Studies show that one in three teenage girls has been in a relationship where they've feared for their safety. One in five has been physically abused. One in four has been verbally abused. And even though a child may be safe at home, that doesn't mean they're out of harm's way.
Tom Santoro, the father of an 18 year old girl - - murdered by her ex-boyfriend - - says, "The old saying, if I can't have her, no one else can… came true for Lisa ... It's a loss that you can't comprehend…It's a void that can never be filled again."
In the weeks between their break up and her death, Timothy Bucholz began stalking Lisa. Her dad says, "We found out afterwards he kept calling her up after the breakup …"
According to a survey by the teenage research unlimited, one in three teens say they are the victim of cyber-stalking or harassment either by phone calls or text messages.
Lisa's friend, Laura Mejia, says, "He would call and cry, say that he was upset that she had broken up with him."
Experts say it can be hard to tell that your teen is being stalked - - especially if they have their own cellphone. But there are signs.
Kim Frndak, Domestic Violence Specialist says, "You see differences in the way your child behaves- there may be, there may be depression, there may be isolation, there may be a nervousness around the telephone ringing, there may be um, telephone calls coming to your child's cell phone all hours of the night. You see the- you hear the phone ring several times; it 's the same person. Maybe the child sees the caller ID and puts the phone away."
Kim adds that if it continues, call the parents of the stalker, "You may get some resistance, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with saying 'I'm going to call' because chances are if he's behaving this way towards your daughter, he's done it in the past with other people.
As for Lisa's Father, he says, "And she's gotta realize you're doing this for her protection. I know, as a teenager, they don't like it, but it's something you have to do as a parent."
