05/06/2026
Aaron Spencer woke up in the middle of the night and realized every parent’s worst fear had happened.
His 13-year-old daughter was gone.
He called 911, then rushed out to search for her. Spencer believed she might be with Michael Fosler, a 67-year-old man who had already been charged with dozens of s*xual offenses involving his daughter and was supposed to have no contact with her.
Then Spencer found them.
His daughter was inside Fosler’s truck after midnight.
According to court records reported by Arkansas Times, Spencer chased the truck, forced it off the road, and confronted Fosler. Spencer said he saw his daughter trying to get out, but believed Fosler was stopping her.
Moments later, the confrontation turned violent. Spencer sh0t Fosler, then called 911 again to report what had happened.
He was later charged with second-degree m*rder, even though his attorneys argued he acted to protect his child after the system failed to keep her safe.
The case exploded across Arkansas and beyond, with many people calling Spencer a father who did what he had to do, while prosecutors argued the shooting still had to be treated as a crime.
But now, the case has taken another dramatic turn.
A judge dismissed the m*rder charge after a dashcam memory card that may have captured the incident was lost by law enforcement. The judge said the conduct was serious enough to throw out the case.
What began as a father’s desperate search for his missing daughter became a national debate about justice, protection, and what a parent is supposed to do when the system fails in the most terrifying moment of their life.