Family Dynamics

[believe09]

Oh believe, this just pains me for everyone involved more. Thank you so much for going above and beyond with requesting Det. L help members of Tawni's family. Boy what a mess. You have really been through a lot with this and I imagine it must be somewhat difficult to have the family leaning on you in so many ways other than our purpose here at WS. If there is anything I can do for you, please ask. You really need a breather. :blowkiss:

You are a sweetheart-I have been calling in the troops, but thank you! I want you better first-:blowkiss:

 

[believe09]

I will be in Denver next week on business 9/3 to 9/7 if for some reason he wants to meet in person. I have no idea why he would want to, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Actually, you are probably just the type of guy he would respond to. (In a good way.) Say what you will about Mike Sr walking away from his family for a while-as I told Christine, when Mike Jr. called him on Thursday to say it was Tawni, he was on a plane to Phoenix to see his son within 2 hours. He drove right to Mike Jr. house and asked him what would help him get through. He then spent the next several hours constructing Tawni's memorial with his son on the exact spot she came to rest. There is something there-and from the few stories I have heard about him, he was ridden hard by bio mom Deb...and beaten into the ground.

 

[Fairy1]

So Fairy1, tell us how you really feel!

:crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy:

Sorry fmw (NOT!!!). I have teenagers (good ones - thank god!). I will never understand Tawni's mother letting her walk out that door and never pursuing it. I know it happens, but I don't understand it - and I'm glad I don't! She was only 17!

 

[Teresa Larson]

I have no doubt Tawni was sexually abused by the step-dad or by another one of mom's former boyfriends. Statistics prove that young girls that were sexually abused usually turn to this type of life style (prostitution) Her mother could have even known about it and was happy she left. Also the mom supposedly said she just spent $300 on her before she got caught shoplifting is a line of BS. I think she was only trying to make things look good on her part. BTW why didn't her mom go pick her up from the police station instead of the step-dad who hated her.

 

[Fairy1]

I have no doubt Tawni was sexually abused by the step-dad or by another one of mom's former boyfriends. Statistics prove that young girls that were sexually abused usually turn to this type of life style (prostitution) Her mother could have even known about it and was happy she left. Also the mom supposedly said she just spent $300 on her before she got caught shoplifting is a line of BS. I think she was only trying to make things look good on her part. BTW why didn't her mom go pick her up from the police station instead of the step-dad who hated her.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the sexual abuse by step-father point. It was stated long ago that Tawni went sideways when her bio parents got divorced. That's common. I do not believe that Tawni was a prostitute prior to this incident. I DO believe she was street smart and had been hanging in the wrong circles. But I believe - for the most part - that she was crying out for help and no one in her life heard her or paid attention.

 

[Lucy's mom]

Oh man. I'm so sorry. It amazes me when young people are able to free themselves from such bad childhoods. Good for you :blowkiss:__________________

Aw, thank you ArizonaGiGi!:blowkiss: It's all good and fortunately I am the type of person that learns from the past and doesn't duplicate past behavior from family members so I've let it go. I do think, however, from mom's actions, that she perhaps had other issues with Tawni. Jealousy issues. I hope I'm wrong though.

 

[Lucy's mom]

We'll have to agree to disagree on the sexual abuse by step-father point. It was stated long ago that Tawni went sideways when her bio parents got divorced. That's common. I do not believe that Tawni was a prostitute prior to this incident. I DO believe she was street smart and had been hanging in the wrong circles. But I believe - for the most part - that she was crying out for help and no one in her life heard her or paid attention.

Hi Fairy,

But if Mike hasn't seen Dad for 20 years, that would mean that he left when Tawni was approximately seven years old. I don't know if I would agree that she went sideways at that young age. IMHO. I kind of have the same situation as Tawni (parents divorced when I was eight and then really haven't had a relationship with Dad) but at that young age I adapted. My older brother didn"t though...he was 13, but a very smart 13 year old. I don't know and I don't know if we'll ever know the impact the divorce made on the family...specifically the kids. Again, my honest opinion only. :blowkiss:

 

[Fairy1]

Hi Fairy,

But if Mike hasn't seen Dad for 20 years, that would mean that he left when Tawni was approximately seven years old. I don't know if I would agree that she went sideways at that young age. IMHO. I kind of have the same situation as Tawni (parents divorced when I was eight and then really haven't had a relationship with Dad) but at that young age I adapted. My older brother didn"t though...he was 13, but a very smart 13 year old. I don't know and I don't know if we'll ever know the impact the divorce made on the family...specifically the kids. Again, my honest opinion only. :blowkiss:

It's ok, LM. We all bring our own life experiences here and that's how we have such diverse opinions! All valuable and important - IMO. My folks never actually divorced, but he left when I was 16. He was a bastard my whole life - though not physically or sexually abusive - just mean and grumpy. When he left, we could breathe! I was ok with him until recently when I realized that he was making all the same mistakes with his grandchildren that he made with his own children. He never figured out the importance of family and I believe that's what we're seeing here. I have 2 brothers - 1 older and 1 younger. Recently, we were sharing our views of one particular incident - and all 3 were VERY different! It's hard to say how something will affect one person and not another.

