

Following The Law

Aside from that, Mike needed to sell all of the artifacts that he got there, even from the day before the actual excavation; it was a very strict law he was dealing with.

Mike knew that if he kept anything from his amazing find, he could end up in some seriously hot water. He didn’t keep anything a secret and handed everything over as the law required. What did he get, anyway?

Following The Law

Overall, he discovered a total of 34 items. They were then sold to the museum, but it is good to hear that he got compensated for them handsomely.

He needed to split the profit he made with the person who owned the land he discovered them in. Mike had no problem with this as it seemed only fair. It wasn’t on his land after all.

High Demand Findings

The treasure has since become a very sought-after prize! As a testament to that, the National Museum of Wales also wanted to get them for the archives. This was indeed a big deal.

Mike couldn’t believe that what started as a regular day became something he’d remember forever. He never imagined that when his favorite field was flooded, he would make a choice that would lead to something like this.

Exciting Iron Age Discovery

A National Museum of Wales spokesman said the site was a very exciting Iron Age discovery that could be developed into a bigger project in the future. “Full excavation of the site and analysis of the find will need to be carried out before we can fully understand its importance. The site now enjoys legal protection.”

They added: “A preliminary excavation of the site where the artifacts were found was carried out jointly by Amgueddfa Cymru and Dyfed Archaeological Trust over the summer, partly funded by Cadw.”

Significant

This discovery revealed more significant and exciting discoveries at a once unknown Iron Age archaeological site. The spokesperson went on and said, “Amgueddfa Cymru is working with its partners on this continuing treasure case and in developing a detailed and fully funded proposal for further investigation.

It is intended that a wider museum project will be developed, to offer opportunities for local communities to become involved in revealing new stories about their prehistoric past,”

Rare Opportunity

Mike, of Milford Haven, knew just how incredible his find was, saying: “It’s rare to find it in that good condition – it’s rare to find in any condition.”

Clearly, he’s done extensive research on the matter and didn’t think lightly of this discovery. And rightly so. As the find continues to be studied, more and more information is revealed.

Ongoing Treasure

Mike and the authorities had released many statements to the press regarding the find. Another joint statement went on to say: “These are now the subject of an ongoing treasure case in Wales.”

A preliminary excavation of the site where the artifacts were found was carried out by Amgueddfa Cymru and Dyfed Archaeological Trust together over the summer and was partly funded by Cadw.

Young Enthusiast

Since the age of 12, Mike has been a metal-detectorist when he got a metal detector as a Christmas gift from his dad. Ever since then, it has become a huge part of his life.

For this reason, Mike dedicated this incredible find to his 79-year-old dad, John Smith, who is getting palliative care after a stroke.

The Ancient Discovery

He has gone on the record with this comment: “I knew the importance of them straight away….I’d read all about chariot burials and just wished it could have been me, so finding this has been a privilege.”

The chariot is believed to be roughly 2,500 years old. However, they did not find human remains. What Mike had thought might be human in nature was fortunately animal instead.

Old Traditions

There is still plenty of conjecture about whether a queen or a chieftain had been buried with the chariot. They found a tooth, although it seemed to belong to a horse that they believe was buried along with it.

There have been many examples of animals being buried along with prominent figures throughout history. Some of these finds have been made in places like Egypt or even as far afield as China.

Buried Wheels

High-ranking chiefs of the Iron Age normally got buried with their horses, chariot, tack, and weapons. During the excavation, they found the tops of a set of chariot wheels. “Often the wheels were laid flat,” Mike explained.

These kinds of discoveries help us to further deepen our knowledge and understanding of the cultures of the past. Little is known about people from so far back so finds like these are extremely important.

In Disbelief

“But this one appeared to have been buried intact. It could have had the chieftain or queen sitting in it. There would have been a mound over it but that has gone.”

He was in disbelief still, by the incredible discovery he made. The fact that it was so different from many of the finds in the past made this a truly rare and unique discovery.

