The house is dimly lit and the floorboards creak as I tip-toe down the hall. The low light from the living room behind me illuminates the way to the master bedroom, while the grand clock on the wall tic-tic-tics away. I pause and turn around for a moment, squinting my eyes to look at the clock; it reads 2:31 a.m. I turn my back to the living room again, resuming my slow walk to the bedroom. The door handle hisses as I open the door, slowly creaking as it opens. I close it softly behind me, using my memory to navigate my way through the darkness. When I crawl into bed, my husband’s sleeping form comes into view if I look close enough. Laying down, I close my eyes and try to rid myself of the racing thoughts in my head.
There was nothing I had forgotten about, was there?
No.
There wasn’t.
My body relaxes as sleep overcomes me. Unbeknownst to me, my phone buzzes violently on the nightstand, an unfamiliar number showing on the caller ID. On the other side of town, a conflicted officer stands waiting for me to pick up. Waiting, waiting so he could tell me my daughter had been found; or at least what was my daughter.
Every forty seconds, a child goes missing in the U.S…. That results in approximately 2,100 a day, and 800,000 a year according to The Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Another 500,000 go missing without ever being reported. It is a parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child, but what can be done? What has been done? Well, one family in Alabama took action into their own hands after their daughter had disappeared.
Aaron Spencer had reported his 14-year-old daughter missing to the police on Tuesday, October 8th, 2024. Police had begun to make their way to Spencer’s home when they received another call that the child had been found. Although the girl was now safe, the situation had not been resolved by any means.
Spencer had found his child in a vehicle with 67-year-old Michael Fosler. Allegedly, Spencer had shot and ultimately killed Fosler when he discovered the two and a confrontation had arisen. When police arrived at the scene, they arrested Spencer and charged him with first-degree murder, but he had been released the next day after posting bail. First-degree murder is classified as a Class-Y felony, and those who commit them are typically sentenced to 10 to 40 years in prison. News reporters state that Spencer’s family was to have no contact with Fosler due to a restraining order that had been put into place after he had stalked and raped the girl over the summer.
The child’s mother stated that she believed that Fosler had been trying to kill her daughter as he was wanted for a possible six to nine other crimes, and her daughter was the only witness. The mother had also proceeded to set up a GoFundMe to help pay for her husband’s legal fees, but it was taken down as the website doesn’t allow people to raise money for legal purposes.
The question arose to many when the story came out about whether or not Spencer deserves to do time in prison, or if he should be awarded as a hero. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the case. While I think Spencer should not go to prison or have to pay any fees at all, the whole situation never should have happened at all had the police acted against Fosler when he was accused of multiple crimes.
In Alabama, if a person is under the age of 16, they cannot legally consent to any sexual acts, period. There is no defense for the assailant if the child ‘appears’ to be older, or even if they lie about their age. Therefore, if a male has sex with a female less than 16 but older than 12 and there is more than two years between them, it’s second-degree sexual assault. No ifs, ands, or buts. In Alabama, this crime typically carries between two and twenty years in prison.
The details of the legal action the Spencer family took against Fosler in the first place haven’t been released, so the public is unaware as to whether they just asked for a restraining order or if they fully accused him of stalking and assault. If they had fully accused him, far more action should’ve been taken not only to make sure Fosler wasn’t a threat to public safety but also to keep Spencer’s daughter safe. If Fosler had a trial date that simply hadn’t come up yet, he should’ve been held in a county jail as he had violent charges against him. If these steps had been taken by law enforcement, I strongly believe nothing that had happened on October 8th would have happened at all, and there would be no question as to whether or not Spencer deserves to be charged or not.
Sitting here and complaining about the action that should have been taken isn’t going to change anything that has already happened, but pushing for stronger enforcement against accused sexual abusers will help. Searches that I have conducted and personal accounts I have heard reveal that most abusers of this nature in America do not get the punishment they deserve if any at all. Fosler had stalked, raped, kidnapped, and violated a restraining order, and people still question the actions a father took to protect his child. If the government and law enforcement cannot be bothered to work to keep our children safe, then we as citizens and parents will.
Works Cited
Department of Public Safety Homeland Security. “Missing Persons.” hsu.vermont.gov, https://hsu.vermont.gov/missing-persons#:~:text=A%20child%20goes%20missing%20every,and%20Delinquency%20Prevention%20(OJJDP).
“Father arrested after allegedly killing man he found with his missing 14-year-old daughter.” mynbc.com, https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/father-arrested-after-allegedly-killing-man-he-found-with-his-missing-14-year-old-daughter-arkansas-wrong-murder-raise-money-stalker-rape-legal-defense-parent-protection-life-sentencing.
Riet, Emily Van de. “Dad arrested after allegedly killing man he found in a car with his missing teen daughter.” Fox10tv, Emily Van de Riet, https://www.fox10tv.com/2024/10/14/dad-arrested-after-allegedly-killing-man-he-found-car-with-his-missing-teen-daughter/.
