In what can only be described as a tragic yet understandable situation, a father is now behind bars for defending his daughter. This man, Aaron Spencer, found himself in a nightmare scenario when he discovered his 14-year-old daughter with an alleged kidnapper, Michael Fosler. In the heat of the moment and driven by pure paternal instinct, Spencer did what any loving father would do—he took action to protect his child, resulting in Fosler’s death.
UPDATE: Read the latest information on this story here.
Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley said in a Facebook post that deputies were alerted to the disappearance of the young girl on October 8. While en route to investigate, they received news of a shooting incident.
Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
According to reports from KARK, the sheriff’s office received the call about the missing girl at 1:12 AM on Tuesday. As they headed to her home, they learned that Spencer had located his daughter in a vehicle allegedly driven by Fosler.
The confrontation between Spencer and Fosler escalated, leading to Fosler being shot and killed. He reportedly died at the scene.
The girl’s mother shared on a now-deleted GoFundMe page that their family was jolted awake by their dog’s barking at 1 AM. Realizing their daughter was missing from her bed, they called 911 in desperation.
Screenshot from now-deleted GoFundMe Page
Earlier this year, their daughter had been “groomed and raped” by a 67-year-old man who was arrested but released on a $50,000 bond pending trial. It remains unclear if this individual was involved in the recent kidnapping attempt.
The mother recounted how her husband “went blindly searching for our 14-year-old.”
“By the grace of God,” she said, “he passed the predator’s vehicle on the road and followed them, trying to get him to pull over with our child.” She continued, “My husband was able to catch up to him and retrieve our child. In the process, he was attacked and did what he needed to protect himself and our daughter.”
Spencer was taken into custody on what Sheriff Staley described as a “preliminary charge of first-degree murder,” pending further investigation. The sheriff refrained from advocating for specific charges, leaving it up to the prosecutor to decide on formal charges.
As of Thursday afternoon, Spencer has not been formally charged but remains held in Lonoke County jail under preliminary charges.
THV CBS11 reports that there is no known connection between Spencer’s family and Fosler prior to this incident. Thankfully, officials confirmed that the teenager is safe.
Arkansas Code § 5-2-607 (2023) allows for deadly physical force if an individual reasonably believes another person is “committing or about to commit a felony involving physical force or violence.”
Sheriff Staley expressed his condolences in a video statement: “This is a tragic situation, and my thoughts and prayers are with all those involved.”
The investigation remains ongoing as the sheriff assured additional information will be provided once available.