The Cult of the Twitter Vegan: Part 2

Summary

The Dating Detectives – "The Cult of the Twitter Vegan: Part 2"

Podcast: The Dating Detectives (Dear Media)
Date: October 13, 2025
Guests: Claudia (main guest), with hosts Mackenzie Fultz (PI) and Hanna Anderson (comedian)

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Episode Overview

This riveting episode concludes the explosive two-part investigation into "The Cult of the Twitter Vegan." Hosts Mackenzie and Hanna welcome back Claudia, who continues sharing her harrowing experiences with her ex, Melissa (who has since transitioned to Melvin), and the tangled web of manipulative and abusive behavior she, her new partner Amber, and others survived.

The episode explores the depths of relationship red flags, control tactics (including enforced veganism), coercion, legal warfare, and the impact of social media vigilantism. Together, they examine the process by which survivors uncover patterns of abuse—and support each other through chaos. Trigger warnings for child abuse, manipulation, and discussions of trans identity as context, not cause, of the abuse.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap: Charting the Chaos

[00:44 - 03:10]

• Complex web of relationships and breakups among Claudia, her ex Melissa (now Melvin), Claudia’s new girlfriend Amber, Amber’s ex-wife Kayla, and Melissa’s new girlfriend Taylor.
• The exes have been colluding for a year, exchanging sensitive information about their partners, finances, and children.
• Quote:
  “Get the pens and pencils out. The charts need to break up.” – Host A (01:27)

2. Abusive Dynamics Revealed

[04:56 - 14:00]

• Taylor (Melissa’s now ex-girlfriend) reaches out to Claudia, revealing deeply disturbing surveillance and collusion between Melissa and Kayla.
• Taylor provides screenshots, evidence of manipulative tactics, and describes being coerced into veganism, isolation from family, and pressured towards pregnancy.
• Quote:
  “She was trying to have a baby with me...it was this playbook.” – Taylor (09:32)

3. Children as Collateral: The Closet Sleeping Incident

[14:00 - 19:13]

• Claudia discovers her young son was forced to sleep on a mattress topper in a closet, leading to nightmares and distress.
• Taylor testifies to the court on Claudia's behalf, leading Melissa’s own lawyer to drop her as a client.
• Quote:
  “In this picture, there is a mattress topper in a very small closet...I am fucking losing it.” – Claudia (15:10)

4. Court Battles & Legal System Frustrations

[19:13 - 26:47]

• Despite evidence, family court moves slowly; emergencies aren’t always prioritized.
• Claudia is granted primary custody; Melissa attempts to avoid child support, claiming impending job loss due to "exes getting her fired."
• Memorable Moment:
  “I will assign half of daycare, which is about $800. So that’s your child support. $800 a month...Good luck, everybody.” – Judge (24:37)

5. Manipulation by Schedule: Weaponizing Weekends

[26:47 - 29:16]

• Melissa refuses to sign custody agreements, manipulating visitation schedules to disrupt Claudia and Amber’s household, intentionally making life difficult for the co-parents.

6. Social Media Virality and Support

[29:16 - 36:04]

• Claudia’s viral TikTok stories inspire former wives and girlfriends of Melissa to come forward, confirming parallel experiences of coercion, forced veganism, tattoos as branding, and isolation.
• Quote:
  “I did not need insurance. I was married to her but told her I didn’t want a baby, and she threw me away...locked me in the house...forcing me to be vegan.” – Second Wife DM (30:40)

7. Systematic Harassment and Escalation

[36:04 - 48:49]

• Claudia faces ongoing harassment, doxxing, and cyberbullying as her story gains visibility.
• Claudia and Amber obtain a trespassing order due to physical stalking and threats from Kayla.
• Attempts at police and CPS intervention yield little, revealing challenges in seeking protection through standard systems.

8. 'Debunk' Campaign Backfires

[48:49 - 61:29]

• Kayla and Melissa (now Melvin)'s attempt to "debunk" Claudia online only serves to further validate her narrative.
• They escalate to releasing private videos, timelines, and false claims of child abuse—again, law enforcement offers little recourse.
• Memorable Moment:
  “Yeah, bitch, you’re right. I fucking cussed you out. You allowed my son to be in a closet.” – Claudia (50:14)

9. Trans Identity Disclosure and Response

[61:29 - 68:12]

• Claudia shares that Melissa transitioned to Melvin, now using he/him pronouns. The transition wasn’t communicated properly, causing confusion for their child and coparenting breakdown.
• Melvin underwent top and bottom surgery while not paying child support or providing for their son.
• Community responses were mixed; many trans parents voiced support for Claudia, emphasizing that neglect is not excused by gender or transition.
• Quote:
  “Regardless of what they are, they’re shitty. And as of now, I’m still primary...Melvin still has standard possession.” – Claudia (70:56)

10. Parenting Under Siege: Defensive, Not Co-Parenting

[70:56 - 73:58]

• Claudia describes how “defensive parenting” replaces co-parenting: she must undo emotional harm and confusion inflicted during visits with Melvin (e.g., inconsistency with names, neglect).
• Quote:
  “I have to undo him calling everybody mommy. He struggles so badly with names.” – Claudia (71:05)

11. Reflection: Keeping Hope and Speaking Out

[73:58 - 77:16]

• Claudia has spent over $15,000 fighting for her son’s safety, with the hope that Melvin will eventually abandon their campaign and disappear:
  “I will gladly...give them a card and money, everything. Just please go away.” (76:32)
• Claudia vows to keep telling her story as advocacy, with encouragement and overwhelming support from the audience and guests.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:27] Host A: “Get the pens and pencils out. The charts need to break up.”
• [09:32] Taylor: “She told me to be vegan. She wanted me to isolate from my family. She wouldn’t let me leave the house...She was trying to have a baby with me.”
• [15:10] Claudia: “There is a mattress topper in a very small closet...I am fucking losing it.”
• [24:37] Judge: “That’s your child support. $800 a month...Good luck, everybody.”
• [30:40] Second Wife: “I was locked in the house with no food and no job and no money while she was forcing me to be vegan.”
• [50:14] Claudia: “Yeah, bitch, you’re right. I fucking cussed you out. You allowed my son to be in a closet.”
• [61:57] Claudia: "Melissa has now transitioned to a man named Melvin."
• [66:47] Claudia: “When you have a child, everything in your life is prioritizing your child.”
• [71:05] Claudia: “I have to undo him calling everybody mommy. He struggles so badly with names.”
• [76:32] Claudia: “I will gladly, you will bid him farewell...give them a card and money, everything. Just please go away.”

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Important Timestamps

• 00:44 – Web of relationships outlined
• 04:56 – Taylor reveals the exes’ alliance and surveillance
• 14:00 – Closet sleeping incident discovered
• 19:13 – Claudia’s court battle
• 29:16 – Viral TikTok exposes parallel victims
• 36:04 – All exes coming forward, child support absence
• 48:49 – Debunk campaign and real-world stalking escalate
• 61:29 – Revelation of Melissa’s transition to Melvin
• 66:47 – Discussion on parenting obligations after transition
• 70:56 – Defensive parenting, co-parenting futility, ongoing fight

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Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode delivers a raw, empathetic, and often darkly humorous investigation into relationship red flags, interwoven with chilling details of psychological and legal warfare. Both hosts and Claudia stress a supportive, no-blame approach regarding gender identity, focusing on individual actions and accountability.

Closing Thoughts:
Claudia’s tireless advocacy, aided by viral social storytelling, PI expertise, and solidarity from other survivors, builds a compelling case for the power of community in exposing abuse—and the deep flaws in existing systems meant to protect families. The hosts urge listeners to share their own stories and connect for validation, advice, and hope.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode delivers a deeply personal, wild true crime–styled account of one woman’s journey through emotional, legal, and social media labyrinths to fight for her child’s safety—and her own peace. The story is both cautionary and inspiring, exposing cycles of control and the strength required to break free.

Transcript

[A]

The following program contains names, places and events that have been anonymized or fictionalized for the purposes of protection and safety. The following program is provided for entertainment purposes only, and any commentary from the hosts are strictly conjecture and should not be held as making any definitive statements about the truth or identity of any particular individuals or circumstances. If you or a loved one are involved in an abusive relationship, please call the National Domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7-7-7233 for support.

[B]

Hi.

[C]

Happy dating, detectives.

[A]

Monday, we got part two. I know everybody's probably on the edge of their seat.

[C]

Okay? So if you do not recall, I'm going to break it down for you. Okay?

[A]

So, okay.

[C]

Claudia is our guest. Okay. Melissa is Claudia's ex. Amber is the. Is Claudia's new girlfriend. Right. Kayla is Amber's ex wife. So the new girlfriend's ex wife, Taylor, is Melissa's most recent ex, who just.

[A]

Got in touch with Claudia and told Claudia that, guess what, your girlfriend's. Exactly. Is now hooked up with your ex.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Melissa and Kayla.

[B]

Oh, God.

[A]

Get the pens and pencils out. The charts need to break up.

[C]

You have to write it down.

[A]

Diagrams. Yeah. So in. Claudia and Melissa have a child together.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

That they are now navigating the custody of that. And yeah, Melissa's just been toxic. I mean, we'll get into a lot in the debrief, but, you know, really pressured them to have a baby, was really, like, pressuring her with a lot of, I would say, toxic positivity. The way that she was kind of like, I want what's best for you and, like, you need to shut. Basically, like, you need to shut up. She's like, you need to talk less and find your inner peace. Like, using positivity to manipulate her. Like, that's the vibe. I also want to say, without giving too much away, that there are parts of the story that bring up trans people. And it's important to the story, and it's her story to tell. But I just want to be clear that we don't want to perpetuate the narrative that villainizes trans people. That is very loud right now and terrible. We've talked about this before in different ways, but this person is terrible and happens to be trans. This person is not terrible because they're trans at all. And we. Yeah, we're allies of the trans community and also to our trans and non binary binary listeners, when you listen to this story, please let us know what you think, how we could better support you. Write us in if you have stories of your own because we do want to platform those too. And quick trigger warning, there is some abuse involving children and disgusting physical abuse. A little bit disappointed, but there is a lot that's going to come for sure right now.

[C]

I think let's, let's get into it before everybody bites our head.

[A]

Wait, I have one more thing.

[B]

One more thing.

[A]

Sorry, guys. Actually, two more things. You have to wait. But you have to hear this now because I know you're gonna, you're gonna get through it. One, this Wednesday, self defense is.

[C]

Yes, yes, yes.

[A]

6:00Pm Sign up.

[B]

I'm gonna be in LA.

