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A preliminary murder charge was slapped on an Arkansas father after he located his missing 14-year-old daughter with a man alleged to have raped her.

“We 100% in the moment thought he had taken her to kill her.”

Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, deputies from the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office had been dispatched when 36-year-old Aaron Spencer and his wife Heather had reported their daughter missing. However, by the time they arrived, a confrontation had already ensued between the father and 67-year-old Michael Fosler, and the alleged sex offender awaiting a court date in December was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to a statement from the LCSO, the father had been preliminarily charged with first-degree murder, a Class Y felony, and Sheriff John Staley asserted, “This is a tragic situation and my thoughts and prayers are with all involved.”

While Spencer was released the following day after the family posted bail, a crowdfunding page set up by his wife further detailed how, “Our family has been through the unimaginable. Over the last several months we have been living this nightmare privately. That all changed this week when our life turned upside down and a culmination of all our first fears was realized.”

“In spring/summer 2024 our then 13 year old child was targeted, groomed and ultimately raped by the boyfriend of a family friend. Our family did not know this monster. He just appeared in a place where our child should have been safe and got access to her phone number. And that’s all it took,” she explained. “We let the justice system do its job. The monster who hurt our child was charged quickly, but released even faster on a $50k bond. He was awaiting court in December for several felonies in relation to what he did to our child.”

She went on to assert that her combat veteran husband was attacked after locating their daughter “and did what he had to do to protect himself and our minor child.”

The GiveSendGo page had exceeded the initial $50,000 goal after an original GoFundMe page had been taken down. A spokesperson for the latter told USA TODAY that they prohibit fundraisers for legal defense of individuals formally charged with “an alleged violent crime,” something that had not occurred.

Staley had explained to the outlet Friday that Fosler had been arrested in July for sexual assault and internet stalking of a child, “This guy that preyed upon their daughter was released on bond, and we had stopped him that night and got him with her. That bond would have been revoked. He would have never got out of jail. None of the bond companies would have let him out. We wouldn’t let him out.”

“I absolutely do not support predators. I’m a daddy. I have three daughters. I know she’s hurt right now, but there’s absolutely nobody I would put ahead of our children, their children, my children,” the sheriff added. “When we get on scene and there’s a homicide, it means one person took the life of another. It’s either justified or not justified. That’s what the fact finding is, that’s what the investigation is going to find out.”

Prior to Staley’s remarks to USA TODAY, the mother had posted to Facebook details about the incident that included her stating that Fosler had a “no contact order” with her child and that “He was looking at the rest of his pathetic life in jail, and our daughter was the only witness. We 100% in the moment thought he had taken her to kill her.”

Amid the ongoing investigation that included interviews on Friday, Staley had said, “We’re going to get this wrapped up as expeditiously as we can, and get the file faxed and over to the prosecutor so he can make an informed decision.”

Meanwhile, the court of public opinion was not only ready to clear the father’s name but asserted his actions to protect his daughter were worthy of an award.

Kevin Haggerty
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