“He found out about my daughter when she was five years old, and once he did, he sought custody and tried to take her away from me,” Abelseth said, explaining that a DNA test showed he was almost certainly the father.
“They gave him 50/50 custody even though the child was the product of rape.”
The station said Abelseth charged Barnes with rape in 2015 when he discovered that the Louisiana statute of limitations had not passed.
Abelseth is reported to have said, “I thought if I didn’t do it the next day, there was nothing I could do about it.” “I went to a trauma counselor and he said, ‘No, you’re 30 after you turned 18.'”
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office was still investigating the case, and the station said no charges had been filed.
Abelseth said: “It was never given to a detective, and nothing was ever investigated.”
The woman, now 32, said it was difficult for her to get anywhere with the justice system. She also said that she lost custody of her daughter because she was accused of giving him a cell phone.