[C]

There's only 35 spots and they're starting to fill up. It's 35 bucks. 30. So don't get Killed club. We're gonna do self defense and we're gonna. I don't know, it's just going to be fun. It's going to be in West Hollywood. What's it called? Dance House Factory in West Hollywood. So RSVP it's from 6 to 8pm, come sign up. And Hannah's got some freebies.

[A]

Yes, I'm going to give everyone pepper spray and other safety gadgets. And yes, it's $35. All the money, like the profits go to the domestic violence hotline. And also if you like, I have a scholarship form set up on the don't get killed club.com website. If for whatever reason that's you want to come, like we want you to be there.

[C]

You know what I mean?

[A]

Like if you can donate, of course we'd rather you do that, but we'd rather you come. So let us know. We'd love to meet you. There will be time to hang out. So that'll be that. And then Patreon is awesome. We just recorded an episode with a guest that's only going to be on patreon. So it's $5 a month.

[C]

There's a reason we could not put it on the main if you want to listen to it. And then the $9 feed of course gets you the girlfriend.

[A]

Oh, sorry, yeah, that the ad free girlfriend. I'm so bad.

[C]

I call it the girlfriend experience. But it's just ad free. So anyways, thank you to our Patreon and thank you for listening. Just in general, we appreciate you guys.

[A]

Support in our show and those are my announcements. That's all. You can have the story now. Thanks for listening.

[C]

Okay, we'll shut up.

[B]

I get a DM from Taylor and Taylor says, hey girl, I am so sorry that I never came to you and introduced myself because I was taking care of your son. And I just want to apologize. Hey, Taylor.

[A]

Oh God.

[C]

Oh.

[B]

And she goes, and I also want to warn you that your girlfriend's ex wife, Kayla and Melissa have been exchanging information for a year. So my girlfriend Amber, who we were both getting divorced at the same time. Our exes teamed up.

[A]

That's. So I did have a moment when you were explaining the whole thing. I was like, just put them together. They sound like they'd ruin each other's lives. And just put them. Let them do it. But now I'm like, wait, what information?

[B]

Everything. And it was really fucking scary because how far are these two people willing to take it? For a whole entire year, they were exchanging information. You guys are watching our steps and listening to our phone calls. And it wasn't just me and Amber not feeling safe. They're exchanging information about our kids, their kids, schedules, what they're doing, what's going on in the parenting app. And Kayla was exchanging financial information about Amber to Melissa and vice versa. All of our sensitive information was being exchanged. So Taylor, let me tell you something. A girl I would not want to piss off is coming with the receipts, okay? Screenshots. She is giving me screenshots. Oh, man. This girl was genuinely an open book, no exaggeration. And she's sending me all of this stuff and they're in this group chat, basically. Kayla, her sisters, and Melissa. Yeah. When I explained this story other places, I have a chart. That's how.

[A]

Yes, I gotta write this down.

[B]

Yes, you do need to.

[A]

Okay, so Melissa's new girlfriend, Taylor is awesome.

[B]

And yes. So Taylor's sending me the info. And these two exes, Melissa and Kayla, are like, they were talking even when me and Melissa were in the same house. So I'm talking like, oh, look at what Amber sent me. And hahaha, look at what Claudia said. And hahaha, Claudia is going to be at the house from 8 to 10 and you should make it where Amber only has the baby from 9 to 11. And now you're sitting there wondering, holy shit, because I'm still in the house that I had initially put Melissa out of. Is there hidden cameras? Are there audio? And to be fair, on Amber's end, there were hidden cameras, there was audio. And some of that stuff ended up coming into light. And it was really fucking scary because how far are these two people willing to take it? For a whole entire year, they were exchanging information that I don't know if Kayla's dangerous, clearly Melissa is You guys are watching our steps and listening to our phone calls and different things with each other because Melissa's in the same house. She's probably ear to the door. I don't know. So, like, they were basically stalking us.

[A]

Yeah. What?

[B]

I mean, you're talking. Taylor was like, claudia, they were on the phone for five to six hours at a time sometimes, and she was like. I would sort of ignore it because I felt like she needed somewhere to vent, but she was like, claudia, she talked about you all the time, hours at a time, and they were obsessed with you.

[A]

That's super fun for a new girlfriend.

[B]

And me and Amber are on the other end of this. Like, what the fuck? And honestly, things are starting to make sense. Things are starting to make sense. We're like, oh, my God. It makes sense on how Kayla knew this. It makes sense on how Melissa knew this. And now it makes sense on why this divorce is being drawn out, because it seems like Kayla and Melissa are upset that we're together. So what better thing to do than to make sure to block any upward mobility that we could have as a couple? Getting a house, getting a car, getting married, anything like that? So we keep that in our pockets. And we're like, at this point, we're like, what? What else does this girl have to tell us? Like, we can't take much more.

[A]

Yeah. And is Taylor like, I'm leaving Melissa, or is Taylor.

[B]

Yeah, Taylor's like, I moved out.

[A]

Thank goodness. I was gonna be like, I'll go get her now, because. No, no, no, no, no.

[B]

Yeah. And she literally is, like, telling me everything. She's like, I was coerced into moving in with her. I had no job. I had no car. She told me to be vegan. She wanted me to isolate from my family. She wouldn't let me leave the house. She made me delete my social medias. She was trying to have a baby with me. She what this playbook. And she goes. And the reason things got really bad between me and Melissa is. Is I seen your tweets. And I went and googled her and found her marriages online. Because she lied to me and told me the only person she was married to or had ever been married to is you.

[A]

Oh, that's totally not true.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And now I think that all of those marriages followed the same pattern. I think that we all will be revealed. Also, I love the twi tweeting. I mean, gossip saves lives, we like to say. And in a way, I think that.

[B]

That, yeah, I was trying to. Girls, girl, It Yeah, I was trying my best.

[C]

Do you guys ever wake up sweaty, freezing or like just super uncomfortable? I'm such a cold sleeper, you guys. I'm freezing every single night. But my husband is a hot sleeper, my son is a hot sleeper. So it doesn't matter who's with me. Like they are dying, sweating and I'm freezing. And the temperature in your bedroom can make or break your sleep. Which is why I switched to the miracle made sheets. So Miracle made sheets are inspired by NASA technology. They use silver infused temperature regulating fabric to help you sleep perfectly all night long. So basically it doesn't matter who's in the bed, they're going to be comfortable. And thanks to their antibacterial silver technology, Miracle made sheets stay cleaner and fresher up to three times longer than regular sheets. Which means fewer odors, fewer wash cycles and way less laundry. And that means if Ryan gets in my bed with his smelly feet, it's actually not as bad as it used to be. And not to mention, you know, I'm a skincare girly. So all that bacteria hidden in regular sheets can clog your pores, cause breakouts. The antibacterial design of Miracle made sheets help you sleep cleaner and clearer night after night. So upgrade your sleep or give the gift of better rest. Go to trymiracle.com TDD to try Miracle Made Sheets Day you'll save over 40% and when you use promo code TDD you'll get an extra 20% off plus a free three piece towel set. They make an amazing gift and with a 30 day money back guarantee, there's no risk. That's try miracle.com TDD code TDD at checkout. Thanks to Miracle Maid for sponsoring this episode.

[A]

Have you ever struggled with bringing up a topic to your partner? Maybe like money? I feel like in this episode especially there were some money conversations that Claudia had trouble having and the credit stuff that came up. It's so important to have tough conversations with your partner. Hopefully you're not in a situation like Claudia's, but even so, there's an app called Paired that can help couples strengthen their relationship and prompt you to have conversations that are both important or sometimes just really fun and bring you together. It was founded on the simple belief that there that real lasting love is a daily practice and it's backed by experts and relationship therapists proven to work. Basically, you and your partner download the app, pair it together and every day Paired gives you personalized questions, quizzes and games that help you stay connected or deepen your Conversations. And sometimes they're just like, post a picture of a time where you thought I was really cute or a time that you were proud of me. Sometimes it's really cute. Stuff like that. Or what's one way that you get turned on that you think I don't know about? I don't know. There's so many. It makes. It helps you make time daily to connect. It takes two seconds. Like it's so quick. And it. You'll just learn to communicate better and you'll learn new things about each other, which is so fun. Whether you're just a few dates in or have been together a long time. Find the time to connect with your partner and nourish your relationship. Start strengthening your relationship in an easy, fun way. And it only takes five minutes a day. So head to pear.comdingdetectives to get a seven day free trial and 25% off if you sign up for a subscription. Just head to P-A-I-R-E-D.com datingdetectives to sign up today and let me know if you like it because it's really fun.

[B]

So Taylor's telling me all this stuff and I'm like, holy, the pattern, you know. And as she's telling me stuff, my son, at the same time, you know, as a mom, you recognize different behavior changes. And I had noticed when my son was coming home from there, he would have nightmares. He was having issues sleeping, just, you know, just weird things that I didn't normally struggle with him before the split. And I, and I blamed a lot of it on living in two households. Like, you know, this is probably difficult for him. So I asked her, I was like, you know, I have a question. What is my son's situation over there? Does he have a bed? Does he have a room? Is he, you know, have toys and all that good stuff? And she was like, I hoped you wouldn't have asked me that. And oh God, she sends me a picture. I don't know, I'm scared. She sends me a picture. And in this picture there is a mattress topper in a very small closet. Not a closet we made into a room, a very small closet under clothes, next to dirty shoes is a so.

[A]

Like full Harry Potter mattress covered under the stairs. That's awful.

[B]

And it was not just a tiny closet. She's in like a seven, maybe a 500 square foot apartment in Nashville. And it's connected to the bathroom like, you know, like in those one bedroom apartments. And the toilet is right by the Door. And I'm looking at this picture and I am fucking losing it. I am crying, I am screaming, I am angry. And Taylor's like, listen, I told her I was gonna call cps. She was telling me every time I told her that it wasn't right. She would tell me how saving money and people would let their children sleep in closets and she would make me feel so bad about it. And I just felt like I couldn't say anything. And really when Melissa wasn't there, I'd let your son sleep in the bed with me. Like it was just. He was hot. There was no circulation in there. Like she's like telling me this stuff and I am just breaking inside. So I call my lawyer immediately, speed dialed. And I was like, I'm taking Melissa to fucking court. I'm going for full custody, fuck this. And my lawyer was like, it is so funny. My lawyer is like, it is so funny. You just called me because Melissa's lawyer just called and said they're ready to sign. And I was like, fuck no. Hell no.

[A]

What changed? I wonder what happened.

