A mother’s intuition and a location-sharing app led her to a shocking discovery: her 18-year-old son was having an inappropriate relationship with his 26-year-old science teacher.
The mother, who had heard rumors of the affair before, decided to use the app Life360 to track her son’s whereabouts. She was alarmed when he missed a rugby practice and the app showed him at Park Road Park. She rushed to the scene and found her son and his teacher, Gabriela Cartaya-Neufeld, in a compromising situation inside a car.
She quickly snapped photos of the car and its license plate and reported the incident to the authorities. The police arrested Cartaya-Neufeld on five counts of felony sexual activity with a student by a teacher. She has since posted bail and is awaiting trial.
The mother’s actions have exposed a scandal that had been brewing for months at South Mecklenburg High School, where the teacher and the student attended. According to the district attorney, the school administrators had questioned both of them about the rumors, but they denied any wrongdoing. The teacher allegedly met with the student in her car, inside his mother’s home, and at her own residence.
Life360 is a popular app that allows users to share their location with friends and family. It has about 50 million active monthly users and is expected to generate $300 million in revenue this year. The app is designed to enhance safety and communication among loved ones, but in this case, it also revealed a dark secret that could have serious consequences for the teacher and the student.
