AFTER ALMOST 10 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, CHRISTINE DOWDALL WANTED OUT.
Her husband was no longer the charming man she had fallen in love with. He had become narcissistic, abusive and unfaithful, she says. After one of their fights turned violent in September 2022, Dowdall fled their home in Covington, Louisiana, driving her Mercedes-Benz C300 sedan to her daughter's house near Shreveport, five hours away. She filed a domestic abuse report with the police two days later.
Her husband, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, didn't want to let her go. He called her repeatedly, first pleading with her to return, and then threatening her. She stopped responding to him, even though he texted and called her hundreds of times.
Dowdall, a 59-year-old real estate agent, started occasionally seeing a strange new message on the display in her Mercedes, about a location-based service called mbrace. The second time it happened, she took a photograph and searched for the name online.
"I realized, Oh my God, that's him tracking me," Dowdall says.
Mbrace was part of "Mercedes me connect" a suite of connected services for the car, accessible via a smartphone app. Dowdall had only ever used the Mercedes me connect app to make auto loan payments. She hadn't realized that the service could also be used to track the car's location. One night when she visited a friend's home, her husband sent the man a message with a thumbs-up emoji. A nearby camera captured his car driving in the area, according to the detective who worked on her case.
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Election Day Memories - Stories about voting by the people, for the people
A Convincing Argument When my boyfriend and I were finally old enough to vote in our first presidential election, we spent months debating with one another about our chosen candidates. We were quite persuasive, as we discovered when we got home from the polls and learned that we'd both voted for the other's initial choice.―SHERRY FOX Appleton, WI
A New Way to Monitor Blood Sugar
Who can benefit from this wearable technology
A Flag for Dad
An old sailor made a last wish. His son was determined to see that it came true.
Sisterhood to Last a Lifetime
These college pals teach a master class in how to maintain a friendship for 50-plus years
...TO DIE ON A HOCKEY RINK
ONE MINUTE I WAS PLAYING IN MY BEER LEAGUE, THE NEXT I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL
Yes, There's a Museum for That!
These collections are wacky, wonderful and worth a visit
Town Meeting Is Called!
Once a year, the people of Elmore, Vermont, gather to practice a cherished right: democracy
Just Tight
Broken, battered and trapped in a ravine for days, a desperate driver wonders, \"Will anyone find me?\"
WHY OUR BODIES DON'T DIG DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
Twice a year, when we spring ahead and fall back, we're more prone to sleepiness, depression and accidents
MONEYSAVING DO'S AND DON'TS
The run-up to the holidays doesn't have to bah-humbug your budget. A shopping expert shares strategies for saving big now and all year round.