[B]

I wonder what happened. And so I'm telling my lawyer, I'm like, I am now talking to Melissa's now ex girlfriend Taylor. And she just gave me all this information and I'm sending you a picture. My lawyer opens the picture up and she goes, oh shit. She was like, okay. She was like, but wait, this is great information, but in court, this is hearsay. Can you get Taylor to testify on your behalf in court? It'll just make your case really strong. And I was like, okay. So I go to Taylor and I say, listen, you've already done a lot for me, you know, this, this alone and just everything has been a lot. Taylor says, yeah, I'll get on the stand for you. I'll do it. Fuck yeah, let's do it. So I'm on the phone with my lawyer, I'm like, she'll do it. And my lawyer says, cool, I'm going to email Melissa's lawyer right now. Melissa's lawyer immediately calls and says, why are we going to court? Because you know, my lawyer is like, listen, we're going to court. And so Melissa's lawyer like, what's happening? Why are you going to court? And my lawyer goes, oh, first off, Melissa's girlfriend Taylor is going to be testifying on my client's behalf and open your email. So Melissa's lawyer gets the picture and opens it and he goes, oh shit. He goes, give me a few days. I want to, I want to remove myself from having her as a client.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

So he basically was like, give me a couple days, I'm going to drop her. So he drops her as a client and my lawyer sets a court date. So this is July and the court date is set for September. Now me and Taylor are building a case.

[A]

Okay. Yeah.

[B]

At this point, we're swapping information and it goes from bad to worse. She is telling me about her experience with Melissa was almost far more aggressive, far worse than what I went through. It almost was like, really? Yeah, it almost like Melissa was like going super fast. Like, double time now.

[A]

Well, I feel like she was like letting out what she was going through with you on Taylor.

[B]

Right. And Taylor had nothing to bring to the table financially to really help. You know what I mean? So it was like she was like, she wasn't giving me money. She was piecemealing me. There was no groceries in the house. She was making me be vegan. She was telling me I needed to lose weight. And then towards the end of the relationship, she was trying to force herself on me. Like, we were already having these arguments and she was like, I'll show you messages where I literally told her, don't fucking put. When I tell you, no, don't force yourself. And Melissa's literally like, oh, you're right, I'm sorry, I read the room wrong. And. And it was just bad to worse on this situation.

[A]

So this is awful.

[B]

It's. It really is.

[A]

So how. Wait, you said July and your court's not till September, so you're like. And how is your son? How are you doing as a mom right now in this moment?

[B]

So I was pissed because I really wanted an emergency order. And yeah, it's sad, but family court, what we consider an emergency as a mom in family court's eyes, may not be as big of an emergency as you think.

[C]

Everything's an emergency as a mom.

[B]

Everything. Like you look at my child wrong. Emergency and emergency. At this point, I'm just getting my case together with Taylor and honestly, I am doing horrible. I am still having to go to work. Luckily, I have Amber. She's just super supportive, helping me with the baby, helping me get him to school, helping me, making sure that I eat and stuff like that. I've at this point lost £20. I am. I am absolutely, like, it was so bad. And my community knew how bad it was that at work I would, like take two hour breaks to talk to lawyers and I'd come back with my face all puffy, like, I am just absolutely Losing my shit and looking at it. I had a great chance in court, but it was always like, well, what if I go to court and they don't do anything about this? You know, what if this doesn't get solved and I can't sleep at night? And. And it was to the point where I was waking up having, like, nightmares where I'm, like, running in my son's room, and he would be at Melissa's house, because I'm just, like, so ate up over the fact that he's sleeping in a fucking closet.

[C]

So terrible.

[B]

It's awful. So we're getting ready. And the kids. Because Amber has a kid with Kayla, I have, you know, a kid with Melissa. So start telling us that they're together, that Melissa, Melissa and Kayla are together. Now, these are small children, right? But, you know, children can't lie. They really can. They're like, yeah, we've seen them kiss and stuff. So we're like, oh, so now Taylor's pissed because she's like, okay, they were clearly dating before we broke up, and this is all just weird. And so I catch wind of it. But the kids are like, no, they live together. Like, they're living together. And I don't doubt it, because Taylor told me Melissa's in debt. Melissa's lease was about to be up. Melissa had 16% interest on a car. Melissa really had nowhere to go. It kind of makes sense that Melissa would go shack up with Kayla, because what's better than having a conjoined enemy, you know? It's like, oh, my God, we both hate them. So, like, let's make their lives miserable.

[A]

This is wild. This is truly wild.

[B]

So at this point, I go to Melissa, and I'm like, hey, what's your address? Because I don't even have an address of where my child is and where my lawyer needs to send documents. And I also know that where Kayla lives is outside of our orders, like, outside of the counties that Melissa should be in. So I'm trying to get her to tell me the address, because that changes the custody situation even more, because now Kayla lives an hour away, which means right now, my son is being charted back and forth to school on an hour drive there and back on the days that Melissa has him. So not only is he being affected by all these changes, because by the way, he is. My son is being told to call every single woman mommy. My son is beyond fucking confused. And you as a mom.

[A]

Oh, my Lord.

[B]

Oh, lucky. I have a good job. I just. Oof. It is tough, right And I am dealing with all these changes, and I'm like, okay, we just need to make it to court. We need to make it to court. So court comes. I walk into court with Taylor, Amber, and my lawyer. Melissa doesn't have a lawyer anymore. And Melissa walks in with Kayla. So we're just in the hallway, X on X on X, Right? We're just all exes at this point.

[A]

The biggest lesbian nightmare I've ever.

[B]

It is actually a lesbian nightmare, so.

[A]

Because I feel like there's already, like, the nightmare trope of, like, oh, you go to a bar and all your exes are there. It's like, anytime anyone complains about that, you can now be like, well, what if it was court with all of your exes?

[B]

With all of your exes. All of your exes.

[A]

This is just. I have the shivers. Okay, continue.

[B]

It's crazy. So we're in court, and the judge ends up awarding me primary and giving her standard possession, which is first, third, fifth. So every other weekend with child support. And my lawyer in court was making sure that I got the 20% of Melissa's income. Well, Melissa goes, I can't give you 20% of my income because I'm about to lose my job. And everyone in the court was like, what do you mean? And Melissa's like, oh, you don't know. Taylor and Claudia are getting me fired.

[C]

What?

[B]

Stop. Me and Taylor look at each other, and we're like, what the fuck is she talking about? And my lawyer leans over to me, and she's like, what's she talking about? And everyone's like, I don't fucking know. We don't know. So the judge was like, okay, well, it seems like your job is rocky, you know? He was like, what are you about to be fired for? Why are you on probation or whatever? And she was like, oh, I was sharing sensitive company data. And he was like, okay, well, sounds.

[A]

Like you're supposed to sound like a. Yeah, you problem. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. So then the judge was like, well, I can't in good faith tell her to pay 20%, which would have been something like $1200. Like she was gainfully employed. But he was like, I will assign half of daycare, which is about $800. So he's like, so that's your child support. 800amonth, divorce is finalized. Gavel. You owe child support starting on the first. All right, good luck, everybody. You know, that's literally what they say at the end of court. Good luck.

[C]

So good luck, everybody.

[B]

So the next day, I get a Call and someone. Some of my friends, all my friends are basically PIs. Okay. My friends call, they said, hey, have you seen Melissa on TikTok right now? You need to go watch it. So I'm getting tacos and having margaritas with Amber and we open up TikTok and we're like, here comes this TikTok. Melissa's like, my exes got me fired from my job and now I don't have any income and I'm supposed to pay child support. And they're the reason. So guess what? How are they going to feel about their jobs and you know, like just. Oh, oh yeah. Getting real real.

[A]

That's really great for your shared child to try.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Take both the parents.

[B]

Because now. Yeah. $0.00. Clearly a thing.

[A]

That's awesome. Yeah, that's really nice.

[B]

So basically me and Taylor, because at this point we're. We're friends. Hey, Taylor. Hey, girl. We're just like, what the fuck is going on? Okay, so what's really frustrating is when you are going through a custody battle and even if the judge says, hey, this is the order, there's terms and conditions for the other parent to sign. Melissa's not signing the terms and conditions. Why? Because she says, well, I don't want every other weekend. I want first, third and fifth. Now the problem with this first, third and fifth situation is me and Amber's kid, like our kids have always been on the same weekend schedule during Amber's.

[C]

Which makes things easier when you're co parenting and you have the same.

[B]

Correct. You have kids schedule. Also, also, this should work.

[A]

They're together too.

[C]

Right?

[B]

Don't you guys want free weekends?

[C]

Right.

[B]

And it wasn't just for a free weekend. Like, our kids have bonded together. Mind you, we're talking over a year at this point that we've been going through this.

[C]

They bonded now. Yeah.

[B]

Right. So I remember during Amber and Kayla's divorce, Kayla was really pushing to separate the kids, but Amber's judge was like, no, keep the kids on the same schedule. That's fair. Well, Melissa decides, well, I want to take the kids off the same schedule. My lawyer goes back and says, listen, Claudia does not want to do that.

[C]

We.

[B]

Because at this point you're talking maybe it's been about three months since we've been in court. Melissa has not paid any child support at this point either. So my lawyer says, listen, Claudia wants this schedule. You owe child support. How about this? Claudia will forgive the last three months of child support that you owe if you just agree to the Schedule. Melissa's like, no. So then my lawyer says, okay, well, how about this? We'll give you every fifth weekend, but we'll still rotate. So you'll have an extra weekend on months that have fifth weekends, but the kids will still be on the same schedule. No. So I'm frustrated. I'm like, there's no way in hell a judge is gonna allow this to happen. Set another court date.

[C]

They can see what's going on. Like, come on.

[B]

Come the fuck on. So we set another court date.

[C]

Shocker.

[B]

At this point, the judge said child support was due in October. We have a court date set for the end of February. So at this point, child.

[A]

And you got no child support.

[B]

None. None at all. But basically we end up going to court. And the judge was like, I don't give a shit. Get out of my courtroom. Let's throw Melissa a bone. Let's throw Melissa a bone. That was it. He was like, I don't care. He's a very stern judge, if you will. He just doesn't really. It's not very nice. So he was like, let's just throw Melissa a bone. And I'm livid. I'm not even going to lie to you. I was cussing up a storm in those court hallways because it was just so unreasonable. And you guys are doing this on purpose. You think I'm stupid? Why would you choose not to have free weekends only to torture somebody you've been torturing for a year and a half? Of course, right? Me and Amber have never cared about anything that Melissa or Kayla has done. We just wanted to be divorced, have our kids, and live our lives freely without all this bullshit.

[A]

Well, your poor kids.

