15 December 2023 , 09:15
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A concerned mum used a controversial tracking app to catch her son having sex with his teacher in a car, according to court documents.
The parent, who has not been named, grew suspicious of her son's absence from rugby practice and decided to install the popular Life 360 app on his device.
The tech alerted her to a local park, which the mum drove to in Mecklenburg, North Carolina when she allegedly discovered her son with 26-year-old South Mecklenburg High School teacher Gabriela Cartaya-Neufeld. The mum took several pictures of the teacher's car and licence plate and quickly called the police who arrived at the scene and took Neufeld into custody.
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The son was spotted on Life 360, which is a controversial tracking app (Life360/Facebook)According to officers, the mum had heard rumours of her son's illicit relationship previously and was suspicious of him missing constant rugby practices. The science teacher is accused of having an illicit relationship with the student in her car, inside his mum's home, and at her apartment.
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There had been rumours of a relationship at the school for months before the teacher's arrest which prompted school officials to question both the teacher and the student, the district attorney said at Cartaya-Neufeld’s arraignment.
The 26-year-old has been charged with five counts of felony sexual activity with a student by a teacher. She was taken to the Mecklenburg County jail late last month but has since been placed on bail.
Under state law, a teacher cannot have sexual relations with a student, unless they are legally married to the student. Consent or being 18 is not a legal defence under the statute.
The principal of South Mecklenburg High School released a statement regarding the incident, saying: “Although I cannot discuss personnel information, I wanted to inform you that we take this matter seriously. We share your concerns regarding this situation. The safety and security of our students and staff is of the utmost importance to us all, and while this is a troubling situation, it is being managed by law enforcement.”
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The app, Life 360, which the mum used to track her son's activity is massively popular but also controversial. Parents can monitor their children on the device, which counts Mark Zuckerberg’s sister Randi as a board member.
The technology can alert a parent if the device holder is inside a speeding car, or has left a pre-designated area. It currently has around 50 million active monthly users and is expected to make up to $300 million this year.