Straight Out Of Sci-Fi

After they quarantined the site to restrict access by the general public, they ran a ground-penetrating radar over the field. What they found would make you think this is a science fiction novel or movie!

The scientists were hoping to find something of course. But, just as Mike’s initial find had turned into something much bigger than he had expected, so too had the search with the ground-penetrating radar!

Technology

Survey work involved the use of some pretty sophisticated geophysical technology. It let them map structure lying far below the earth. They found a ring ditch, which is a 12-meter circular earthwork, around the site.

Earthworks are commonly found in the United Kingdom and far across the world. However, many of these earthworks remain a mystery as many of them defy everything we think we know about the people who built them.

More Ring Ditches

They also found two other burials, also located in ring ditches. Soon after this, they discovered a complex of walls and other similar features. This convinced researchers that this was a Celtic settlement that has remained hidden for a long time!

“The actual field is very large and it is only in the corner of this field. But the settlement is also going into other nearby fields,” Mike explained. This meant that the find was even bigger than anyone had expected it to be.

How To Go About It

Adam Gwilt is the principal curator of prehistoric archaeology at the museum. He explained, “These chariot pieces may have been witness to some of the historical events of the time, as Iron Age peoples defended their ways of life and identities…”

The iron age spanned from 1200 B.C to about 550 B.C. This was a time when man first learned how to create iron and steel and to fashion it into all kinds of things. These ranged from weapons to decorations and more.

What Comes Next

“…in the face of an expanding Roman empire. Something like this takes a lot of organization and funding as well so we’ve been working with a number of partners to put together what’s needed to do a continuing investigation.”

Mike was so proud of what he’d found, and Adam Gwilt couldn’t believe it either. So what comes next? Would there be another discovery? Was Mike about to hang up his hat?

A Work In Progress

He went on to say, “Something like this takes a lot of organization and funding as well so we’ve been working with a number of partners to put together what’s needed to do a continuing investigation.”

There was one more question that everyone wanted to hear the answer to. How much was it worth? Every treasure is valuable of course. But what about a find of this magnitude and importance?

From The Iron Age

“You’re definitely talking six or seven figures,” Mike Smith speculated. “It’s the biggest ever metal detecting find, as in there’s never been a chariot ever discovered by a metal detectorist. There have been hoards found, but never anything like this.”

We have to say that we feel a tinge of jealousy about the fact that he expects to net as much as £1 million for the discovery he made. Whoa.

The Celts

One question that remains is: who were the Celts? As it turns out, the answer isn’t quite simple. The Celts were a collection of tribes that originated in central Europe. They shared a similar language, religious beliefs, traditions, and culture. It’s believed that Celtic culture began to evolve as early as 1200 B.C.

Over time, the Celts spread out throughout western Europe, including Spain, France, Ireland, and Britain. To this day, their legacy is prominent in Ireland and Great Britain, where traces of their language and culture are still present.

Early Documentation

The first documentation of the Celts was in the seventh or eighth century B.C. At the time, the Roman Empire ruled most of southern Europe and referred to the Celts as “Galli” which means barbarians.

Apart from finds like these, most of what we know about the Celts comes from the records of the Romans. There were many battles and tales of the Celts during this time.

False Belief

Despite the Romans’ belief, the Celts (pronounced with a hard “c” or “k” sound) were anything but barbarians. Many aspects of their culture and language have survived throughout the centuries and even to this day.

The Celts were also not only found in the United Kindom. Evidence of Celtic groups has been found throughout Europe and many of there traditions and rites are still visible today.

Lands

The Celts controlled a lot of the European continent north of the Alps mountain range by the third century B.C., including present-day Ireland and Great Britain. These islands off of Europe’s western coast are the ones that allowed the Celtic culture to survive and thrive as the Roman Empire expanded on the European continent.

Starting with the reign of Julius Caesar in the first century B.C., the Romans launched a military operation again the Celts. The Romans ended up killing Celts by the thousands and destroyed their culture in a lot of mainland Europe.

Long Lasting Traditions

The Roman armies tried to invade Britain during this time but weren’t successful. Thanks to their failure, the Celtic people were able to establish a homeland there.