[B]

I am so concerned about the amount of money I'm going to pay in fucking therapy. So, like, for every damn body, for everybody just around the table. So I end up making a TikTok. Just sort of like a 10 second. You guys wouldn't believe this situation. And it goes viral. Everybody's like, do a story time. Do a story time. And this is in February of this year, 2025. And I was like, okay. I tell the story. The story is definitely. It's tracking. Okay. I get a dm. Second wife. Second wife is like, okay, yeah, like.

[A]

From the past, the past.

[B]

All the past girlfriends are coming forward. All the past ex wives are coming forward. Past ex friends. Everybody is in my DMs. Mind. You. I never said Melissa's name. That's how easy it was for people to know exactly who I was talking about.

[C]

The Social media is a powerful thing.

[B]

Let me tell you. So the second wife comes to me and says, listen, I too, have a tattoo. I did not need. I did not need insurance. I was married to her, but told her I didn't want a baby, and she threw me away, told me to get out. I was locked in the house with no food and no job and no money while she was forcing me to be vegan.

[C]

Oh, my God, what is this?

[A]

I think she's just poor. I don't think she's actually vegan.

[B]

I don't think she's actually.

[A]

I don't think she cares.

[B]

I genuinely. No, I genuinely think that's what it is. You can't. You can't take someone to a nice steakhouse if you're vegan. You can't.

[A]

100%.

[B]

I honestly. Because even when I was talking to Taylor, the ex girlfriend, she was like, we never went out. She wouldn't take me anywhere. And so now the second wife is telling me the same thing. And she's like, also, by the way, when you guys were still living together during the divorce, she sent me a message apologizing to me and started showing me pictures of your son and telling me that you were fucking crazy and all this stuff. So she was like, you know what? When I watch this video, I realized it was all shit. So at this point, we're all swapping war stories, and she tells me. She was like. Because when I was making the TikToks and going viral, it was kind of. I was able to share all the screenshots that Taylor, like, I was sharing tea receipts. And she was like, listen, I don't really want to be involved. I just wanted you to know. So I end up talking to the girlfriend before Taylor. Same situation. She was trying to coerce me into a tattoo. She's vegan. She's telling me this. She's telling me that I got girlfriend.

[C]

Everybody's saying the same thing.

[B]

Everybody. Now, mind you, the only person I haven't talked to is the first wife. Nobody knows where she is.

[C]

Is she dead?

[B]

Beats me. I think she ran for the fucking hills and never looked back. And good on ya.

[C]

She's like. She's like, screw all y'.

[B]

All.

[C]

I don't want nothing to do with it.

[B]

Nothing.

[A]

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[B]

So everybody's coming forward at this point and they're all like, yeah, I don't really want to be involved, but I just want to let you know. So a lot of this is validating because I'm like, okay, I was not the only person. Yeah, I'm not crazy. Like, she actually has a scam going and I'm talking girlfriends from high school are coming forward. Like it's. I am knee deep in screenshots. I can't make these videos fast enough. It is going so crazy. So through this timeframe that I'm making these videos, I'm still getting no child support and I'm still there. It seems as though they're living together, but I don't have an address for Melissa. I don't have a phone number for Melissa. Her response to everything is to ice me out and not give me access to my son when he's with her. She still does.

[C]

I hate when people use the kids.

[B]

And it's my son at this point is only four. So she'll have him like, let's say for actually Christmas and wouldn't let me talk to my son on Christmas, like just now.

[C]

No, ma'. Am.

[B]

Nasty. And unfortunately, in the court system, there's just nothing you can fucking do. Depending on how your order is written up. You can't call the cops. You can't really do anything. So I'm just sitting here, like, dealing with how she's treating my son. But also at the same vein, I'm like, I'm not letting up. Fudge this. I'm not letting anybody else get trapped in this situation. And to be honest, I felt like as I was telling the story on TikTok and giving all these receipts, I'm like, kayla, I don't really care for you at all. But, honey, look, pay attention. I don't even fucking like you, but don't be stupid. She's living with you with no job, mind you, no house, mind you, in child support, debt you. Now you have kids every single weekend. You have no freedom. What do you. Yeah, what are you. What are you getting out of this? Other than thinking that you're making me and Amber miserable because their whole thing was like, break me and Amber up. And like, we. They just don't. Me. And also, me and Amber are engaged now, so me. I was hoping you were still together.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

We've been together, what, almost two and a half years now. I bet they made it even stronger.

[C]

I love it.

[B]

I love it, love it, love it. So I was such an Amber fan. Yes, she is a fan. It's so funny on TikTok, I'm like, we love Amber. We love Amber.

[A]

Let us know when the wedding is so we know.

[C]

I know.

[B]

We're taking our time.

[C]

Good.

[B]

Yeah. We're trying to learn from our past mistakes and make sure that, you know, the kids are easing into all of this.

[A]

Look at this growth.

[B]

So basically, I'm telling this story. Everybody is saying the same thing. Veganism, positivity, tattoos. It is just crazy. And I'm realizing that she did the same thing to all of us, like, the vegan thing. She made all of us be vegan. So a part of Melissa's brand was being a vegan. Even online, it was very much like, I'm a vegan and I'm positive, and you must believe me, living a health. Health is wealth type situation. And when I met Melissa, Melissa doesn't cook. So it was very much like, you.

[C]

Know, olives for dinner.

[B]

Yeah. It was also just like, oh, have you ever made vegan meals? Like, this can really be a bonding experience. Have you ever tried being a vegan? It was almost like that Melissa was pushing health in sort of more of a controlling tactic. It really felt like the vegan thing was being used as this weird control.

[A]

Like, for you, I'm doing this for.

[B]

You and for me, I happen to be on the smaller. Like, I'm pretty tiny. So no one could ever come to me and say, be a vegan to lose weight, because I don't have any weight to lose. But every other woman that I talked to that was doing this vegan thing with Melvin was them trying to control their weight. I think that for me, they were just being consistent with their skin. And then another thing that was so weird and culty was that she tried to pressure every single one of these women into having babies. Or if they already had kids, she pressured them into having the kids call her mom and treat her like another parent. And like, in the moment, I was like, okay, this could be a natural response to just getting in a relationship, getting proposed, having a house, all that good stuff. Right? Like, this just might be the natural.

[C]

The next thing.

[B]

Yeah. To go into, like, the white picket fence American dream. Right? Everybody does gets married, blah, blah, blah. And I feel like initially I was like, okay, like, she genuinely likes me. She wants to have a kid. She wants the best for me. And you know what I am. She kept. When she started using my age, which I'm not that old at the time, I'm like, I guess 28, getting closer to 29. And she. As she kept pushing it, she's like, we don't have much time. That started feeling a little weird. I was kind of like, it's like, come on. It's like, if we. If we're still together, what's another two to three years? But looking back, it was fucking weird. It was always like, oh, one day I'm going to make you my baby mama. You know, even on Twitter, she would talk about having a baby. She would talk about me. I've even dug up old tweets where she was with other girlfriends online talking about having babies. Like, it's.

[A]

Is it like fetishy?

[C]

That sounds a little fetish. She's really pushing that.

[B]

It gives, like, fetish, but it doesn't. It's not like pregnant woman fetish. Like, she wasn't upset, to be honest, when I was pregnant, she. We already really weren't intimate. She wouldn't touch me when I was pregnant. But she was very much.

[C]

Because you were already pregnant. Did you think she wanted that to trap you? Kind of.

[B]

Maybe the kid?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Absolutely. I think that having first. Well, I do think that she wanted to trap me, but I also have this weird feeling with everyone that she's been with to have kids. I don't know if it's to trap a woman. Or it's because she just wants a lot of kids, if that makes any sense.

[C]

If it's like a community. Okay.

[B]

Because if you think about it, like, the whole tattoo thing, like, we make jokes about the cult, but it's like.

[C]

I was about to say, yeah, I.

[B]

Was about to bring up the cult. You want everyone to have tattoos, but you also want everyone to have a kid. And you're not waiting to know these women. You're just saying it. So I'm talking to all of these exes, and I'm putting the pieces together of truly how unhinged Melissa really is. And things kind of go silent. Okay. Everything's kind of silent. And I end up posting a few videos about my situation back here in August. Really not trying to get anything out of it, but giving a little bit more information because people were invested in the story. I'm not getting, like, a month ago.

[C]

Mm.

[B]

So I get. Okay, that video goes even more triple viral in the millions. And I'm like, oh, shit. Now people are going back to the original story from February, So I'm gaining more traction.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

Well, I get a dm. I'm talking to the second wife, and the second wife is telling me about this specific girlfriend from high school. And she's like, yeah, she told me she was the first wife. And, like, everybody had a different view. And we don't know anything about this high school girlfriend. I get a dm, same damn day. High school girlfriend. Hey, I realized that I know who you're talking about. You're talking about Melissa. And I was like, oh, shit, this is the person that knows about the first wife. This is the person that knew about high school Melissa. So she's like, oh, no. She was like, not only am I know who you're talking about, and I'm about to give you all the tea. Melissa texted me today, it's my birthday, saying, happy birthday. She's been texting me for 20 years. 20 years. 20 years. Because high school, I mean, I'm not spring chicken anymore, but high school. And so she's like, yeah, even when you had a baby, she would text me and be like, you're the only woman that I've ever loved and I don't give a shit about Claudia. Did the same thing with Taylor. To the high school girlfriend.

[C]

That bitch got some damn nerves.

[B]

Yep. And the high school girlfriend is like, I really don't give a shit about Melissa. Like that. So I never really paid much attention. I'm kind of just like, oh, Melissa being.

[A]

Yeah, you just, like, you do the thing where you. You. You give it the thumbs up just to keep the peace. And then you're like, okay, that's nice.

[B]

So I was like, okay, are you cool with me? Because at this point, I'm viral again. And I'm like, you know what?

[C]

Let me.

[B]

We're giving season two right now, so. So I'm like, let me get into season two. So I asked her, I was like, can I use your screenshots? Like, can I talk about this online? And she's like, yeah, go for it. I end up building a fucking Gantt chart, okay, of all these women. And I go back to some of the women that approached me in February and said, because now they're coming back and saying, I have more info. I have more info. And they're like, you know what? Yeah, use our stuff. Everybody was like, use it, use it, use it. So I make a new TikTok, and I'm like, I am fucking spilling it all. Gantt chart. Screenshots. I've heard from the first girlfriend. She's still talking to her. She's living with Kayla. She's been abusing these women sexually, coercing these women, everything. And what? The Internet fucking loses it. I am triple digits, okay? I'm skyrocketing, and I'm telling these stories a lot faster. I'm learning how to use TikTok a lot better. And basically, I'm telling the story in August, sort of at the point of. I'm telling their stories for them as best as I can. Hey, I wasn't the only one. Then there was this person, then there was this person. And these marriages overlapped and these relationships overlapped because we're all finding out that she never broke up with all of us. She just moved on to the next person using a different lie. Nobody knew about her.

