Having a baby is one of the most special things in the world. Once that baby is born, it becomes the most important part of your life and you would do absolutely anything to protect it. This was certainly the case for one particular couple. Once their perfect baby daughter was born, they sought to always protect her.
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One night, this particular mother awoke in the middle of the night to a horrifying sound that shocked her to her very core. A strange and unfamiliar voice could be heard coming from the baby monitor. Upon discovering what was going on, she was forced to phone the police.
Love at first sight
Heather and Adam Shrek are the protagonists of this horror story. Nothing could have prepared them for the challenge they faced. Any parent’s worst fear is that their child is exposed to any danger. You can imagine the panic that overcame Heather, when she heard this unfamiliar voice on the monitor.
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When Heather and Adam met for the first time, it was evident that they were going to be together forever. It was love at first sight. Their relationship developed rapidly and, it soon became clear that there was only one thing left to do…
Tying the knot
For Heather and Adam, their lives revolved entirely around each other. The love they felt for one another was so strong, that they saw it in everything. They were united by forces outside their control and these forces led them to the inevitable.
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They did not have a choice in the matter. They felt compelled to get married. After tying the knot, they bought a house together and embarked on the next chapter of their lives. They were happy and had everything they needed, well, almost everything…
The missing piece of the jigsaw
While the two were so happy and in love, they knew that there was something missing. They had often discussed the idea of having a family of their own, and, now that they were officially married and living in a spacious home, it seemed like a good time to do this.
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After making the decision to try, it wasn’t long before Heather fell pregnant. The couple were overjoyed and beside themselves with excitement at the thought of meeting their little one. However, there was still a long way to go. Heather had to get through the pregnancy first and then the delivery. How would that go?
A beautiful baby girl
When the time came, everything went smoothly. Heather was blessed with an uncomplicated birth, and they welcomed their beautiful baby daughter into the world. The couple felt so fortunate… they were very conscious of the fact that some people are unable to have babies of their own.
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It was this awareness that meant that they were extra careful with their baby. They counted their lucky stars and vowed to always protect her, whatever the cost. It wouldn’t be long before this protection would be put to the test…
Loving parents
Determined to protect their little one as best they could, Heather and Adam took every possible measure to ensure that their baby was safe and well. This was a tiring job and it had its difficult moments, but there is no doubt that the good moments outweighed the bad.
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In order to ensure that every need of their daughter’s was met, Heather and Adam spent every waking moment with her. While they loved to be with their perfect daughter as much as humanly possible, they soon started to realise something…
Separate rooms
While both parents were keen to spend every waking moment with their baby girl, they soon came to realise that this wasn’t possible. After all, the baby did have her own room, kitted out with a cradle and lots of toys.
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Therefore, it didn’t make sense for the parents to have her sleeping in their room, but there also wasn’t enough space for either one of them to sleep in her room. Furthermore, there was something else that they hadn’t prepared for…
Life goes on
They must not forget about the fact that they had their own lives to be getting on with, there were others in their life besides the baby. They must not neglect their friends and family, and, most importantly, they needed to make time for each other.
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How could they juggle their time most effectively? While it was important to dedicate plenty of time to their baby, they also needed their downtime and time to socialise. It wasn’t long before they came across a solution to this problem…
Baby monitor
They did some research and discovered the existence of the “baby monitor.” This device meant that they could keep an eye on their newborn, without having to be by her side all the time. They were able to connect their smart phones to it and watch the footage from there.
Credits: Pinterest
The monitor recorded, both the sounds their baby was making, and the visuals, so they could actually see her while she slept. They were even able to change the angle of the videos and the device’s sound remotely. “The power of technology!”
Relaxation
This provided them with the perfect solution. They felt that they could properly relax without stress. With this device, they could spend more time together without distraction, and even get some sleep! (A real rarity when you have a newborn).
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They could finally return to some degree of normality. They could also dedicate a substantial amount of time to their relationship. With life so hectic all of a sudden, this was essential. This wasn’t the only thing the monitor would allow the couple to do…
Socialising again
In addition, they would even be able to actually invite people over to their house and entertain them, without worrying about the baby all the time! Their baby would be sleeping soundly next door (hopefully), and, if not, the baby monitor would alert them of this.
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Of course, if anything were to happen, they would be with their baby like a shot, no doubt about it. It was extremely reassuring to be able to hear and see their baby at all times. However, there was just one small problem…
No experts
While Heather and Adam were very capable of using technology, they were certainly not experts. They were conscious of the fact that, at times, technology does fail. Therefore, Heather was, understandably, slightly concerned that the monitor might encounter problems at any point, perhaps even when the baby was most in need of their attention.
