Hello friends, my name is Samantha Young. I am 25 years old and in the best place of my life currently. I am married to my best friend and the most incredible man I have ever known; a literal angel on earth. And we have three beautiful children, Aubrey who is five, Avery who is two, and Tatum who is six months old. We are the type of family that I thought you only saw in movies and read about in story books.

For a while, Aubrey was involved in soccer, T-ball, ballet and tap. And as Avery gets older we are getting ready to get her enrolled into fall T-ball. Currently all of my kids are in swim lessons and loving it! Almost everything we do, we do as a family. Everything we do comes from the intention of the future. Our kids best interest and safety is of upmost priority.

 

Unfortunately, my life hasn’t always been storybook worthy. Early on into adulthood I got involved with a man named Travis Brewer. Travis and I soon had my daughter Aubrey. It was when I got pregnant with Aubrey that the abuse started. He would hold pillows over my face, push me into walls, strangle me with all of his strength, and on the day of my gender reveal at the doctor, he punched me so hard in the face that it knocked the wind out of me and I went alone. After I had Aubrey the abuse continued and only heightened. I’ll never forget the first time he punched me in the face while I was holding my daughter at only two months old. I was so scared to run because he swore he would find me and kill me. He would always threaten the ways he would one day end my life. He would talk about taking Aubrey away from me so she could never know what a horrible mother she had. He would always talk about running away with her so I could never find her. There were times when he would throw plates at me and break glasses at my feet. One day while I was doing my make up, he came at me with a wooden baseball bat; he broke my pinky toe with that bat and hit me in the face.

On my very first Mother’s Day, he took me to IHOP because that’s what HE wanted; it turned out there would be a 20 minute wait at IHOP and when I heard that, my stomach dropped. He stormed out of the restaurant and got in his car in which I had to follow, he yelled and screamed and grabbed my neck and slammed my head against the window as hard as he could. He left scratches and bruises all around my neck that day. He began driving like a madman threatening to crash the car and kill us both. It was the first Mother’s Day and one that I will never forget.

After that, there were countless times where he would come in to these rages and I would be the punching bag. He has hit me with things such as cell phones, lawn chairs, etc.

There were also times where he would abuse me in front of his parents. I remember him punching me square in the face right in front of his mother where she did absolutely nothing. There was even a time where he was being so violent towards me and my daughter that I asked his mother if we could spend the day with her out of the house. She agreed and took me to Travis‘s grandmothers house where she would be getting her hair done. Travis found out that I left the house and began calling me over and over again threatening to hurt me. He even drove all the way to his grandmothers house, stormed inside where not only myself and my daughter were present but also two other children and his grandparents. He then threatened to begin breaking things, throwing chairs, even threatened to kill his grandmother when she told his grandfather to call the police. Of course in that moment the police did nothing and let him go. At that time despite my begging, his mother made me and my daughter go back to that house where Travis was. I begged her to let me stay and she said I couldn’t. And I’ll never forget this moment where Travis‘s grandfather looked me dead in the eye as we were leaving and pleaded that I never let him hurt Aubrey because he was sure that he would eventually.

On another occasion it was my 21st birthday and I had prepared my daughters snack the wrong way and he threw his phone at my face so hard it knocked me down. He then proceeded to pommel me and he broke my jaw. I’ll never forget looking back and seeing his dad walk by as travis did this. I thought for sure he would save me, and when I looked again he was gone. Aubrey watched him beat me more times then I can count, but that time specifically, she had just turned two years old and she ran in the middle of it in attempt to save her mom. For her to have felt the need to rescue me, breaks my heart even today. As soon as Aubrey stepped in between us, he used all of his might and threw her across the living room into the couch causing her to cry. It was then that Travis threatened to kill not only me but her as well. He came up with very explicit way he could conjure up of murdering the both of us and explained them to me in detail in front of her. I knew at that moment that even if it meant risking my life I needed to get her as far away from him as I could and that I needed to put my fear aside because it wasn’t just me being abused this time. After that incident I was forced to play nice until the following morning where I knew that no matter what it took I needed to run. I had to escape with whatever I could and make sure that Aubrey was safe. I attempted to pack a suitcase and was unfortunately caught by Travis. I was in the bathroom at the time with my daughter where he locked us in and started breaking cabinet doors and punching holes in the wall. He slapped me upside the face and pushed Aubrey as hard as he could out of the way. I screamed and screamed for his mother to rescue us. She open the door as much as she could amidst his fighting, and I used that as my quick attempt to throw her my two-year-old and beg her to call the police immediately. For the first time in five years of being beat, she called the police. It was then I was able to get whatever would fit into my car, grab Aubrey and run as fast as I could from Fort Worth to San Marcos. The entire drive he called me and threatened me. He told me he would kill me and Aubrey with a tablesaw when he saw us. He also told me he had a gun and was going to shoot me as I drove.