[C]

Technically. Y' all are just all still together.

[B]

Yeah, we probably still are. We basically still are at this point.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

And to this day, I mean, it's only been, I guess, two months, but I still get DMs. Hey, I was friends with her. Hey, I knew her when she worked here. Hey. Because I'll be honest, the Internet. Everyone has the power of the Internet. And boy, did they find her very quickly. They found her very quickly. And I tried to prevent. I tried to prevent that. I've all. You know, I make sure that I was very cautious about what I said in these videos regarding names and stuff, because I didn't know if it would be Brought up in court, if we had to go back to court. But through all this information, I was like, I really want full custody of my child. Like, this person is a. Yeah, this.

[A]

Person is not stopping either. It's like, this isn't going on for so long, and it's still going on. So you don't even know what you're going to get with that.

[B]

Yeah. And at this point, I mean, I ended up hearing from another woman who dated her before Taylor, that my son wasn't in a car seat. I'm hearing all types of shit, and I'm like, what the fuck? Not only did this person have my child, like, this person does not give a fuck about my child. They. There is no way as a parent, anybody who is a parent would ever allow or do something like that. My son's 4. The picture she sent me without him being in a car seat, he was 2. 2 years old. It's like, at this point, I'm. I got lawyers on retainer because now I have lawyers going to Melissa saying, you're not letting Claudia talk to her child. You're not paying child support. Mind you, at this point, we're $9,000 in arrears. No child support, $0.

[C]

Not even.

[B]

Not even a dollar. Nothing. I'm paying for school and I'm having lawyers go to Melissa. Like, you have to give an address. We don't have anything. So I'm still spending money. I'm telling this story on the Internet. And of course, in fashion that I thought was going to happen, we start and I say we as in me and Amber, we start getting harassed on and off the court. So Kayla. Freaking course Kayla is going to Amber and just talking shit. Melissa's silent. Haven't heard a single fucking thing from Melissa since then, actually. And Melissa deletes her social media, all that stuff, right? But then all of these fake pages, very specifically, all these fake pages are going under comments, different people's pages, and just harassing them in the comments. And at this point, they're doxing me. I'm getting on lives, and they're basically talking about things I've never discussed on the Internet. I do have some privacy as it pertains to certain things about my child. And they're on, as you should. They're fucking doxing me.

[A]

They're spilling it.

[B]

They're spilling everything. And it's erratic. It's erratic. And I'm like, oh, shit. So me and Amber are like, okay, what do we do? We end up calling the cops. Cops. No good when it comes to Internet, anything and nothing. And to be honest, being doxed on the Internet is one thing, but we have been dealing with harassment for over two years. And I'm talking. We've had Kayla follow us to the house, had to get a trespassing order for her. They would show up in places that we were together inciting violence. We would have even.

[A]

What you told us about her freaking out at Amber.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

The one time in 2022, and Amber.

[B]

Is so, like, chill. She would go to doctor's appointments for her child. And Kayla's like, yelling at Amber in the doctor's appointments, following her to her car. When Amber goes and picks up her daughter, she's cussing her out at the drop offs. Like, we're just dealing with harassment from all angles constantly. So when these videos are taking place, they're doxxing us. And now the harassment's getting even worse. Well, we are trying to give it some time to die down, but of course. What does Kayla do specifically? They make a debunk page, if you will.

[A]

Oh, God. Yeah.

[B]

And really, to me, their page didn't really debunk anything more than it kind of validated what I was saying, because Kayla's like, they tried, bless them.

[C]

Yeah, they tried.

[B]

Yeah. They were like, oh, Claudia talks about how terrible Melissa is, but look at her cussing me out. Yeah, bitch, you're right. I fucking cussed you out. You allowed my son to be in a closet. I'll cuss you out every day from A to Z. Like, I'm not ever pretending to. I already did.

[A]

On TikTok. I posted it myself. Like, don't worry.

[B]

And on TikTok, I am very, like, you know, I am very open about the fact that I'm not claiming to be some, you know, some angel. Me and Amber definitely got together. We were still going through really tough times. I can understand how the people around Amber and me could be raw. You know what I mean? Amber's marriage was a lot longer than mine, so I understand that Kayla was upset. I actually gave her. I excused her behavior for a long time.

[A]

Yeah. Your whole story is really about Melissa. For the most part.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And no one cares about. No one's replying to it. And when people do reply to it, they delete it. Because everybody's like, oh, you kind of are a stalker. Like Claudia said. You kind of are giving harassing vibes. But then the video.

[A]

Wait, so is this, like, their faces in the video? Are they, like, revealing that they are the people you're talking about or just.

[B]

No, this is a page that's saying that they're just a page that. Or likes to ask questions.

[C]

Right.

[B]

But then. Yeah, then, like, one of the videos are like, oh, Kayla's walked into the room. She wants to give us her side of the story. You know, it kind of starts like that. But then this is where things take a stupid turn.

[C]

Oh, God.

[B]

Kayla starts releasing videos on this fake page. Not as Kayla, of video footage of me and Amber. Pictures of me and Amber, timelines, dates, where we are just really intricate things that only Kayla and I guess Melissa would have. If they're sharing information, trying to invalidate me and Amber's relationship. Like, oh, they met early on. And how can Claudia talk about this when she's doing this? And I'm like, were these, like, things.

[A]

That they had taken of you without your. So MacKenzie, Ms. PI. Is that.

[B]

Is that allowed?

[A]

Can they.

[B]

I don't.

[C]

I don't know. Where was the video taken? Is it public?

[B]

So, yeah, basically, because we ended up calling the cops because we're like, what the fuck? They're like, oh, well, the videos are in the front yard, technically, if you're at the door. So anybody could really access that.

[C]

But why were they there, is my question.

[B]

Well, because you got to think when we're in the beginning of this relationship, we're still living in the same household at some point. You know what I mean? I was still living with.

[C]

Oh, so Melissa was still like. Melissa had this video, so.

[B]

No, Kayla had this video. So there was a. Kayla was Kayla's. Then it's illegal.

[C]

She can't just be sitting outside your house taking videos, even if it is public.

[B]

Right. But at this point, too, I have been. I had sort of wandered into the town of where Amber was, too. So it was more so like, oh, you know, Britney's over here where Amber is. Because we didn't initially start living with each other. So it was videos like that. So. And they were so old that the cops were like. Because you're talking 20, 23.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So they're just posting all this, but.

[C]

If you wanted to push it, you really could.

[B]

Yeah, but, you know, the cops. The cops are like, who really cares?

[C]

They don't know how to deal. The things that they don't know how to deal with, then. They don't. There's nothing they. They'll do.

[B]

Yeah, they're like, we'll make a report. We'll make an event as to what they'll do. I finally had one cop, a woman, of course, who Was like, I'll make a report for you. I understand how this doesn't make sense. And she came back and she was like, listen, we're trying to press this, but we're not getting a lot of traction.

[C]

You guys know I've recently lost £175. I've been on a weight loss journey, whatever. And one of my biggest pain points with bra bras and underwear is the back fat. There's a little bit of loose skin. So all the intimates that I wear kind of squeeze you a little bit. But with skims, I feel like I finally found something that makes me feel pretty. When it comes to my intimates and I'm talking they have a fits everybody collection. And the bras and the underwear, they feel really good on the skin. I love how confident I feel in them. They're not too squeezy. They just fit. So it just molds onto your body without being squeezy in all the wrong places. So if you haven't tried them yet, this is your sign. I basically replaced my whole entire underwear drawer. And they have this really good, like it's an underwire bra and I love an underwire, but it's super comfortable. But the back is like a tank top, like a sports bra, almost. Super, super comfortable. This underwear is game changing. I will literally never go back. And I used to not really wear thongs a lot because they were super uncomfortable. Y' all know what I'm talking about. And their fits everybody thong is kind of like that seamless, really nice feel on your skin. And it doesn't move. It's just the feeling is like no other underwear you've ever worn. They use thongs used to bother me so much throughout the day, but this fabric just melts on your skin. You'll forget you're wearing it. Shop Skims Fits everybody [e-mail] after you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Listen, y', all. They don't call me snack pack for nothing. There is nothing better than a little treat, a little snacky snack. And that's why I love baked by Melissa. I posted this on my stories and I was talking about these little bite sized cupcakes. Listen, they give you the perfect ratio of cake stuff, stuffing, icing and topping in every single bite. There's new flavors introduced every single month, so get them for yourself. But you can also, like, I think it's a Great little gift to send to people that you love.

[A]

That has been my go to gift. You know what it is when my friends get engaged I just send like a congratulations baked by Melissa pack right away. And it's so easy and so cute and they love it. And the cupcakes are also entirely made by hand which is and insane.

[C]

My favorite flavor I think was the red velvet. And then the one I got was the latest and greatest pack. And so it had like a mint cookie, a tie dye cookies and cream. There was a Halloween like midnight munchies one peanut butter and jelly.

[A]

Anyways, the peanut butter and jelly one was surprisingly amazing. I loved the mint.

[B]

They were so good. So good.

[C]

I obsessed. Anyways and not only engagements like, like you said send to a friend for an engagement but they've celebrated more than a hundred thousand birthday since 2008. I think that's cool. And they were on the today show, Good morning America, People magazine. Listen, the one that came to my house. I was excited. Like I said snack pack. That's why they call me. Anyways, right now Baked by Melissa is offering our listeners 20 off your order at baked by melissa.com Dating Detectives. That's baked by melissa.com dating detectives for 20% off your order baked by melissa.com/dating detectives.

[B]

So okay, so they're posting this stuff and we're like you know what? Who fucking cares? Nobody cares about this page. Why, why should we even. And my friends are like well why don't you address it on your page? And I'm like I'm not giving them any views. Yeah, I'm not going to say giving any. No. So I didn't. So I have a few people dming me like oh, do you know about this page? Like because what they were doing is they kept using my AT name and they kept using my hashtags. So they were getting traction alone off of how popular the story was. So they were getting a few views like 500, 600. I mean mine were in the millions. Not to brag, so dumb, so stupid. But then this is where it gets off the rails. They start spiraling out of. They start spiraling out of control. They're posting these videos by the hour. Now one thing I didn't talk about in any of my story times which is how we are very sure that this is for sure them was there was a timeframe where I had filed a CPS report if my child.

[C]

Yes. Child protective services.

[B]

Yes. And unfortunately CPS is very similar to the court system. There wasn't a Lot done. But I was noticing a pattern where my son was coming here with a very specific room, so a handprint every time he got back from Melissa's house. CPS does. Yeah, I'm. And at this point, I called Kayla when this first happened, and I said, bitch, I will beat your ass. I will drag you up and down the street. I'm not playing with my son. And I literally called the cops and everything. There was nothing they could do. I opened the CPS report. CPS does nothing. I've even had lawyers tell me CPS does nothing. Yeah. And so they end up closing the case.

[A]

And.

[B]

And it just was what it was. They're like, we'll keep it on the books. Somehow, some way, the bruises disappear now. Right? So in this video that they now released is a call between the CPS worker and Kayla. She releases audio of a phone call with her in the CPS worker saying, claudia hits her own child and then files a CPS report.

[A]

No.

[B]

Yes. And so I am fucking livid because I'm like, listen, there's a point. There's a point. And I have been very. I have never gotten online and talked about any other children. Right? Everyone knows that Amber has a child, but I've never talked in depth about her child at all. It's just not my place to talk about other people's kids. Just not. Especially not something as close to home. SCPs never talked about it in my videos because it's not something I. You know, it's not something I'm willing to give to that audience. So when I see this, I am like. I go to Amber and I'm like, we need to call the cops again. We need to do what we need to do. And I'll be honest. Cops do nothing. And I end up going to Melissa, who, by the way, I haven't heard from in two fucking months. And I'm like, get your household under control. This is unsafe environment. This seems like erratic behavior. This seems unsafe for him. If you cannot handle your household, I do not think it's a safe place for my son to be. If you guys are so bitter over there that you're willing to get online and say that I hit my own child, I do not want my fucking kid over there, period. Melissa never read the message. Nothing. And there's nothing I can do. I did keep my son away from them that weekend because I didn't feel safe. I didn't feel like my son was safe. I was like, these people need a fucking need to calm down. So basically, that sort of is the harassment, right? Everything. After I went to Melissa and after, I think that post they thought was going to be like this huge, oh, my God, bomb. And I really think it backfired. I think everyone was like, yeah, this is kind of.

[A]

Them look wild to put that on the Internet.

[B]

It does. It really embarrassed them more than anything. And honestly, I don't think they had anything else. We don't really. We don't harass them. We don't do anything to them. So the page goes silent, it stops. And honestly, my video starts trickling down as well. Right. TikTok moves on to the next thing. It's fine.

[C]

Sure. Yeah.

[B]

But one thing that I didn't share throughout the story is that through all of these people coming to me and telling me about Melissa and everything that they know and what they've experienced with her, I found out that Melissa is now Melvin. Melissa.

[C]

I'm. I'm sorry, what?

[B]

Melissa has now transitioned to a man named Melvin.

[C]

Melissa is now Melvin.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Wait, how do you fight. Wait, Okay, I need more information.

[B]

So Taylor had mentioned way, way, way back in the beginning that, you know, all right, at the time, or I guess Melvin really wanted top surgery, but was very sure that they didn't want.

[C]

By top surgery, you mean remove the breasts, Correct?

[B]

Correct. But Melvin had made.

[A]

But she didn't want to transition, just wanted.

[B]

Okay, correct. But Melvin had made it very clear to Taylor that I don't want to transition in any way, shape or form. I just want to have a more masculine body. I want to look stronger women, you know, you don't have to have your breast if you don't want to have your breast, it's fine. So she had told me that. And honestly, looking back, I did notice some things. My son was having some confusion with, you know, names. Kept saying, kept saying daddy. And even the school came to me and was like, hey, we know he has two moms. He keeps saying daddy. And at the time, Melissa, now Melvin went to the school and was like, oh, no, that's. Just keep correcting him. Two moms. You know, kind of. I'm like, okay, fine.

[A]

So not. Yeah, okay, yes.

[B]

So I end up getting a message from Melvin that says my pronouns are now he, him.

[A]

When was this?

[B]

They ended up saying that basically around the time court was ending, Melvin was like, he, him. And honestly, I don't really give a shit, you know, but it was like, why the fuck didn't you mention this? This is not some. Oh, by the way, I changed my hair color. Like, this is like, hey, we should sit down and make sure that we know how to talk to our kid about this.

[C]

We have a kid together. Let's see how we can figure this out, make it easier for our child.

[B]

It's an education.

[A]

It's not about individual stuff. It's just parenting.

[B]

Correct. It's parenting. It's like, hey, let's sit down at a Starbucks and say, hey, okay, I am now going to go buy this. This is what I expect to see in parenting. How can I help you with this transition? Because if, if I have to co parent with you, you've already shown me a shitty job of fucking co parenting. But if I just fucking have to, then the least we can do is be honest with each other. But let's take it one step further, right? How do I know that they've fully transitioned? Well, remember I talked about that time frame during Christmas when I couldn't talk to my son. Turns out, jobless, homeless, no child support paying. Melvin has now had bottom surgery which is gender affirming care at the below the waist.

[A]

So top and bottom and then. And you're in a state that does not. That's out of pocket and that's not cheap, right?

[B]

No.

[C]

So then this person is not paying child support, but they are paying money to have top and bottom gender affirming surgery.

[B]

Yeah. $0.00, 16% interest on a car. Homeless but fully clothed in their new skin. And when I went viral on social media, it was actually addressing that, that I felt your child takes priority in any way, shape or form. And for me, if you needed a full transition that fast, you're talking six fucking months. Which, yeah, that already is alarming from like a mental, Like I've heard from mental health professionals during like now that I've done this story and they're like, I am so curious as to who allowed because this is. You have to get approval from therapists.

[C]

And that's what I was wondering too.

[B]

Right. A lot of medical professionals were like, whoever did this is malpractice. Damn near. Like, that is not something that happens very quickly because of all the different hormones and such.

[C]

Because that's a big deal.

[B]

Yes, it's a huge deal. But how I see it, because I'm really not a nasty person. And I'm just like, okay, if you really had to do this this fast, like you just had to transition this fast, come to me and say, hey, I need to prioritize my mental health and my transition and you can take care of our child until I Figure it out. Because how I see it is you're not giving me any money. I don't have any faith that my son is in a accommodating sleeping situation. You have him around these psychopaths and you're also using all your extra time and energy and into becoming a man.

[A]

Calling yourself, figuring yourself out. Right. And that's all well and good, but.

[B]

When you have a child, everything in your life is prioritizing your child. And that's what the consensus was.

[A]

I was gonna say, what was the Internet's like? What did trans people respond? Because I. The trans people I know would be like, yeah, they're still a shitty person. They're not shitty because they're trans, they're just shitty.

[B]

Yeah. I wanna say that maybe my first video was a little bit of rage bait where I was like, if you're gonna be a man, be a standup man. And so the Internet. Yeah, so the Internet. It was kind of funny first that everyone was like, fuck, yeah, that's crazy that you literally are a lesbian. You avoided men this long and now you have a baby daddy. You know, like everybody was on the side, but then it somehow got into men. TikTok. And they were like, how dare you compare us to, you know, they were being how they are and people are.

[C]

Going to get mad. You're not going to make everybody happy.

[B]

And I didn't really hear any like trans feedback on that video, but I made another video after basically talking about how I've received no child support. And this person is living in their truth off of somebody's dime. But I know that I still have to pay for my child for everything. And there was a huge outpour of trans people that were like, I'm a fucking parent and I would never do that. Yeah, I understand. But then it was this. A group of trans people that took it a lot more like gender affirming. Care saves lives.

[C]

Like, you're kind of like, your mental health has to come first. Like, you have to fill your cup before you can correct someone else's, basically. I could see that. I can see that the money even.

[A]

It's the communication, it's the neglect of your son. Like, those are the parts of it that are like.

[B]

Because they had this surgery and this is like, you are an ICU type surgery. This is not an in out. You're talking a 10 to 12 hour surgery.

[C]

Imagine that. That's a.

[B]

And my son is in her care at this point. So I don't know who was watching my son. I Don't know where he is. I don't have an address. Still to this day, I'm assuming. I feel pretty confident that Melvin lives with Kayla. I don't have any information. And you're sitting in someone's ICU with custody of my child. Cause it's during Christmas time and I don't know where he is. I'm calling my son on Christmas.

[A]

So what if any big medical thing, I don't know, like, what if anybody. If something happened to your child's other parent, like, there's just so much needed to be communicated here.

[B]

Absolutely. But believe it or not, a lot of people ended up coming forward. And really, I got a huge outpour from the transparent community that they were.

[A]

Like, I would imagine that's what I would think.

[C]

Your kid has to come first, always.

[B]

Period.

[C]

Like, yeah, you got to put on your. Your oxygen mask first, but at the same time, you can't. You got to take care of your kid, period. There's no. There's no way around it.

[B]

And it's been two months. When they get my son, on the weekends that they get him, I call to make sure my son is okay. Crickets. I. They have not paid a single medical bill. My son had hearing problems. They haven't paid anything since court. They haven't paid anything. They owe me $4,000 in medical reimbursement. They owe me $10,000 in arrears. They don't message me on the parenting app. So long story short, they're just all around shitty. Regardless of what they are, they're shitty. And as of now, I'm still primary. Melvin still has standard possession, which I will. I will never stop trying to get as much custody as I can. I am waiting for my judge to retire or die, because unfortunately, in family court, you have the same judge for the life of your case. So they still owe child support. They don't pay any daycare. They don't, you know, do anything. My son comes back in the same clothes that I send them in, same shoes, all that stuff. I have actually gone to Melvin and said, I will donate whatever you need if it's relates to my child. Crickets. I don't need anything from you. Nothing. I don't hear anything from Melvin. And everyone's like, how can you co parent if the other person is not going to parent? You can't. We're not co parenting.

[A]

We've heard the phrase defensive parenting, because it's not co parenting. It's like whenever your son comes back, you have to almost like Undo whatever damage has been done.

[B]

I have to undo him calling everybody mommy. He struggles so badly with names.

[C]

That's so confusing.

[B]

It is confusing because I'm the only mommy. And I literally told Melvin, hey, if you're gonna date Kayla, what the fuck? He can call her anything else. Don't use the phrase. Don't use the phrase mommy. Mommy is specific to me because I gave birth to somebody.

[C]

That's a privileged title.

[B]

It's a privileged title. And they are just over there. It seems like they are living in a delusional world.

[A]

And I bet when you said you wanted to be mommy, that was the only time that they were like, oh, now we really want it. It sounds like they're like, making only. The only decisions they make about the child is in relation to, like, getting back at you.