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Fortunately, more often than not, when the baby screamed, they heard this from the other side of the house. This was a real comfort to Heather. However, in spite of this, disaster still struck and Heather and Adam were in no way prepared…
A solution
Hoping to get back some degree of their personal lives, Heather and Adam bought and installed a baby monitor. They quickly set it up and were instantly satisfied with it. It was an incredible device, the quality of the sound and visuals was amazing and there was no lag.
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As soon as their baby made a sound or moved even slightly, they would be made aware of this. They would be up in her room comforting her in no time, if she needed it. This seemed to be the solution to all of their problems…
A bit of normality
Heather and Adam couldn’t be happier. They finally got their social lives back. They could invite friends and family over at their leisure, with the knowledge that they could always be watching over their baby, as long as the monitor was close by.
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Their baby daughter wasn’t too fussy generally, so they were actually able to spend quality time with their guests. She very rarely fussed when they had people over – it was almost as if she knew that her parents were trying to relax! Having loved ones over to their house wasn’t the only thing the monitor allowed them to do…
Portable device
They were even able to go to other people’s houses, since they could bring the baby monitor with them. It was small and very portable. What they tended to do, was to put their baby to sleep in another room, while they enjoyed their friends company.
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They simply had to connect the baby monitor to their mobile devices and they would then be alerted to any disturbances. This seemed to them, to be the perfect investment. Little did they know, however, disaster was about to strike…
Calm before the storm
All was well for Heather and Adam. On the night of this calamity, they couldn’t have been happier. It was the calm before the storm. Things were, perhaps, too good to be true. They had absolutely no idea that something awful was about to happen…
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The couple had had a very standard day. After completing their tasks for the day, they put their baby to bed in her room. Once they were happy that she was ok, they retired to their room and quickly fell asleep themselves. They could never have anticipated what happened next…
An uneasy feeling
As is often the case with new mothers, Heather had become quite a light sleeper. On this particular night, she struggled more than usual to get to sleep. She tossed and turned continuously and had this strange, uneasy feeling deep in her gut that eventually started to consume her whole body.
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She felt as though something were really wrong. After analysing this and contemplating every potential reason why she might feel this way, she couldn’t seem to come to any conclusion. She tried to ignore it, but could not shake it. What could it be?
Listening intently
She eventually managed to drift off into a light sleep. She was in a state of limbo, somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Her ear seemed to be extra susceptible to picking up on any sound coming from the baby monitor that night.
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This was always the case, to some extent, but on this night in particular, she seemed to be extra aware of any sounds coming from the baby’s room. This had to be linked to the strange feeling in her gut. She would, in fact, end up hearing something that would chill her to the very core…
A strange sound
Heather was roused from her semi-conscious state, when she heard a sound coming through the baby monitor. She awoke instantly. As she adjusted to being awake and took in her surroundings, she contemplated what the noise could be and came to the conclusion that it was just the baby making noises in her cot.
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This was nothing outside the ordinary. Heather got herself up and out of bed and prepared to go and tend to the baby. When this happened, she would simply take the baby out of her cot, rock her gently from side to side a little and then place her back in the cot. These, however, were not normal circumstances… she was about to discover something that she could never have been prepared for…
Who could it be?
As Heather shook herself awake and headed towards the door to go and check on her baby, she heard a sound coming from the baby monitor that sent shivers down her spine. She froze, completely in shock from what she had heard.
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She was certain that she had heard a human’s voice. This wasn’t just the sound of her baby crying, she would know if that were the case. Surely it wasn’t possible. How would this person have got into the house? Who on earth could it be?
All in her imagination?
She hoped that she had misheard, or perhaps that her husband had woken up before her and gone to check on the baby. Perhaps he was just talking to himself. She was still half asleep, so it was possible that she might have misheard.
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However, as her eyes readjusted to the darkness, she caught sight of her husband sleeping soundly in their bed. She was absolutely terrified, as any parent would be. Her vulnerable baby was all alone in her room with an intruder. She hoped she would wake up any moment now and realise it was all a dream.
An unrecognisable voice
This wake up did not come, unfortunately. She must face reality. Just moments later, she heard the voice again, more clearly this time since the whole ordeal had completely woken her up. The voice sounded like it belonged to a man, it was low and husky and definitely did not belong to Adam.
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Heather’s mind went totally blank as she tried to decide what to do. Panic took ahold of her and her mind raced with endless potential scenarios. All she wanted was to have her baby safe in her arms and away from this unknown person.