As a result, a lot of their cultural traditions are still evident in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, even today. While they were once much more widespread, these areas have the closest link to the Celts yet.

Isolation

Brittany, the region in the northwestern corner of present-day France, was settled with Britons and Gauls. The Celtic tradition survived in the region since it was isolated from the rest of France, and a lot of festivals and events can trave their origins back to Celtic times.

A lot of French “Bretons” also happen to wear traditional Celtic hats called coiffes (meaning “hats of lace”), and about one-quarter of the region’s residents speak Breton, a Celtic language that’s similar to Welsh.

Conquer

Despite the fact that Caesar’s invasion of Britain wasn’t successful, the Romans eventually had a successful attack against the Britons after Caesar’s murder in the first century A.D. This pushed the Britons on the island west to Wales and Cornwall and north to Scotland.

As it turns out, the Romans actually built Hadrian’s Wall near what is now the border between England and Scotland, in 120 A.D. The wall was meant to protect the Roman settlers from the Celts who had fled north.

Welsh

In Wales, named Cymru by the Celts, the native tongue, Welsh, is a Celtic language that is still widely spoken in the region today.

In Cornwall, a lot of residents still speak Cornish, which is similar to Welsh and Breton. To people who do not speak the language, much of it sounds incomprehensible.

Scots Gaelic

In Scotland, the Celtic language Scots Gaelic is spoken, although by a minority, and the local affiliate of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is known as BBC Alba, the Celtic name for the region.

Naturally, the bagpipes, the musical instrument that Scotland is best known for, can also be traced back to its Celtic roots far back in the past.

Unsuccessful

Even though the Anglo-Saxons, who took what is now England from the Romans. in the fifth century A.D., tried, they weren’t able to successfully invade Ireland. Meaning that they remained isolated.

Because of this, the Celtic tribes were able to settle there – namely, the Gaels and the Irish – to survive, and allowed their culture to flourish. That is why there is still such a strong Celtic influence in these areas today.

Christianization

In 432 A.D., when Christianity arrived in Ireland with St. Patrick, a lot of Celtic traditions were incorporated into the “new” religion. In fact, it’s said by some historians that one of the main reasons Catholicism was able to take over as the dominant religion on the island after the mass killing of Druids, the religious leader of the Gaels.

Many of our common traditions today can actually trace their origins back to the Celts. The modern meanings of these traditions are different but in some cases, even the original names remain.

The Shamrock

All the same, even with Christianity’s newfound prominence, traces of Celtic culture remain. For instance, Ireland’s national symbol, the shamrock (a green, three-pronged leaf) represents the “Holy Trinity” of Catholic tradition – the Father (God), Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

This is just one of many such examples. Others include things like Halloween, a Yule Log and more. The history of the Celts is a truly fascinating subject. New discoveries are being made regularly about these amazing people.

Gaelic

To top it off, the Celtic cross represents the region’s unique take on the Catholic cross. In addition, a lot of Celtic folklore stories, are still told in Ireland. Like Welsh, the Irish language, Gaelic, is a Celtic language.

For the most part, Gaelic disappeared in the 19th century, when the English colonized Ireland, but the language is still spoken in the western part of the country.

The Gauls

A Celtic group of people who occupied part of western-central Europe during the Iron Age was the Gauls. They were fearsome warriors who would cut off the heads of their enemies and hang them on their horses for everyone to see.

Some would go as far as attaching the heads of fallen foes to their shields to scare their enemies when they went into battle.

Key To The Soul

Celts had a strong belief that the head was the key to the soul and represented a way to communicate with the afterlife. One historian wrote that Gauls were tall, light-skinned, light-haired, and light-eyed.

We can only wonder what other fascinating discoveries still await us. Whether it be about the Celts or another civilization if Mike’s story shows us one thing it is that the earth still holds many secrets for us to discover.

Man Finds Old Buried Chain, His Gut Then Tells Him To Keep Pulling is an article from: LifeDaily