The tragic case of Renae Marsden
Renae looked totally terrified as she tried to text a message to her mother.
The message read;
“Mom, I love you so much, and I’m sorry for the pain I’m about to cause you. You can still talk to me, though. Just call out my name, and I’ll be there.”
Who was Renae?
The year was 2010.
Renae Marsden was an eighteen-year-old girl who lived with her family in Sydney, Australia. She was very close with her mom, Teresa.
In fact, Renae and Teresa became very close friends in addition to being mother and daughter.
Renae was going through a breakup in 2010.
She had just found out that her boyfriend of two years was cheating on her. The boyfriend tried to deny it, but Renae didn’t buy it because she had proof.
Renae Quickly Moved on
A few weeks after her breakup, Renae was over the moon.
She told her mom that she had met someone new and was already in love with him.
The guy’s name was Brayden Spiteri. Brayden was twenty-three years old. But, the problem was that Brayden was her friend’s ex.
However, her friend, Camila Zeidan, was the one who introduced Renae to Brayden after her breakup. Camila was ok with Renae dating her ex.
Renae showed Teresa a picture of Brayden.
It didn’t sit well with Teresa because, in the picture, Camila laid on Brayden’s shoulder like she was his girlfriend.
But Teresa was happy that her daughter had found someone new, and she had let go of the old.
Renae’s and Brayden’s Relationship Grew Stronger
Renae and Brayden texted each other all the time for the next couple of weeks.
However, the couple couldn’t get to meet in person. That was because something always came up every time they scheduled a real-life meeting.
So, Renae and Brayden stopped trying to meet up. Instead, they strengthened their digital-only relationship.
The two dated online for almost a year until January 2012, when something horrible happened.
Brayden Got Into a Horrible Accident
In January 2012, Brayden was in a motorcycle accident.
He survived the accident, but his passenger, Ronnie, who was also his best friend, died.
It was determined that Brayden was driving recklessly. And so he was charged with manslaughter, and he was sentenced to two years in prison.
That didn’t stop Renae and Brayden’s relationship.
Brayden’s family managed to smuggle a phone into jail for him.
So, the couple talked often. They were even planning their wedding as soon as Brayden would be released at the end of 2013.
Renae was all in with her wedding preparations.
She contacted a wedding photographer. She even bought a beautiful tiara for her wedding on eBay.
Renae and Brayden Broke up
Unfortunately, Renae and Brayden broke up in August of 2013, two months before Brayden’s release date.
Renae was devastated to the point that Brayden was worried about her.
Brayden informed Renae’s mother that she was talking about suicide.
Teresa talked to Renae about the breakup. But Renae told her that she was alright and she was not going to hurt herself.
Renae then told her mom that she was going out with friends that night.
When She Left, Renae Never Made It Back Home
A few hours later, Teresa received a text message from Renae;
“Mom, I love you so much, and I’m sorry for the pain I’m about to cause you. You can still talk to me, though. Just call out my name, and I’ll be there.”
Teresa immediately tried to call Renae, but her phone was off.
So, she texted a call me back to Renae. She then called Camila.
Camila told Teresa that she had also received a strange message from Renae.
Teresa and Camila met up and searched for Renae. But they couldn’t find her.
Around 9:00 p.m. that night, the police came to Renae’s house. Renae’s car was discovered parked in a strange area, but Renae wasn’t there.
What Happened To Renae
Renae’s family went with the police to the location where the car was found.
It was called The Gap. A sheer cliff overlooking the ocean.
Teresa discovered Renae’s shoes at one of the highest points of the cliff, right in front of the fence that prevented people from getting too close to the edge of the cliff.
The police discovered a camera that pointed at that section of the cliffs. They reviewed the footage.
And they saw Renae walking up the trail at night. She stopped, took off her shoes, and placed them down.
Then she hopped over the fence.
Renae stepped very carefully to the edge of the cliff. She peaked over the edge and looked visibly terrified.
So she moved backward a few steps until her back was pressed up against the fence.
Renae pulled out her phone, and she texted.
She sent three messages, one to her mother, one to Camila, and also to Brayden.
After she threw away her phone, Renae jumped.
Renae’s body was never recovered. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Brayden disappeared after Renae’s death
Renae’s family tried to contact Brayden after Renae died.
But they couldn’t get in touch with him.
The family contacted the police so that they could help them to reach out to the prison where he was. The police called Goulburn prison.
And they were informed that there was no one by the name of Brayden Spiteri there.
Camila Catfished Renae
Brayden couldn’t be found because he was a fictitious person that Camila had made up.
Camila had been very possessive of Renae ever since they had met in high school. And she wanted total control over Renae.
Firstly, Camila convinced Renae that her earlier boyfriend of two years was cheating on her and he didn’t love her.
She had forged text messages to back up her claims. And Renae believed her.
Renae broke up with her boyfriend. Then Camila immediately connected Renae with Brayden, who was just Camila on the other side of the phone.
Why Did Camila, a.k.a Brayden, Break up With Renae
Two months before Renae died, she confided in Brayden that her friend Camila was toxic and very controlling.
She didn’t want to be her friend anymore.
And that made Camila furious.
Camila decided that the only way to get revenge on Renae and regain control was to have Brayden break up with her.
Two months later, on August 5th, 2013, Brayden broke up with Renae.
Renae tried to contact Brayden, but he wasn’t responding. She then called Goulburn prison for the first time to inquire about Brayden.
And they told her that Brayden wasn’t being held there.
Renae realized that Brayden was unreal, or he had been lying to her the whole time. And she committed suicide.
The Aftermath
Camila didn’t face any charges for her actions because catfishing isn’t considered a crime in Australia.
And Camila has never taken responsibility for her actions.
She never apologized.
Sources:mrballen, thecinemaholic.com, kileystruecrime