Acting against her instincts
All Heather wanted to do was to run into her daughter’s room and grab her, but, given that there could be a person in there, potentially armed, she decided that perhaps that wasn’t the smartest thing to do. She had to ignore her instinct on this occasion.
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If she ran in there, she would catch this person off guard and he might end up attacking her and her child, if he wasn’t already planning on it. After quickly assessing the various potential options of what to do, Heather decided upon what she thought to be the best course of action…
Panic
In a real state of panic, Heather violently shook Adam awake. She recounted what she had discovered to him, speaking at one hundred miles an hour, anxious to tell him as quickly as possible so that they could do something about it.
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Once Adam had come to, and properly digested the information, he, like his wife, was consumed with fear and dread. He couldn’t understand how this was possible. He, too, hoped to wake up from this horrific nightmare…
A difficult decision
Adam and Heather knew they must act quickly. They kept hearing the voice murmuring through the baby monitor. Again, the instinct was to run into the room together. After all, it would then be two against one. Was this the right thing to do?
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After musing on this idea for a moment, the couple decided against it, for the same reason as Heather’s. Caught off guard, the man might end up retaliating and attack all three of them. He could be carrying a lethal weapon, so it certainly wasn’t worth the risk…
Calling the police
Despite his rising emotions, Adam managed to pull himself together and think rationally. It was essential that they didn’t let their emotions cloud their judgement. He told Heather to call the police immediately to get some extra help.
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Heather did not hesitate for a second and grabbed the phone. While Heather called the police, Adam headed to the baby’s room, not knowing what he would find there. Little did he know, he was about to confront a parent’s worst nightmare…
Panic-stricken
Having reported the incident to the police, Heather went straight over to the baby monitor and watched, hoping to see her husband enter the room. She would be able to watch the whole scene play out. She could not have been more terrified…
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The baby had somehow managed to sleep through all of this commotion. This was probably a good thing, Heather thought to herself. At least that meant that she wasn’t frightened. However, the question was, was she safe?
Adam runs to his baby
Adam ran towards his baby’s room, as fast as his legs could carry him. He was so driven by concern for his baby daughter, that he didn’t think of anything else other than her safety. At this moment in time, nothing else mattered.
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Tension was high. He had broken out into a sweat, both from the running and the worry. He just wanted this nightmare to end. Unfortunately, the situation was very real and time was ticking. He was terrified of what he would discover when he finally opened the door…
The baby is finally safe
Adam soon reached his daughter’s bedroom and flung open the door. Upon entering, he didn’t even survey his surroundings, but instead, quickly ran over to his daughter’s cradle and, hastily, scooped her up in his arms.
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Once he had her safely in his clutches, he scanned the room, hoping to get to the bottom of what had happened. The baby was completely unaware that anything had occurred, lying contentedly in her father’s arms.
No one to be seen
As Adam properly took in his surroundings, he was shocked when he didn’t see anyone. Instead of being relieved, he felt even more terrified. He was shaking in fear. How could this be? He was sure that he and his wife weren’t going crazy, they had definitely heard a voice.
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Where on earth was the perpetrator? Had he heard Adam coming and quickly snuck out of the room? They had heard his voice just moments before Adam ran out of the room, so if he had, he couldn’t have gone far. It wouldn’t be long before Adam discovered the truth…
A closer look at the camera
Adam stood with the baby cradled tightly in his arms. All of a sudden, he heard a crackling noise coming from the baby monitor. He turned towards it and the camera swivelled in his direction. “Why is Heather manipulating the video feature of the camera?” he wondered.
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He walked over to the monitor and examined the camera carefully, still looking around him every now and again, concerned that the man might appear at any moment. What happened next, he could never have anticipated…
Someone controlling the camera
Meanwhile, Heather was in the bedroom also looking at the baby monitor. She had also noticed the video angle switch and was curious as to what was going on. Neither her, nor Adam were in control of the camera, so how was it moving of its own accord?
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First the voice on the monitor, now this. The saga continued. They had not expected their evening to turn out like this. One thing was for sure, this definitely was not a nightmare. Unfortunately, things were about to get even worse…
Verbal abuse
Meanwhile, Adam was still in the baby’s room, looking intently at the video camera. As he stared directly into the lens, he suddenly heard a screaming voice. It started to yell Adam’s name, calling him every foul word under the sun.
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Adam was completely taken aback. He didn’t recognise this voice at all and didn’t understand how they knew his name. Who was this person and why were they insulting him like this? He felt uneasy, and extremely frightened.
