A Glendale mother of two is recovering after she says her fiancé attacked her with scissors just weeks before they were due to marry.
Emily Byles said the assault left her with injuries to her face and neck. She also told FOX 10 that she was beaten repeatedly during the attack and initially did not realise she had been stabbed.
Byles said the incident happened shortly after she moved into a new home in Glendale. She described the assault as unexpected and said she had never imagined the man she planned to marry would turn on her.
“Completely mortified that someone that says he loves me and would protect me would just literally try to murder me,” Byles said.
She said her fiancé threatened to attack her two daughters during the incident. Her older daughter called 911, helping bring police to the property before the situation escalated further.
The man, whose name Byles has chosen not to disclose, is in custody and faces multiple felony charges, according to the report. The allegations have not been tested in court.
Byles is now recovering while trying to find a safe home for herself and her children. She said the property where the attack took place was left uninhabitable and that she and her daughters had been separated while they recover from what happened.
Lisa Bell, chief development officer at domestic violence support organisation A New Leaf, said abuse does not always begin with physical violence. Controlling behaviour, demands to check a partner’s phone and attempts to monitor their movements can also be warning signs, she said.
