The devastated family of a young woman who died by suicide after allegedly being raped by her own father plans to rally outside a California courthouse to fight for justice.

According to her family, Makayla Settles moved to Moorpark, California, to start college and live with her biological father, Stephen Vincent Chavez, last July.

The recent high school graduate, 18, was promised a car and a college savings fund by Chavez, 41, to help her when she started at Moorpark College at the end of the summer.

Tragically, her California dream quickly turned into a nightmare as just two days later she fled her father's home barefoot, barely able to walk, with blood on her legs, clutching her cat, passport, ID, and a handful of graduation cash, her family has claimed.

The teenager was excited to move away and start college. Credit: GoFundMe

Settles’ heartbroken mother, Caroline Sandoval, 39, said that the teenager was carried to Simi Valley hospital by her uncle, where a rape kit reportedly confirmed the appalling incestuous act and violent crime that had been committed against her.

Chavez, 41, was arrested and charged with four felonies, including incest, taking advantage of a position of trust, and providing alcohol to a minor. However, he pleaded not guilty and later posted $250,000 bail.

Upon her return home to Raleigh, North Carolina, Settles struggled with depression and mental health issues and sadly took her own life in December.

Makayla took her own life in December after battling her mental health. Credit: GoFundMe

Settles' mother claims Chavez killed their daughter

Sandoval said: “He killed my daughter that night.”

“She was so confident that over there everything was just going to be a dream, California living, like what you see on TV, and all of that was taken away from her,” the mother added.

Chavez’s pre-trial hearing will be held on Tuesday at Ventura County Court, but there are fears that the case could fall apart, although the rape kit confirmed the presence of the defendant’s DNA, according to Settles’ family.

Deputy DA Tessa McCarty “was preparing me that it wasn’t looking good because Makayla wasn’t here,” Sandoval claimed.

“She consulted her supervisor and a colleague to figure out how to move forward.”

A spokesperson for the DA’s office said there is “no intention of dropping the case.”

The teen's family are fighting for justice

Campaigning for justice, Settles’ family and friends are flying in from North Carolina to protest outside the courthouse, wearing T-shirts that read “Justice for Makayla Renee Settles,” featuring a purple heart and her photo.

Crystal Sandoval, Settles’ grieving cousin, has been sharing details and updates on the case on social media and has posted a TikTok inviting people to join the demonstration outside the courthouse.

She said: “We’re not only fighting for justice for Makayla but also for all of you women out there who have lived in fear to share their story.

“This fight is for women who grew up thinking it was their fault, who grew up thinking that they asked for it.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.

Featured image credit: GoFundMe

A Louisiana man found guilty of the rape of a minor will be chemically castrated after serving his 35-year prison sentence.

A judge ruled last week that 34-year-old Ryan Clark is to make no contact with the victim, register as a sex offender for life and give up all his parental rights to any children.

The decision to chemically castrate the convicted sex offender was revealed in a statement by Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux, who said of the convict: "The first 25 years of his sentence is to be served without benefits, and he will receive credit for time served.

"He also must make no contact with the victims, register as a sex offender for life, forfeit all parental rights to all children and submit to chemical castration upon release."

Clark pleaded guilty to second-degree rape, molestation of a juvenile under 13, and sexual battery on March 1.

Just under two weeks later, the Honorable Brian K. Abels sentenced the Kentwood man to serve a total of 35 years in the Department of Corrections.

Perrilloux gave the following explanation of the case in his statement: "On July 16 of 2020, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified of indecent behavior between Clark and a juvenile by a person the victim had confided in.

"The person also explained this behavior had taken place for more than a year.
The juvenile was then interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Hammond and was able to detail the incidents.

"A possible second victim was also discovered. From the information provided, a warrant was secured for Clark’s arrest, and he was taken into custody by TPSO on July 17 for the charges of Sexual Battery and Molestation of a Juvenile. With the discovery of more information, he was later charged for First-Degree Rape as well."

He continued: "On Feb. 12 of 2021, Clark was indicted by a grand jury for First-Degree Rape when the victim is under 13, two counts of Molestation of a Juvenile and Sexual Battery.

"On the first day of March of this year, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Second-Degree Rape when the victim is prevented from resisting due to force or threats, two counts of Molestation of a Juvenile- under 13 and Sexual Battery."

Clark also has a previous conviction of Misdemeanor Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile for engaging in sexual acts in a public place with a minor. He was handed a 128 day-sentence in a parish jail for the charge in 2015.

Chemical castration has been legal in Louisiana since 2008 for those convicted of sex-related crimes, per WVUE.

It entails injecting the individual with medroxyprogesterone acetate, which suppresses a man's sex drive by lowering testosterone levels, according to the outlet.

