Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but one Ohio mother is determined to get justice after her former partner cut off their teenage daughter’s highlighted hair as punishment.
On Jan. 31, Christin Johnson of Fostoria took to Facebook to share photos of the shocking haircut that her daughter, Kelsey, was forced to get after visiting her father, Schaffen Frederick, and stepmother, Sarah Murray.
Johnson believes the couple ordered for her hair to be chopped as a punishment for the fresh coloring, which she had recently treated Kelsey to for her birthday.
“This is what my daughter looked like Sunday when I took her home and the other two pics is what happened today before she was brought to me... all over me having highlights put in her hair for her birthday!” Johnson wrote on the platform, sharing images of her daughter smiling with long, blonde hair contrasted with her crying with her new shorn, short crop, the story clearly struck a nerve.
The post has since gone viral with over 36,000 reactions, 25,000 shares and more than 1,800 comments.
In the days since, Johnson has created a Facebook page called “Team Kelsey” and a GoFundMe account to cover ongoing costs related to the incident. The mom and daughter also visited a salon where Kelsey picked up a dark wig to wear.
Some Facebook users were aghast at the “abuse” from Kelsey’s "pathetic excuse for a father and human,” urging the pair to take legal action and keep Kelsey safely away from her father and stepmother.
“This is one of the most upsetting things I've seen in a long time!! I'm sure you are a beautiful young lady, inside and out. It will grow back, don't let it define you, you define it! You've obviously have a wonderful mother who will support you’” one user wrote.
“I would love to give dear old dad a haircut. You are a beautiful young lady it will grow back but I am so sorry that someone who is supposed to love and protect you did this to you. For what it’s worth you look great either way,” another chimed in.
Others chastised Johnson for putting her young daughter’s information so openly on the internet.
“Now a young girls face and whereabouts is known to the world. Maybe you should even post her phone number and address. Way to exploit your daughter for a stupid gofundme. Normal people would have handled this in court and kept their daughters innocence protected,” a detractor chimed in.
On Feb. 6, Fox4 added that Wood County Children's Services and Haskins Police Chief Colby Carroll are investigating a potential child abuse complaint, as Frederick and Murray are both employed by the fire department. The two will remain on leave pending the outcome of the investigations.
"I've been doing this since '92 and I've never had a case I would say that's like this," Carroll told the outlet. "Mom was upset with how her child was being cared for — lack of better terms."