[B]

Yeah. Like, not letting me talk to my 4 year old is doing. I don't talk to Melvin. What reason do you have to not let me talk to my 4 year old?

[C]

That's not gonna work out. Like, that is a nut. Like, yeah.

[B]

And I have to. Absolutely not going to work out. Yeah, it's not going to work out. And I literally call. I do what I'm supposed to do. I have a lawyer. I've served them. I've done everything that I can. And at this point, I've poured 15 plus thousand into trying to be a good parent. And I'm at the point where I'm like, I will never. This is not going to work. And I've literally gone to Melvin at this point and been like, listen, bro, I'll pay your fucking child support. Leave me the fuck alone. I'll pay it off. You can walk away with absolutely nothing leading behind you. Just go away. Please just go away. And they just won't.

[C]

That's my take too. Like, I don't want you. I don't care. I'll take care of my kid. Go away. I don't want nothing by.

[B]

That's fine. You're unsafe. I don't think he deserves to be. I don't. My son doesn't deserve that. And it sucks because sometimes I feel bad because I'm like, okay, you were a player in this. You brought him into the world with this person.

[C]

He deserves your relationship. But if you're not willing to. The kid doesn't care about the money. They care about the time. And it's right. Like, it's almost like if. What's the. You're just creating more issues.

[B]

Yeah. So like I said, I think Melvin still lives with Kayla, I am still. We have to. We have cameras everywhere. You know, we have to protect ourselves. And because we are actively being harassed, it never stops. It gets quiet and then it gets back. It's honestly, it's kind of like our normal. Like when they're quiet, it's actually a little scarier than when they're going ballistic because at least you kind of know where they are and everything. So really, my story never ends, unfortunately. It just keeps going. Yep. This is kind of what it is. I basically will continue to fight. I am never going to stop. People are always like, oh, maybe it'll get better, it'll improve. And I'm like, fuck, no, it won't. This person is a psychopath and doesn't love anybody that they're with. They just want to use people as baby vegan incubators or something. I'm not.

[C]

And unfortunately, it's almost like you have to not react in the way that you want to because you have to set a good example for your kids. So you have to, like, hold all those feelings in and just be like, you know what? It doesn't matter. We have to do the right thing. It doesn't matter. We have like.

[B]

And that's their.

[C]

But.

[B]

But that's what they want. But that's what they want in either. They want you to react. Yes. Well, no, they. They also. They want me to react. But at the same time, Melvin loves to shut down like this because he's like, eventually, Claudia is going to go away. If I stop answering, Claudia will stop calling. So I think that everything that Melvin is doing is to make me silence at some point because it's been two months, right? And I've, you know, I haven't been making any more videos about it. And then it's silent because Melvin is like, oh, you, you know, Claudia will eventually stop talking about this.

[C]

But what, what Melvin doesn't realize is even if you do stop the post and just move on with your life, either way doesn't look good for. For him. No, no, it doesn't look good for him. Like, neither way. Either way.

[A]

And your fight is not even about the TikTok, it's about your son. Like, you're fight. You're fighting for your kid. And that doesn't stop until you win.

[C]

Even if you say, like, I'm gonna stop posting because this is. I care more about my son than I care about this crap. So I'm done. I told you everything I had to say. That would freaking kill.

[A]

Like, he would be like, oh, crap.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And like, honestly, I've. Like I said, two months silence. Haven't heard anything from Melvin. And I think Melvin thinks that I'm just gonna go away while he doesn't pay child support and you're just playing. Yeah. And guess what? I think that Melvin and Kayla are together. I hope that Kayla understands and realizes that mental health is real and eventually you will see, and Melvin's gonna move on to the next girl. And guess what? I'm still here. Internet doesn't delete. And they're eventually gonna come across it and somebody's. And guess what? You with kids. What, are you just gonna keep telling the woman that you're with that she can never meet Claudia, your son's mother? No, that doesn't work. That's not gonna work. I wouldn't accept that. So eventually, eventually, Melvin's gonna have to make a decision, which is do you care more about your future and lying and scamming your scam, your scam, or do you care about your son? And from the looks of it, eventually, I keep hope alive. And I just keep saying it over and over and over again. He's gonna go, and I will gladly.

[A]

I gladly, you will bid him farewell.

[B]

Literally. I will give them a card and money, everything. Just please go away. But yeah, that is my lore.

[A]

We need updates. We need.

[C]

Please update us with this. I now I'm like, I'm fully invested.

[B]

Need help for sure. It's been two months of silence. I have no doubt in my mind that as we get into the holiday season, things are really gonna get nasty because they normally do in co parenting situations. So I will definitely keep you guys updated. Honestly, I think everyone, the. The Internet, they are like, hey, do you have any updates? I'm like, bro, it's been 60 days. Like, luckily, no. Luckily not. But I'll let you know if there is, because like I said, I'm never going to stop telling my story. Like, I.

[C]

That your voice becomes your weapon. So.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. I am. I am Melvin's biggest fear. I am his biggest fear.

[C]

Well, you have a lot of information, so, I mean, we thank you again so much for sharing. I can't wait to hear the feedback from our audience.

[A]

Yeah. You're awesome. And your son is so lucky to have you in this. I mean, it sounds like you are fighting like, like hell and that's all you can do. Amber sounds lucky.

[B]

Oh, yes. And. And obviously we are engaged. And thank you. Thank you. So we're just building our family over here and all that good stuff and Making sure that everyone is stable. Like. Yeah. Thank you guys for listening. I know it's a long one and a confusing one.

[C]

No, it's still important, though. Thank you again very much. We'll. We'll be talking to you soon because we're going to want updates for sure. Holy.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

[C]

Pregnancy versus veganism. Control manipulation.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Well, I love how Tik Tok played a role in her journey here, because I'm sure half of you are going to go try to find it. Go off, do your best. We keep it anonymous as much as we can, but she was able to find out the truth about Melvin, this ex.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Through all of these people that found her story. That's why we do this. We want you all to be able to connect, not necessarily with the same person that dated your dogfish, but just with people who have been through it and make you feel like you're not crazy.

[C]

One thing that, like, I don't know anything about veganism, okay. Because I'm a meat eater, whatever. But I feel, guys, that whole veganism thing, that was a total control tactic. 100%. Like, I just don't. That was just used as control, period.

[A]

I'm glad you said that because I definitely don't want any of our vegan listeners to feel offended. We were very like. It comes into the second part because I think you.

[C]

We don't care if you're vegan.

[A]

Well, first of all, he was a bad vegan. He, like, would stop being vegan at some points. And I really think it was like you said, it was just like a tactic to control their eating, which we.

[C]

Yeah, he was not full blown because. And then when he's Melvin and then he's like, not a vegan anymore.

[B]

Yeah, it's like, well, also, like, getting.

[A]

A tattoo of everybody's name, asking them to have a baby.

[B]

That's a lot.

[C]

Like, the tattoos, that's a big, big deal. Like, that is branding someone. Yeah, it's branding.

[A]

I really do think all of the controlling, the eating, the tattoos, the wanting to have babies, or even just having their kids call him, like, daddy or Mommy. Like, he wanted it to be like this little coven of people that were his. And. And that was weird. It's. And also the positivity, like, the whole Twitter Persona and being spiritual and using positivity to make it seem like he wants what's best for you, but really to just control you. Yes, that's real.

[C]

And also, it's like, I. I'm not a. I'm so positive. But really, it's. It's. It's a back. It's a backhanded compl. Like kind of like a backhanded compliment. Like, you know what I mean? It's. It's very backhanded and very backwards. And there were definitely moments where I.

[A]

Was like, who does he think he is? Like, why is there this positioning of intel? Like, I know more than you, but that was part of it. And also. Okay, so I wanted to point out, which we mentioned, Claudia talked about her toxic ex coming out of her bad relationship, really seeking something like this, where she felt supported. And also Melissa, at the time, Melissa came in with sob story, background trauma. The first marriage had stolen money and left, and the family was racist and homophobic. Like, really position them as this sob story, which the dogfish do all the time to make you fall for them and want to. And just want to put aside your boundaries so that you can be there for them.

[C]

Yeah, it is.

[A]

That was big.

[C]

I think a lot of people will relate to that also.

[A]

Then they moved to Tennessee, so Claudia is now isolated.

[C]

Isolation for me, if, you know, if you go back and listen to a lot of our episodes, you'll see that isolation is one of the first things that happen. They get you a alone and make you feel like you need to be alone, or they encourage you to be alone, tell you everybody around you is bad, or they. Whatever you kind of brainwashed, right?

[A]

You can still have relationships with your friends and family, but they might just be tainting them with the idea that they're not actually as good for you as you think they are.

[C]

They don't love you as much as you're the person does or whatever. Like, oh, they'll never love you like I do. And so you're kind. You start. They start to isolate. That's a huge manipulation tactic. Another one, and this is just me as a mom, but I feel like another control slash manipulation tactic is encouraging your child to call another person mommy or daddy when they are not their mommy or daddy. I feel like Claudia was right. I agree with Claudia when she's like, if it. If they say it like naturally, and they're just like, oh, Mommy. You can have a conversation around that and an educational, like, hey, I'm Mommy. And this is, you know, I. I don't.

[A]

This is mama or whatever.

[C]

Maybe you can call them someone else or if you're fine with it, whatever. Like, do whatever works for you. But there's a way to have a discussion around it. But to encourage Them say, you need to call this person mommy. You're trying to manipulate that situation and the child, and all you're doing is hurting that kid. You're confusing the crap out of that kid.

[A]

And also, we've made it clear and we'll continue to, regardless of gender. It's confusing to have to call a new partner mommy, too. So this child is already in a really difficult position. Having two homes now. It's like, just really disorienting, and I really can't imagine. And we talked about defensive parenting rather than co parenting because so much of what Claudia and then Amber had to do was undo what's going on at the other house, which is also abusive and really devastating. To get to the part of the story where we found out about the living situation over there. That's. But.

[C]

But Amber.

[B]

Awful.

[A]

Loved Amber.

[C]

Give it up for Amber. I like. Yeah, I really like Amber. I think. I think everybody's gonna agree.

[A]

Yeah. And, like, what are the odds that the. I mean, I guess the odds are high because they're diabolical, but that Me. Wait, Melissa. Who's.

[B]

Who?

[C]

Melissa is Melvin and Elvin.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Kayla's Amber's ex wife together.

[A]

It was like nightmare, nightmare, nightmare.

[C]

But it was like the two bads got with the two goods kind of.

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[C]

So they, like, found each other.