Once I finally got to a safe place in San Marcos, he continued to blow up my phone and then I got one last message from him stating “see you in a few hours“

He figured out where I was and followed me all the way to San Marcos, he jumped my parents privacy gate and walked all the way down their driveway; and luckily my stepfather was there, gun in hand ready to protect us. We had the police come and escort him off the property. I was then able to obtain a protective order against him for myself and my daughter. He was served with the papers and offered an opportunity to plead his case and he never showed up. So the Protective Order was set in place from there. Once I was finally allowed to file for divorce, he continued to make it difficult. He wasn’t paying attorney fees and he was never paying child support; but by the grace of God and after a lot of money, the divorce was finalized and I felt finally free.

 

Although, I was legally free, Aubrey still had a lot of mental issues that came along with the things that she saw and heard from him and his family.

For about a year, Aubrey would not sleep alone, she was wetting the bed, she would rarely eat, and she continued to tell me of these nightmares of someone she referred to as “the guy“ coming and taking her away. The only place she ever felt safe was with me or with her dad, my husband, Austin. It took a lot of therapy and a very expensive psychiatrist to really dig deep. There came a time where her psychiatrist showed her a picture of Austin in which she identified him as her daddy. And in that same moment she showed her a picture of Travis in which Aubrey immediately began to tremble and cry. After that session, all of the progress Aubrey had made went backwards as she then began to wet the bed and could not bear to sleep alone again.

 

I’ve done my best to keep Aubrey active in sports, church, school, and the community as best I can. Since then she has become a new kid. Very independent, too smart for her own good, and absolutely the funniest person I’ve ever met. She has a good heart and deserves to live a normal life with the family she knows and loves.

 

At this time Travis has sent over a motion to gain full access to my daughter, Aubrey. The court originally requested he go through an extensive process which would include a number of psychiatry appointments and more than likely heavy medication for the anger, the bipolar disorder that he has been diagnosed with, and whatever else is causing him to behave the way he does.

I fear for Aubrey because I know without a doubt his intentions are not good. I also know who he is inside and out and I know how well he can fool people, because he has gloated about it before. He’s putting on a show; he’s pretending like he is a whole other person, but I know he is still the same person looking to do nothing but harm myself and Aubrey.

 

What I’m asking for from you is not a dollar, but a signature. I’m asking you to stand behind not me, but my beautiful daughter who deserves the world. She deserves to have a normal life with her two siblings, myself, and the wonderful man she knows and loves as her daddy; who would protect her to the end of the earth.

I’m asking that you, also, protect her. Sign our petition and show the judge that Aubrey is where she needs to be. Show the judge how imperative it is it she be safe. She deserves more than to have her world turned upside down.

 

If you have come this far, thank you. God bless you and I pray no one has to face the things I did. I know a lot of people always take the argument of “why didn’t you leave sooner?” But I hope that some of you can understand how hard it is to do so. I stayed put in fear that I had nowhere to go. I stayed where I was because I felt it was the only way I could truly protect Aubrey. As parents all we can do is our best, and I know as her mother the best I can do is to protect her with everything that I have; and for the first time in this battle I’m asking for some outside help!

Along with this, I have attached a short video created as proof. I have put together what pictures I was able to capture along with audio clips of the way he behaves. Thank you so much for your time in hearing my story.