#StandWithSophie: Texas girl said mum threatened to stab her neck in sleep if she keeps talking, claims YouTuber
Nine-year-old Texas girl Sophie Long's birth mother allegedly threatened to stab her in the neck while she was sleeping, according to a YouTuber who has claimed to have talked to the girl's family members. The update comes days after authorities reported that Sophie, whose allegations of sexual abuse against her mother's boyfriend sparked an online campaign, was at a "safe location." A video shared by the child's stepmother had sparked an online campaign last week called #StandWithSophie to help the little girl find justice.
Sophie is the child of divorced parents. The girl's father, 41-year-old Michael of Seguin, Texas, and her mother Kelly Marie Mitton, 34, of Frisco, divorced in July 2015. However, a long and bitter custody battle for their three children, Sophie and two boys, has ensued since then. The custody of the three children was initially evenly split between the parents, however, as the relationship between Michael and Kelly worsened, a judge gave Kelly sole custody of the children. Recently, a video shared by Sophie's stepmother Kourtney Chalmers showed the child pleading for help as she told her grandmother she had been sexually abused by Kelly's boyfriend.
YouTuber Anne Elise revealed some disturbing details in her podcast on Tuesday, September 7, about the youngster's alleged ordeal while she was in her mother's custody. "Sophie told her family that Kelly threatened to stab her in the neck while she was sleeping if she continued to talk, if she kept talking," Elise said. Sophie reportedly refers to her mother's boyfriend Jake Bellington as "Mr. Jake." You can watch the podcast here.
While talking of the little girl, Elise added, "she’s aware of what’s happening legally and she has told her family too. I want to make sure that I get it exactly right because these are exactly her words: 'Mommy and Mr. Jake need jail so I can stay in freedom.'" The YouTuber who calls herself a true crime enthusiast and trend forecaster, also claimed that Sophie is allegedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that she often goes into a state of catatonia for several minutes on end because of her alleged prolonged abuse.
A GoFundMe page, set up by Chalmers, claimed that Sophie has stated numerous times that she has been a victim of molestation, grooming, and domestic violence at her mother's home. "Sophie, 9 years old, has disclosed she has been continuously subjected to domestic violence, sexual grooming, and most recently molestation/rape in her primary residence. Her father is fighting for her life while her abusers pull every resource to get their hands back on her. The biological mother, according to Sophie, is a part of the sexual abuse and is encouraging it," the fundraiser stated. Chalmers said that she and the girl's father had already spent thousands of dollars since June fighting for Sophie, but the ordeal has continued.
According to the latest updates in the case, Sophie's father, Michael, has now been granted custody of the little girl. However, it is not yet clear whether the arrangement is a permanent one.