Calgary police have laid a number of charges and say that more could come
This story has some upsetting things in it.
A Calgary mom and dad are in shock after learning that a stranger has been taking pictures of their young daughter from the family’s social media accounts and using them to make people believe he is a single father who is having trouble making ends meet.
Brian Keith Strachan, who is also from Calgary, has been taking pictures of the girl for about eight years and posting them on his own social media accounts, saying that he has been raising her since she was born. She is eight years old now.
Even her name, Amanda, was a lie.
Someone told the family last week when they saw the girl’s picture online.
The last names of the family are not being used by CBC News to protect the girl’s identity.
“I can’t believe and it makes me sick that this guy has all this… Kenny, her dad, said in an exclusive interview, “I just couldn’t believe it.”
Tamara, her mother, said, “It makes me sick and hurts my gut.” “I didn’t know what to do at all. It was like we didn’t ever want our daughter to leave our side.”
The family gave CBC News dozens of pictures from Strachan’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, which have since been locked down or deleted.
They show pictures of the girl from when she was a baby to just a few days ago.
In one, a girl who looks to be about two years old is dressed as Wonder Woman.
Strachan’s post, which is supposedly written in the voice of the young girl, says, “If I grow up to be half the person you are, Dad, then I will consider my life a success.”
In another, she has just finished kindergarten and is wearing a cap and gown.
That post says, “If I can teach my 8-year-old daughter Amanada how to make money, I can and will teach you.” Strachan doesn’t make it clear what he wants to teach.
Strachan says on Facebook that he is single, has never been married, and has no biological children. He says that he became the girl’s guardian because “she was born to a 14-year-old girl who made a mistake in life.” He says that he took care of “Amanda” so that her mother could keep going to school.
There are also a number of posts where he talks about how hard it is to be a single father financially.
CBC News also found out that Strachan would help raise money for people who had been abused. He would talk about his young daughter and how they needed money for gas, groceries, and other things.
“He would show us pictures of the girl on his phone and, of course, all over Facebook. That’s what really stuns me about all of this… “We were just speechless,” said John Graham, who runs one of these groups, Against All Abuse.
The girl’s family was even more worried when they found out that a man calling himself Brian Strachan had written more than a dozen disturbing posts on a chat website about taking off the girl’s clothes and putting a diaper on her.
Acting Staff Sgt. Shelby Stewart, who is in charge of the case for Calgary Police Services, says it’s a normal situation. She says it’s not unusual for online photos to be used for things they weren’t meant for.
She said, “I think we’re starting to see more of this, especially as social media grows and it’s become a lot more common in the last ten years.”
Strachan is charged with fraud under $5,000 and two gun crimes: storing a gun in a dangerous way and having a gun without permission.
WATCH | A man from Calgary is being charged with fraud and having weapons:
Yesterday, police went to his house and took a computer, a phone, and a gun. Investigators are looking through the electronics right now and say that more charges may be coming.
As for the girl’s family, they thought strangers couldn’t see their social media photos, but after this happened, they found out that some of their security settings weren’t what they thought.
“I thought I kept to myself. So now, like, we’re not going to post. There are still pictures of our family on there, but now only friends can see them.
The police recommend that families check their privacy settings on all social media sites.
CBC News tried to get Strachan to say something, but he didn’t answer. Nobody knows if he has a lawyer or not. He has been let go, and his next court date is on August 9.