It was a classic case of a party thrown by a teenager when her family was out of town, but matriarch Bridget Strahin tells Inside Edition Digital when everyone returned home to see the destruction, they asked her daughter, who is 18, to move out.
An Ohio family has endured more than destruction and theft inside their own home, as they were also tormented in public and on social media following a blowout party thrown by their 18-year-old daughter.
It was a classic case of a party thrown by a teenager when her family was out of town, but matriarch Bridget Strahin tells Inside Edition Digital that, when everyone returned home to see the destruction, they asked her daughter, who is of adult age because she is 18, to move out.
“Based on how terrified my younger two were to come home and see her again, we asked her to move out of our home. She is safe, living with a friend,” Strahin says.
In the wake of the party, which was held earlier this month at the Strahin residence in Fairfield, a beloved goose statue was stolen and used as a ploy to play psychological games with the family.
“To be honest, this whole thing is so wildly out of control that if I wasn’t the one living it, I would likely think the same,” she says when asked if people believe she might have made all of this up. “But, I’m living this life of shock and just staring off into space incredulously.”
Strahin said at least 100 people showed up to her home earlier this month for a party put on by her 18-year-old daughter. The party was announced on TikTok but the distraught mom says not everyone was there to have a good time.
She tells Inside Edition Digital that patrons “broke two doors, used toys as ashtrays, threw my husband’s laptop in the sump pump container in the basement. They destroyed my dryer, filled the washer with alcohol. They cut up the carpet, destroyed a painting from my grandmother, stole my son’s shoes, clothes, and anime collectibles. Broke my youngest’s guitar. Stole electronics and destroyed my espresso machine. The list goes on and on.”
She adds “this goes way beyond a simple house party. These people vandalized my home. They destroyed our feeling of safety.”
Strahin believes that this was done because of the party goers “not liking” her daughter.
“From what we have been able to gather, it is a simple case of them not liking her. These teens and young adults... for lack of a better phrase, out of control,” she claims. “They have been known to go from party to party leaving a trail of destruction. My best guess as to why is because no one has ever held them accountable for their actions.”
However, the destruction of the home was just the tip of the iceberg as a beloved family object was stolen and used to taunt the Strahin clan on social media.
“Betty,” the beloved plastic porch goose, was snatched during the party and then used on TikTok to taunt the family.
“Like a typical Midwestern woman, I had been wanting a porch goose to dress up and have fun with the kids with. My good friend actually surprised me with her one day when I was coming home from a trip,” Strahin says.
She says the sentimental value lies in the fact that the last truly good day she had with her 18-year-old daughter was the day they named her Betty and went to the craft store to get the supplies to make her Junior Jewels shirt.
It was the first time in months that she and her daughter “had really bonded over something and had the most amazing day out of it. It may seem silly to most, but, for me, that day with my girl was everything.”
Taylor Swift is a family favorite musician, so Strahin says “of course” the goose had to be a Swiftie with Taylor Swift themed paraphernalia.
Yet, when the goose went missing, a wild chase to get Betty back began but along the way these strange ransom notes would pop up.
“Bluntly put, because the teenagers in my community think they are above repercussions for their actions. They saw a family in a tailspin and used Betty to terrorize us further. Look, in all honesty, it was never about finding the goose, it was about finding the people who took her. Who vandalized and stole from my home. Betty is important, yes, but at the time, all I could think was: find the goose, find the ones responsible. And it just spun out of control from there with fake TikTok’s and Facebook profiles being made. Fake text messages claiming I was the one harassing minors, all to cover their tracks and discredit the actual crimes at hand. As disgusting as it is, their parents were in on it too,” she claims.
Despite the wild party and stolen property, no charges were ever brought to the patrons inside her home, but police did try and search for the goose and, according to Strahin, have a list of names of people who were inside her house that night.
“I’m angry that the parents of these kids have hid them instead of bringing them forward to be held accountable. I’m angry that my two little kids sobbed in mine and my husband’s arms because their home and belongings were destroyed. So, while the world sees a mom upset over a porch goose, here in my world, this mom is just doing her best to get justice for her family,” Strahin says.
After weeks of harassment and trying to find Betty, Strahin says “a resident in my neighborhood found her on a random front yard. Her shirt was in the middle of the road. It looked as if she was tossed from a car, given all the scratches on her.”
Strahin did speak to local media outlets as well as took to social media to give updates on what the family was enduring following the fiasco which took place earlier in the month.
People from around the world tried to help find Betty and support the Strahins in this very odd time, and the family is appreciative of that.
“I just want everyone who cared enough about my family to bring us justice and comfort during this nightmare to know how much I appreciate them. This entire saga has been so weird and enlightening at the same time,” Strahin says. “It’s opened up larger conversations about the crimes these teens and young adults cause and get a free pass with, and I really hope we can continue to bring awareness and comfort to other families out there like mine who have exhausted every option to help their young adult children, but yet, still have to suffer at their hands. Mostly silent.”
Strahin’s eldest daughter, who threw the party, was the only person charged. She was charged with underage drinking and disorderly conduct. Fairfield courts tell Inside Edition Digital that she will be arraigned Wednesday. It is unclear if she has obtained legal representation.
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