(10/31/19) - Rosaline Brown is incredibly proud of her four children, including her youngest daughter, Patricia.
"She was a shining star."
Brown wanted to share her story with other Mid-Michigan families during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
She said it involved a young love gone terribly wrong.
Brown described Patricia as an outgoing, confident woman.
"She was a very beautiful girl."
As a teenager, Patricia had been a hospice volunteer. She had great friends. She played the flute. She drove a stick shift, and loved shopping. And her mom said family was everything to her.
"She was a daddy's girl. She was very, very bright."
In 2003, the 26-year-old had been living in Pontiac with her boyfriend, Edward Hodo. Her family had been worried about her.
"He tried to lock her in the house. And did not want her to be, you know, out. He wanted to completely control her."
The couple had a baby girl that summer, and Rosaline said the abuse on Patricia was getting worse.
"He hit her. And that was it. And he pulled a gun on her. And she said, ‘No more.’ "
Patricia and the baby moved in with her parents. Rosaline said Edward called a lot, trying to reconcile.
"She was not selfish. She thought it was good for them to co-parent."
On a beautiful fall night- Halloween Eve- Patricia was excited to dress up her three-month-old as chili pepper.
Brown said her daughter had finished work and went to pick up the baby from the home of Edward’s parents.
His mom and dad later called and said something had happened to Patricia.
"Well, what could have happened to her? She was late that day coming home. I had her dinner waiting for her," said Brown.
Brown and Patricia’s dad George found the house covered in lights, yellow tape, and police cars.
"I asked them, ‘We're her parents. Where is she?’ And they just said, ‘We have two bodies.’ "
Police told the Browns that Edward had been waiting for Patricia.
"He asked her to come into the backyard to talk. And he had went out that day, bought a hunting knife. And he stabbed her to death. Then, he took the gun that he had in his car and he blew his brains out."
Brown said a chaplain gave them the baby.
Her and her husband had to identify Patricia’s body.
"I remember looking through the glass at the morgue. And her hair was wet. And she had a bruise on her eye. And on her face… I begged them to let me hold her. And they said I couldn't touch her."
Brown said the grief was unbearable, and it hurt to breathe.
"It was the kind of pain that just goes to the core of you. You become a different person. Your pain is so intense it's like someone has cut your heart out."
The family didn't know anything about domestic violence.
Brown said she had since learned that leaving was the most dangerous time for an abuse survivor.
"We need much more awareness. We need greater understanding."
Rosaline said Patricia's daughter is now a thriving, outgoing teenager.
We're protecting her privacy and not identifying her.
Meanwhile, Rosaline is now an advocate for abuse survivors.
"The most important message that I can give is that it's not an easy thing to take that step and get out."
Meanwhile, a non-profit serving the Saginaw area is reminding the community help is available for victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.
'Underground Railroad' just wrapped up Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
It runs an emergency shelter for abuse victims, their children, and even their pets.
Its free services include counseling, help for children, legal and housing support, and much more.
It says abusers are focused on power and control, right from the start of a relationship.
Information and help are available through a 24-7 phone hotline, text, or email.
You do not have to stay at the shelter to get free services or information.
Contact Underground Railroad at 1-888-399-8385.