Pulling the plug
In a rage, Adam grabbed the monitor and pulled the plug. Whoever this was, must have somehow gained access to the monitor. While this was still terrifying, at least the person wasn’t in the house. Once the device was switched off, the voice of the perpetrator was silenced.
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After he had done this, Adam ran to the bedroom to see his wife, who was shaking from the trauma. At least the three of them were together and safe now, as far as they were aware. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come…
Violation of personal space
While the couple were, undeniably relieved that there wasn’t an intruder in their house and that their baby was safe and unharmed, they felt extremely uncomfortable about the fact that someone had managed to gain access to their baby monitor and had violated their personal space.
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They wondered how long this had been going on for and hated the thought of this person spying on their baby while she was sleeping. How was this possible and who was the individual responsible for committing such an atrocity?
Informing the police
It wasn’t long before the police, who Heather had called earlier, turned up at their front door. Perhaps they might be able to help them figure out exactly what had happened. Still recovering from their shock, they let them in and began to explain, in detail, everything that had just occurred.
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After hearing the couple’s account of what had happened, the police began searching the house and the surrounding area to ensure that there wasn’t anyone still spying on them. Perhaps they would find someone lurking in the bushes…
Police search
The police searched all over. They checked every nook and cranny in the house, and outside it, ensuring that they covered all bases. However, they found no trace of anyone. In spite of this, Heather and Adam were still very shaken up.
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There was surely someone there. After a final look, Adam and Heather were just about satisfied that there was no one around. The police and the couple knew where they had to look in order to get to the bottom of all of this…
Further inspection
Unsatisfied with their findings after having a quick look at the baby monitor, the police decided it would be best for them to take it back to their headquarters for further investigation. The couple were more than happy to part ways with the device, despite the fact that it had brought them such peace up until this point.
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In fact, they were actually quite relieved to have it removed from the premises. They didn’t have to worry about their privacy being invaded again. They waited anxiously for the results and, when the detectives returned with their findings, the couple were shocked at the results…
Hacked
The police informed the couple that, through first gaining access to the couple’s wifi network, a hacker had managed to access the baby monitor. This meant that they were able to control the monitor from a remote location.
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Heather and Adam had set up their baby monitor using their home wifi. Consequently, by breaching the wifi’s security, this hacker had managed to tap into the monitor. Unfortunately, this isn’t even the worst part…
Constantly being watched
The police informed them that it was not possible to know at what point the hacker had tapped into the monitor. The couple were very unsettled at this news, since they had no way of knowing exactly what the hacker had seen or heard. This was a very unnerving thought.
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There had been someone watching their every move in the house and they had absolutely no idea. Experiencing something like this could well put you off technology altogether. Heather and Adam soon learned something that would end up changing the way they see technology…
Not alone
It turned out that Heather and Adam were not the only family that this had happened to. At least three other families had, in fact, experienced the same problem. They had all purchased a baby monitor from the same company as Heather and Adam.
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They took comfort in knowing that others had experienced the same as them, however, this didn’t alleviate the feeling of unease that had taken hold of them. All of these families had, unfortunately, fallen victim to a wider scandal. When this news was broadcast to the world, people could not believe it…
The dangers of technology
As Heather and Adam’s story gained traction across the country, people expressed their outrage. How could something that was supposed to provide a source of comfort to parents, ultimately end up doing the exact opposite?
Credits: BBC News
How could someone stoop so low as to weaponise something that the safety of a little baby depends upon? This was incomprehensible to members of the public. How could anyone be so sick? Can technology ever be completely safe?
Traumatised for life
While the couple were, undoubtably, extremely relieved that their daughter was safe and unharmed, they were, nonetheless, left traumatised from the event. The panic and stress they endured and the vile way in which Adam was spoken to, is something they would never recover from.
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Unfortunately, the psychological trauma of the event was not the only thing they were suffering from. The incident had left them very wary of technology and much more aware of the dangers that can come with it, if you’re not careful.
A warning
In fact, the couple had now lost all faith in technology. While they continued to use their smart phones and other devices which they needed for everyday tasks, they were extra cautious, constantly reminding themselves of the potential dangers.
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This serves as an important reminder of how technology can go wrong if used incorrectly. While this was an awful situation for the couple to have been in and we wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, at least they took something away from it…
A lesson learnt
Heather and Adam, through this experience, realised the importance of changing their passwords regularly and, going forward, made sure that they did this. They also decided to always use different passwords for different accounts.
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While they are taking all the necessary precautions to avoid anything like this ever happening to them again, Heather and Adam will likely never recover from the trauma they suffered on that frightful night…