CHICAGO: Shortly before Christmas 2022, Dominique Ward made an unplanned stop at Target to do some last-minute shopping with her three-year-old daughters. She was miles from her home, in a neighbourhood where she didn’t know a single person. She assumed no one there knew her or her girls, either – until the following day when someone sent her a screenshot of a Facebook page belonging to the girls’ father.
He had posted “an open letter” to his daughters, identical twins he had been barred from contacting without court supervision after multiple allegations of abusive behaviour toward their mother. “I got to see you the other day,” the note stated. “You were in a target shopping cart wearing matching cute outfits.
You we’re (sic) absolutely gorgeous, the most beautiful little babies I have ever seen. You were sitting next to each other playing with each other as your mom pushed you around. Your smiles were infectious and silliness was so familiar.
What you don’t know (is) that there is a community of love surrounding you, sending Daddy pictures and videos keeping me updated on your progress.” The post stopped Ward cold. She had been locked in a custody and child support battle for years with her ex-partner, a computer whiz with a sizable social media following and a well-documented disregard for court orders.
Since moving to Florida in 2021, he had been offering money on Facebook for information regarding his children, including: •US$25 (RM117) per photo.