[A]

I want to get Kayla out of there. I mean, the fact that there are so many exes that have been through this similar thing just goes to show you that a lot of the things that we might not initially think are a problem with this dogfish is a pattern, I think. Oh, there are little things I like. There's a lot of big things, obviously, but little things that I wanted to touch on. Even going all the way back to the fact that they started their relationship with lots of texting versus being in person.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I am asking the room because I've had thoughts about this, given that I like texting and I feel like I can communicate well over text and have had situations where I've talked a lot with someone over text, then met them in person on the date. And it's awkward because it's a different dynamic. And I think it's easier to be who you want to be over written communication because you can think about it more. You can run it by your friend. You don't even know if you're talking to the person or if you're talking to ChatGPT.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Like, it could be anything. Even if it is genuinely you. You're just being a different version of yourself. And I, I know that a lot of online relationships start that way or long distance relationships have to start that way. So I don't think it's necessarily a deal breaker. I just think it's something to be cautious of because you might not be getting the person you think you're getting.

[C]

I agree.

[A]

Especially today because we're all online.

[C]

And not chat GPT.

[B]

Yeah, for real.

[A]

You might be getting chat GPT. You don't even know it.

[B]

Oh, Chad.

[C]

GPTs.

[A]

Sometimes I wonder if that'll be better than some of the dogfish out there. Just kidding.

[C]

But it's interesting for Claudia to go to get to Taylor to get to Claudia and it all to come full. It was just a lot but crazy. And it's just, I'm just so grateful every time our guest shares a story because there is just someone who relates to this and it just goes to show you that these are not just like straight relationships. Like, oh man on woman. Like these are all kinds of relationships. Friendship, dog, friend, fish, employee fish. Like all kinds of relationship, parent fish. Remember when the mom was with the daughter's husband or whatever. Like it's all kinds of dogs.

[A]

It keeps me up at night. And yeah, we, I mean we definitely, we always ask for diverse stories and I think the, like this, the trans element of this story is not the focus and we really don't want it to be. Like, this is not a representation of trans people. This is a dogfish that happens to be trans. Just the way it's a dogfish that might happen to be gay or a dogfish that might happen to be mentally ill. But that being said, I know that the abuse people face in the trans dating world is really specific and unique. So I do put that out there that if our non binary or trans listeners have a story, I would love to platform that. And also if there's ways that we can talk about it in a better way, we're so open to that, so let us know. But it was awful to just think about how this person used all of those traumas or like we've had people in the past use build their sob story out of racism that didn't happen. Like, I just hate that. I hate when you take something that is villainizing a minority and making it your weapon to manipulate someone. That just ruins it for everybody.

[C]

Yeah, I don't like it. I don't like it.

[A]

Can we also the other thing I wanted to ask you, PI. So the child abuse stuff is devastating to me and it does seem like in a Lot of these instances, the domestic dispute, the police didn't really do a lot. The CPS report, they weren't allowed to get too far. And even at this point, she's like, I still don't know Melvin's address. I still don't know how to get more information about that. What would a PI do if she.

[C]

Get Melvin's information or to just like.

[A]

Find out what the situation is for the child?

[C]

I've done a zillion domestic cases in a domestic case is like a. Not an insurance fraud. It's more just like somebody hired me to.

[A]

Yeah. Make sure my child is doing what they say they're doing with my child.

[C]

Exactly. And so I've done a lot of those. A lot of those, oh, it's the dad's weekend, you know, gotta follow him around. And then you just document what you observe. Obviously you can't see what's going on in the home. You can't be in the house. But you can do surveillance and see how they're acting, where they're going, who they're talking. You can kind of paint a picture based on their activities, especially with continued surveillance. So if you do multiple weekends in a row or whatever and you start to create a pattern, you're creating a story with your observation. There's other times, which is very few and far between for a surveillance investigator. Because most of the time it is up to. For child protective services or law enforcement to do these investigations. But there are times when we can kind of go door to door and we can start asking the neighbors questions. We can help to paint a picture with what others are observing. So with witness statements or you know, even the opinions of the neighbors, like, oh, they were screaming in a tone that seemed like they were scared or whatever. That's all documentation. And of course it's like, well, who are they to say they sounded scared? What do they know what a scared screen? It's like if you have 10 people saying the same thing, it's like, what? So then it's. Then you.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Builds your case. It builds your case and it provides. You can provide that to the client who can provide that to their attorney or to the child protective services. And as a legal investigator, that's why you can't just go knocking on doors all willy nilly. As someone who's actually licensed to get this information, it's legally obtained information. Whereas law enforcement, they. There's not a lot.

[A]

Yeah, they need a warrant.

[C]

Yeah, they're bound. They're bound by a different set of laws. I'm not bound by those laws, so it's kind of interesting.

[A]

And even just finding that address to be able to serve divorce papers or whatever, you have access to ways to do that legally?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

That we don't.

[C]

Yeah, there's. There's so many different ways you can find addresses. All I got to do is if I type in this person's name, you can work backwards, you can work forward. If you know what kind of car they drive or what their tag number is, you can find it. If you know any part of their social, if you know their phone number, their cell phone number, anything like that, we can. I can go to the Google machine and find it, but it's a lot harder. We have resources that licensed investigators are allowed to use to find information, and that's what we can use to help narrow down where these people are at.

[A]

When she was talking about not knowing where they lived, I was kind of like, all right, so hypothetically, say they come to pick up the kid, and I just happen to drive behind them for a little while until I see where they go. And I was like, I think I'm not allowed to do that. I think mackenzie says I'm not legally allowed to do that. You're not allowed to get in trouble doing that.

[C]

Yeah, you can get. Well, in the state of Florida. In the state of Florida, that's called unlicensed activity, and that's actually called stalkings. So it's kind of one and the same in other states. There's different requirements for what it takes to be a PI but stalking is never legal.

[A]

It's so frustrating because it's like, for the safety of your kid, I would do anything, like, but hire someone legally.

[C]

Who has the legal resources. Because also, think about it. If it ever goes to court, and they say, well, how did you find this out? And you say, I followed them. How I followed them. And they're going to be like, well, then this. This can't be used in the court. Like, it has to be legally obtained. Just.

[A]

In fact, they'll use that against you.

[C]

They'll use it against you and say, oh, you're unhinged, or whatever. So if you say, I used my resources to hire a licensed person to obtain this information legally, then it's like, okay, you have every right to hire a PI and this person was legal. They did everything the right way. They found the information. And this legally obtained information, we can. We can allow it in court, man. Anticipation of litigation is always the name of the game.

[A]

Okay, I was just curious like what?

[C]

It gets really hard, though, because we want to just do it ourself and we want to be like, okay, let me just follow them and see where they're going. Don't do it.

[A]

Don't do it. Call my Hannah's.

[B]

Like, damn it.

[A]

Will you remind everyone? Because we've had a few DMS asking about how to find a trustworthy private investigator. You have a website you send people to?

[C]

Yes. So for every state, there is some kind of. Like, for instance in Florida, it's the Florida association of Licensed Investigators. Type in whatever state you're in. Wyoming association of Licensed Investigators. It might be like, just Google it. Just Google it. And it's not. Maybe it's called something like Wyoming Licensed Investigators Associate or whatever, but you'll find a similar association. And so these associations, legitimate private investigators are members of. For the networking, for the community and for the clients. And so PIs work in networks. And so when you. The more private investigators, like the. When you're part of those associations, more people are like, oh, like, if I'm part of f Florida association of Licensed Investigators, they'll say, oh, I need a female investigator and I'm trustworthy because I pay my dues to be a part of this, to be a part of this association, go to the meetings and I care about the actual job and, you know, it's just a little bit more repeatable and people can speak for your. Your reputation or whatever.

[A]

So you're not going to get into that if you're not trustworthy and doing the job right.

[C]

So, yeah. And people, if you're a member of one of these associations, chances are you, you're probably a reputable person. Not everyone, I reckon, but it's a good place to start.

[A]

Okay, great. Well, thanks for that, my PI queen. My dear Texas, we're all armchair sleuths legally.

[C]

Yes, anybody can be in armchair sleuth.

[A]

Oh, Claudia, I loved her. She was gorgeous. Is gorgeous still just because she's not.

[C]

It was right now she wanting therapy for a long time.

[A]

I love when she said, like, all I wanted was to be loved. And just whenever I gave her something she wanted, she gave me more love. Like, that was the exact quote I wrote down because it makes sense. I think a lot of us are just like, I'm just going to keep fitting the narrative of what will keep this relationship happy, because that's what I want. Like, I just. I just want things to be easy. It's so. Life is hard enough. Like, you don't want to have to deal with all this. But Claudia was strong and eventually did so I'm proud of her for that.

[C]

Yeah. And I'm just. Thank you, Claudia for even sharing your story. You guys, if you have a story to share, please email us. Investigate the Dating Detectives podcast dot com. We would love to hear so many people say, I don't know this. The story is kind of stupid. No, it's not email it will determine that if it's stupid, it's never even.

[A]

Get back to you. And just know it's because we get a lot and.

[C]

And it probably would subject. Oh yeah.

[A]

Maybe you can follow up but put in the subject something about what the story is about. Like a few key words and just know we are going through them. And even if it just feels cathartic to send, hopefully that makes you feel good too. I love when people tell us like even just writing it out.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yes. Sometimes just writing it down is helpful for folks.

[A]

So I have been on my journal game lately. I've been journaling every morning.

[C]

It's good.

[A]

I'm sure if anybody ever finds it and reads it, they'll be like, what the heck? She's crazy.

[B]

That's for me.

[A]

That's for me to know and the journal to know.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Anything else? I'm excited to see you.

[C]

I know. I'm excited to see you too. Well, as this comes out, I'm actually on my way to la.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Oh my gosh. And as this comes out, I am very excited and anxiously awaiting.

[C]

So as by the time you guys hear this episode, I will be like just arriving to la.

[A]

Well, we have fun stuff planned. Yeah.

[C]

We're going to be to the workshop on Wednesday evening in West Hollywood. Please, please, please come RSVP it's 35 bucks and come do the. The.

[A]

We want to hang.

[C]

Yeah, come to the don't get killed club with us. Okay. That's.

[A]

It's good. It's really like I've learned so much from the ones we've done.

[C]

I'm excited. I'm so excited.

[A]

It's like practical, you know, it's just. It's not any fancy black belt. It's like if someone pulls your hair, here's how to GTF little things you can remember.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Love you. Can't wait to see you. Thank you, Claudia. Thank you to Taylor and all of the other victims of this awful dogfish. This cop here.

[C]

There's so many too.

[B]

I.

[A]

We're here for you always. And as always, trust you.

[C]

Love you guys.

[B]

Sam.