IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — A mother is safe Wednesday after fleeing for her life Monday morning from a man who deputies said hid in the woman's home and kidnapped her.
Patricia Barlow-Bray of RAVE — Relief After Violent Encounter — said domestic violence situations are far too common in Ionia and Montcalm counties, where they help victims. However, there’s much that everyone can learn from her story.
“The biggest thing is none of it is your fault,” Barlow-Bray said during an interview with FOX 17 on Wednesday. “I would say there’s a lot of people that believe you and that understand the situation and that can be there to help.”
The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office said Monday morning a man, identified as 52-year-old Kurt Gene Franklyn of Roseville, rented a van and parked it near a woman’s home. He watched her as she left to drop off her kids at school.
While she was away, deputies say Franklyn entered her home, switched off the breaker and hid inside. When the mom returned, she noticed something was wrong with the electricity. When she checked on it, the sheriff's office says he attacked her.
“I can’t really speak anything about this case but I can say with a lot of the survivors that I’ve worked with the past few years doing this job, a lot of the things that they do is very thought out,” Bray-Barlow said. “A lot of it does seem quite out of reaction, out of anger, out of alcohol, things like that, but at the end of the day it is a pattern.”
Bray-Barlow, who’s the emergency response coordinator with RAVE, chose to speak in general terms to protect the victim in this case.
“During these moments there’s a lot of trauma, a lot of hormones and stressors that go through your brain,” Bray-Barlow said. “And so your brain is really just looking to survive. And at the end of the day that’s the most important thing that you do [is] survive.”
Deputies say the victim was coming up with a survival plan while being held by the man. She managed to text help to a neighbor who immediately called 911. The neighbor told police that she had been having domestic issues with a man she knew.
The two continued to text, and the neighbor learned that the mom was driving and may have been in a white-colored vehicle. Franklyn was riding in the passenger seat.
The mom later told Franklyn that she needed to fill up her tire, so she pulled over into a gas station. When she stopped the car, she jumped out, ran into the station and screamed that she needed help.
Holly Wilson of Safe Haven Ministries said that texting back and forth was a lifesaver.
“I think in this case in particular, you know, part of the safety plan for the individual was alerting neighbors, right,” said Wilson, who's the director of client services. “The neighbor knew there was a history of domestic violence, knew exactly what to do when they go that text that stated ‘help.’”
Franklyn was arrested, and deputies said they found binoculars, knives, pepper spray and restraints on him.
The following day he was arraigned on multiple charges, including criminal sexual conduct and home invasion.
As for the mom, she remains safe.
Wilson said she believed it was also the quick-thinking of the people in the gas station that helped her survive.
“Disbelief, sometimes well-intentioned questioning can often feel like they’re to blame or they’re questioning their own reality in that,” Wilson said. “So, when individuals can sit in that space and just believe somebody is telling them that they’re experiencing harm, that can be really powerful and send a strong message that they are supported.”
***RAVE Hotline: 1-800-720-7233***
***National Domestic Hotline: 1-800-799-7233***
