Detroit mom of 2 says her ex set fire to her home, now she's trying to rebuild it - and her life
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Gloria Lyons says she had been getting disturbing text messages from her ex, the father of her 2 kids who are 6 years old and 2 months old, after escalating threats and violence.
He even showed up at her mom's house where she had been staying then on June 11th, came the house fire.
At about 8 a.m. I get a call from a neighbor, saying 'Gloria, baby. your house is on fire you need to get here,'" she said.
The Detroit Fire Department confirmed to FOX 2 that her home was set on fire, and her ex, the same one who had been harassing her, was arrested for the crime.
Her ex is currently is facing a number of charges including home invasion, aggravated stalking - and malicious destruction of a building and more charges are expected.
Lyons said she was staying with her mom at the time of the fire because of everything that had happened before at the home
"I had barricaded every window with 2x4s, it was like he really wanted to get in," she said. "I woke up to him standing over me in my bed," she said. "I hid out in a neighbor's home across the street. After she realized what was going on, she said 'Gloria it is too dangerous. You may be able to handle him, but you've got two babies in tow, and it may not go that well.' I said she was right. She said 'Don't go back, don't go back until they get him.'"
Lyons said she filed a police report after on the day she gave birth to her 2-month-old son, her ex allegedly stole her car, and crashed it.
"It was a mess, they ended up totaling it out, they said it was totaled," she said.
Gloria Lyons' house suffered major damage from the fire.
But she won't give up. She worked hard to renovate her home and had a beautiful nursery ready to go for their new baby, but had struggled to maintain insurance because it took so long to complete renovations.
"I had my own savings that is nowhere near this magnitude of loss," she said. "Even with cashing my retirement out that only gets me so far."
Despite everything, with the help of her sister, she's hoping to rebuild her home and her life and has set up a GoFundMe to restore the house.
TO DONATE: Go to the GoFundMe page HERE.
"I've looked to her as an example of what strength and resilience is," her sister, Ernestine Lyons said. "She served in the military. It's telling the power of the level of this manipulation."
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship and needs help getting out, please see the following links: