“My name is Ethan Carter. My six-year-old daughter just told me she’s been sexually abused by my ex-wife’s boyfriend.”
“Sir, is your daughter in immediate danger right now?”
“No, she’s safe here with me, but she just came back from her mother’s house where the abuse has been happening.”
“Understood. Officers are on the way to your location. Do not bathe your daughter or change her clothes—there may be forensic evidence.”
Ethan looked toward Lily’s room in horror. He had already bathed her after dinner, not knowing.
“I already bathed her. I didn’t know. She hadn’t told me yet.”
“It’s okay, sir. Officers will be there shortly. Keep your daughter calm and don’t question her further. Specialists will handle that.”
Twenty minutes later, two officers arrived along with a child-abuse specialist named Maria Torres. Maria spoke to Lily with extreme gentleness in a private room while Ethan gave his statement to the officers in the living room.