Being a big sister comes with many responsibilities, one of which is to always look after and protect your siblings.
Domonique’s sister, Taylor, was in a toxic and abusive relationship. Taylor’s boyfriend was rough around the edges and hung out with the wrong crowd, and it wasn’t too long until Taylor was caught up in that way of life as well. After a few months, Taylor also became pregnant. As a young 18-year-old, Taylor was vulnerable, and the boyfriend took advantage. Domonique noticed a change of attitude in her sister, along with some tell-tale signs of physical abuse. Whenever Domonique questioned Taylor, Taylor always protected her boyfriend’s identity.
Feeling Helpless
Domonique tried going to her local police station a few times to file domestic violence reports on behalf of Taylor, but law enforcement wasn’t able to do anything without the name of the alleged abuser. After a while, Domonique started getting texts from an unknown number. The texts were sometimes threatening, and other times, it would say horrible things about Taylor. She knew the texts were from Taylor’s boyfriend, but since she didn’t recognize the number, she still had no idea who he was. Taylor started spending more time with the boyfriend, and less time at home. In fact, weeks would pass without Taylor coming home. Feeling helpless and not knowing how to help her sister, Domonique decided to lay in bed and watch television. After flipping through channels, she landed on MTV’s show, Catfish, and saw Nev using Spokeo to do a reverse phone search. The next morning, a lightbulb went off, and she realized that she could also use Spokeo to search the number that had been texting her!
Who's Calling Me?
Search any phone number to learn more about the owner!
A Glimmer of Hope
After joining Spokeo, Domonique performed a search and found Taylor’s boyfriend’s name and address. After seeing the name, she realized that the guy was actually someone with whom she had gone to high school. Armed with this new information, Domonique texted the number back and revealed that she knew exactly who he was and that she remembered him from high school. She told him that she now had his information, and if he didn’t stop abusing her sister, physically and mentally, she would go to the police. The guy never responded. After weeks of not being home, Taylor finally returned, and Domonique noticed a positively drastic change in Taylor.
Domonique saw her sister going down a dark path and eventually took matters into her own hands to protect her. If you or someone you know is in a toxic or abusive relationship, there are ways out. In fact, the National Domestic Violence Hotline has tons of resources and tools to assist victims, as well as advocates. You can also utilize people search engines, such as Spokeo, to perform research that could also provide help, just like Domonique did for her sister.