EXCLUSIVE: Texas woman falsely accused for death of Peanut the squirrel breaks her silence
LONGVIEW, Texas ( KETK ) — An East Texas woman has become the target of social media users who blame her for Peanut the squirrel's death. The mother of two is now sharing her side of the story in an attempt to clear her name.
Mark Longo, the man who rescued Peanut, posted that a raid had been conducted at his home by New York's Department of Environmental Conservation, who took Peanut and Fred the raccoon. The raid was conducted after the DEC received "multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pet."
Later, the DEC and Chemung County Department of Health confirmed that Peanut and Fred had been euthanized after biting one of the investigators, issuing a need to conduct a rabies test that would later come back negative.
Longo took out his frustrations online and posted : "Well internet, you WON," Longo posted. "You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called DEC, there's a special place in hell for you."
Soon after, Longview resident Monica Keasler found herself at the center of the backlash, receiving death threats against herself and her 10-year-old twin sons. In an exclusive interview with KETK News, Keasler spoke out to clear her name and share the real-life impact of social media-fueled hate.
Keasler, who has enjoyed rescuing and rehabbing squirrels with her children, said she was shocked by Peanut's euthanasia.
"We treat them like the miracles that they are and release them back into the wild, and it's a great source of joy," Keasler said. "My boys and I cried right along with the rest of the world when we found out that they were euthanized."
Keasler said she logged into her squirrel rehab Facebook group to chat with other members about what had happened to Peanut and that is when she came across a screenshot someone had posted in the group of a woman harshly criticizing Longo for housing the animals illegally and monetizing them.
Keasler shared the comment on social media in an attempt to answer someone's question of who had reported Longo and the animals.
However, the situation quickly escalated into fear as hateful and threatening messages flooded her phone. Within minutes, her personal information — including her home address, phone number and her children's names and photos — was widely shared online. Her immediate instinct was to protect her children, so she deactivated her social media accounts.
"She had screenshotted my Facebook page with my picture on it and where I lived, it had two text boxes added to it, and they said that I was the one that reported them and that she had proof that I had been bragging about it on my own Facebook page," Keasler said.
Threats against her sons began coming from countries overseas, including Japan, Germany, England, South Africa and Australia.
"They were going to come kill my children in front of me and drag them down my street by their intestines from their truck," Keasler said.
Instead of shutting down and feeling hatred against those who had sent her the hateful messages, she leaned into her faith beyond understanding.
"When someone makes those kind of threats towards your children, and you know that you've been chosen to protect them and raise them, that's where all reason goes out the window," Keasler said. "It hit me very hard that the people that were messaging me were just, you know the saying 'hurt people, hurt people' hurting people, hurt people and there are a lot of hurt people in our world.'"
After nearly a week of relentless threats including from Longo, Keasler said a friend connected her with an attorney, who filed a freedom of information request with the state of New York. The state responded promptly with information that would help clear her name, proving what Keasler and her family believed all along.
"You have it. You've seen it, and it totally exonerates me. It's official and I know it and God knows I didn't. My kids know I didn't, my family and friends know I didn't, and that's what ultimately means the most to me," Keasler said.
