The Day, “Skankhunt42” Entered My Life

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Who, you might ask, is Skankhunt42?

He’s an internet troll who doesn’t deserve a real name, a coward with multiple Facebook profiles who thrives on spreading misinformation. “Skankhunt42” is a South Park reference (spoiler: it’s Kyle’s dad), but it’s a fitting pseudonym for this local drama gremlin who runs multiple Facebook pages filled with more fiction than fact.

Two years ago, he posted a photo of my family home. Not just any photo, my photo of my grandparents, stolen from my blog, falsely claiming that a woman named “Abigail Brunstrom” was murdered there in 1944. According to him, she was “strangled” on the “beautiful main floor staircase.”

Here’s the problem:

• No murder ever occurred.
  
• That wasn’t the staircase in 1944; the current staircase was restored/rebuilt by my dad in 2012.
  
• And most importantly: the images he used? Mine. Taken from my blog. Without permission.

It’s taken me nearly two years to even write this post because honestly, it’s so absurd, I can’t believe I have to defend myself.

I Tried to Set the Record Straight.

When I called him out publicly (yes, I called him an asshole – I’m no angel-baby), I pointed out the architectural impossibility of the “murder scene.” The staircase didn’t exist in its current form until 2012. Before that, it had been sealed off and repurposed as an exterior exit when the house was split into apartments.

His response?
He blocked me. On every one of his profiles.

That meant I couldn’t defend myself or report the false posts. Instead, he continued to post my comments, my images, and painted me as a liar.

Here’s one of his quotes:

“This is what they do. They don’t want the truth told so they say it’s a lie and accuse you of stealing pictures that the museum provided them.”

Let’s unpack this, shall we?

About Those “Museum” Photos…

Claiming the museum gave him the image? Cute. Except… I served on the Museum Board.
I know exactly where that photo came from: my blog.

He slapped a grainy black-and-white filter on it, posted it on his page, and tried to pass it off as archival. Then he used that same image to “prove” the staircase existed in 1944.

Newsflash: people renovate homes. Wild concept.

Then It Got Weirder…

He claimed:

“I’ve been inside and seen the old staircase and landing. Chilling.”

Really? You’ve been inside? When? Because we’d all love to know.

This feels less like fact and more like a Ralph Wiggum quote:

“Mrs. Krabappel and Principal Skinner were in the closet making babies and I saw one of the babies and the baby looked at me!”

But wait, it gets even better.

A fake message surfaced, showing “me” messaging him:

“who are you to tell about history of that house how do you know well tell me you take it down mark do it now.”

No punctuation. No profile photo. No sender name. Just a clumsily written message meant to make me look unhinged and barely literate.

And of course, his smug response:

“You sound entitled. You can own a house, but not the history of the house.”

It doesn’t take much investigative skill to figure out this was a mocked-up conversation designed to discredit me. Multiple readers reached out, pointing out the suspicious number of supportive comments from ghost-like profiles. When I reached out to one of them to clear the air – surprise! It was also him. (Shame on me for giving the benefit of the doubt.)

Anyone Who Challenges Him? Blocked.

Other Facebook users who questioned the “story” were blocked. Or worse, mocked publicly.

At one point, he told me I should contact a lawyer. Ironically, the only helpful thing he’s said.

So I Did My Own Research…

Naturally, I searched “Abigail Brunstrom” on Newspapers.com.
Zero results.

Ancestry? Nada – unless he meant “Abigaill Brunston,” who got married in 1746 in South Carolina.

This is a made-up story based on a made-up person, illustrated with a stolen photo of my family home and boosted by my staircase photo and fabricated chat messages.

For the Record

“Her family moved into the home in the mid-1960s. Thinks she owns the history of the home.”
– Skankhunt42

Laughable.
You can read the actual story of my family home, here.

Unlike you, Skankhunt42, I cite my sources.

Final Fucking Thoughts

I hate that I even had to write this. It’s a waste of my time, but an important one.

Misinformation is exhausting, especially when it targets you and your family. No one should have to stay silent and “let it go.” I tried, I am not Elsa. Staying silent isn’t right.

I will keep sharing real stories about our city. I’ll continue to do the research, provide the evidence, and give credit where it’s due.

To anyone reading this who’s ever felt steamrolled by a troll hiding behind ten Facebook profiles and a Wi-Fi connection: Speak up. Report the lies. Do your homework. And don’t be afraid to clap back with the truth.

And to you, Skankhunt42, I’ll leave you with this, courtesy of a wise friend:

“Never argue with an idiot. They’ll only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

Thanks for the lesson.
It’s been… educational.