The injections must be administered at least a week before the individual is released from prison.

Featured image credit: Julia Garan / Alamy

An Oregon father has been sentenced to prison time after pleading guilty of drugging three 12-year-old girls during his daughter's sleepover.

As previously reported, 57-year-old Michael Meyden allegedly gave three of his daughter's friends mango smoothies laced with benzodiazepine while they slept over on the night of August 25, 2023, per court documents obtained by Oregon Live.

During the day of the sleepover, the father was highly involved in the girls’ activities and took them to get their nails done and picked up pizza for dinner, according to the affidavit.

Per NBC News, the pre-teens spent most of their time in Meyden's basement, where they were having a "spa night".

As part of the evening, Meyden made them smoothies in milkshake-style glasses. One of the 12-year-olds told officers that she didn’t like the smoothies, but Meyden allegedly demanded she drink it and made her a second one to try.

He then continuously visited the basement throughout the night to see if they were awake by waving his hands or putting his finger under their noses. One girl recalled that Meyden moved her body, but she "remained awake" in fear that he was going to do something.

When Meyden left the room, one girl sent an urgent text to her mom for help at around 1:43AM, writing: "Mom please pick me up and say I had a family emergency. I don’t feel safe. I might not respond but please come get me. Please. Please pick up. Please. PLEASE!!"

Although her mom didn't answer, a family friend fortunately did answer the girl's cries for help and picked her up from the home. The family friend then woke the parents of the others girls.

All of the girls were hospitalized and tested positive for benzodiazepine - a depressant that slows the nervous system and is usually prescribed for anxiety - with common prescriptions under the names Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin. Meyden’s daughter was one of the girls who tested positive.

Authorities said in an affidavit that cops arrived at the hospital and said one of the 12-year-old girls "walked slowly and used the assistance of her mother for balance, her eyelids were heavy, and she spoke slowly," while another girl could not walk without assistance when her parents picked her up that night and kept repeating "what happened," according to PEOPLE.

Meyden voluntarily handed himself into the police.

During his trial, Meyden told the court that he just wanted the girls to get a good night's sleep, adding that his daughter had once snuck out of the house before. He explained: "I was truly worried about them, and I justy wanted them to go to bed and I wanted them to go to bed."

However, the parents of the girls weren't convinced, with one mom saying: "No decent parent feels the need to drug their own child and her friends.

"No decent parent feels the need to go down and confirm children are unconscious. No decent parent puts their hands on drugged and unconscious young girls without nefarious intent."

"You played Russian roulette with my child's life," another mother said.

Meyden added in his testimony: "My whole life is destroyed [...] Everything that was important to me up until that point is gone."

A follow-up investigation by authorities - during which, Meyden's electrical devices were searched - showed no clear motive for the druggings.

Despite initially submitting a not guilty plea in February, Meyden would eventually plead guilty to three felony counts of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Featured image credit: Fox12/YouTube

A Nebraska man has been sentenced after he was discovered to have married and had sex with his biological daughter, Omaha World-Herald reports.

According to the newspaper, the relationship was the result of a "jealous competition" between half-siblings for the man's affection.

Samantha Kershner, 21, met her father, Travis Fieldgrove, pictured below, for the first time after informing her mother that she wanted to get to know her biological dad. The pair then reportedly had a normal father-daughter relationship for three years.

However, in September of last year, police were informed that the pair had committed incest. While laws on incest vary from state to state, incestuous marriages are illegal everywhere in the US.

When questioned about their relationship last year, Kershner and Fieldgrove admitted that they were romantically and sexually involved with each other, the Omaha World-Herald reports.

The pair married on the first of October, the affidavit said.

A police statement about the case read:

"Evidence leading up to the arrest suggests that Fieldgrove and Kershner were aware of the biological relationship before being intimate, and further indicates that they quickly married one another after being notified of the investigation."

Kershner and Fieldgrove were arrested in January, the Grand Island Police Department reports.

A DNA test was conducted between the pair which showed a 99.999 percent match.

In a court affidavit obtained by the Omaha World-Herald, Kershner said she had sex with her father because she was in "a jealous competition with her half-sister regarding who could have sex with [him]."

Fieldgrove was sentenced to two years behind bars under a plea agreement on Thursday, having already served 121 days. He will stay in prison for a further 144 days before being placed on supervision for a year.

He has also been banned from having contact with his daughter.

Kershner was also reprimanded for her actions, having also taken a plea deal with reduced her incest charge to misdemeanor false reporting. She will be sentenced this month.

KHGI-TV reports that Fieldgrove suffers from a brain injury, and his defense attorney Jeff Loeffler said Fieldgrove was "very embarrassed" and wished "it never happened".

"He's certainly not a high-functioning guy," he said.