 

[SassyAnne]

Haven't seen it really brought up here - but something I find questionable is that if there were really bad feelings between Tawni and her mom, why would she have her mom's ring on a chain she was wearing. From what I've seen here the ring had the initials D M A with the M in the middle - standing for the the last name I would presume(?). There had to have been some relationship there for Tawni to take the ring (or keep it if it was given to her) or she could have easily pawned it for money, which I'm sure she needed. Also, if mom and family lived in that area how could they have not known - even if they didn't see news about the "accident" how could they have remained ignorant for so long about things like the ring with the initials? Does anyone know how long it was after Tawni's disappearance that the family moved? Or WHY they moved? If it were me and my child was last seen in an area you would have to move heaven and H#$* to get me out of there. I would be right where that child last knew me to be so they could come home if able to.

Does anyone know any more about Michael? I'm worried about him and how this is all affecting him - especially with a recent suicide attempt. Please keep me updated.

 

[Lucy's mom]

It's ok, LM. We all bring our own life experiences here and that's how we have such diverse opinions! All valuable and important - IMO. My folks never actually divorced, but he left when I was 16. He was a bastard my whole life - though not physically or sexually abusive - just mean and grumpy. When he left, we could breathe! I was ok with him until recently when I realized that he was making all the same mistakes with his grandchildren that he made with his own children. He never figured out the importance of family and I believe that's what we're seeing here. I have 2 brothers - 1 older and 1 younger. Recently, we were sharing our views of one particular incident - and all 3 were VERY different! It's hard to say how something will affect one person and not another.

Thank you! I think that with Tawni being so young and her dad not in the picture, I am leaning more to Tawni entrusting the new step-dad to actually fill the shoes of "dad". I think that something happened. I don't know if it's because he was discrimatory with her friends or if she purposely chose her friends that were so different from the step-dad. i think that something happened with step-dad. It doesn't necessarily have to be sexual but maybe emotional.

 

[Teresa Larson]

Thank you! I think that with Tawni being so young and her dad not in the picture, I am leaning more to Tawni entrusting the new step-dad to actually fill the shoes of "dad". I think that something happened. I don't know if it's because he was discrimatory with her friends or if she purposely chose her friends that were so different from the step-dad. i think that something happened with step-dad. It doesn't necessarily have to be sexual but maybe emotional.

It's quite apparent that horrible emotional trauma happened between the step-dad and Tawni No doubt about it!! I am sure he really messed her self esteem up too!! Also we have no idea how many boyfriends the mom had before she married him.

 

[Lucy's mom]

SassyAnne..I hear you! I think that even though the relationship with mom and Tawni was dysfunctional, Tawni loved her mom. I think that is why she had the ring on a necklace. Tawni loved mom but not step-dad and chose to leave. Mom let her leave...with a stranger. I too would like to know how long it took for the family to move. If this was my daughter, I would not move, change phone numbers, or even change my job. That's why I think there's more to the story.

 

[SassyAnne]

I do feel that the step-dad is a major driving force in the destruction of Tawni's family. I just wish some one had been there for the Mike and Tawni. The Deb is just as guilty if she didn't have the spine to stand up to her husband. My mother had the courage to stand up to my abusive step-dad. I will always love her for that. My mother will always be my hero even tho we don't always get along.

 

[SassyAnne]

If step-dad was abusing Tawni sexually or otherwise, how many other children suffered from that man? there is definitely more to this story. part one is done- Tawni has been given a name. Now she needs a voice.

 

[Vask]

Is it possible to get a separate thread detailing who's who in this case, including her family members? I'd post it myself, but I can't keep her family straight! LOL

 

[SassyAnne]

Oh yeah, before I forget. Who is Kelly and what is her role in Tawni's story? If she isn't family, how much does she really know?

 

[SassyAnne]

good night everyone, I'll check back in before I go to work.

 

[believe09]

Oh yeah, before I forget. Who is Kelly and what is her role in Tawni's story? If she isn't family, how much does she really know?

Kelly is the daughter of a former girlfriend of Mike Mazzone SR, Tawni's bio dad. Kelly has stated that her mother and Mike dated for 8 years; the rest of the family remembers it differently. Mike JR, Tawni's brother, claims he has never met her.

That being said, Kelly clearly feels that she was close to Tawni and those feelings cannot be discounted. She does have a relationship with a reporter on the east coast however, who has been looking for some of the documents so that she can do a story on behalf of Tawni.

This is where things are getting a little bit hairy.

 

[SassyAnne]

I would love to hear the hairy details . ttyl

 

[Cubby]

FGS! I don't want to bash the family.....necessarily. BUT, there appear to be many reasons why Tawni was so rebellious. Not the least of which was her pig of a stepfather! I don't have the feeling that he was abusing her sexually. If he had been, I believe he would have searched to the ends of the earth to find her and bring her back. Sounds to me like he was happy to be rid of her and either forced her mom to feel the same or she felt the same way on her own. How many times on these boards have we read about children suffering directly because their mothers chose some [link removed] over her own babies? Every day.

I'm not going to cut Deb any slack at all. She let her own 17 Y/O daughter walk out the door and get into a car with COMPLETE strangers, then moved away and, evidently, never looked back. AND, she seems to have FAMILY she could to go if she needed to - who appear to care more about Tawni than she does! I'm disgusted by the entire story. Tawni - no matter her behavioral issues - was a child. At this point, it seems she was failed at every possible turn. Damn them all!:furious:

I agree. The only person who appears to be 'normal' in this family is Aunt Tammy. After just having read Tawni lived with her Aunt Tammy from 05/97 to 09/98 when she went back to live with her mom I just want to say DAMN! I so wish Aunt Tammy would have fought for custodial rights and had Tawni's mothers parental rights terminated. Obviously we can't go back in time, but this is just another reason to intervene and act when we see kids in this situation with crappy azz parents! :furious: