A woman who posts on TikTok as @unpluggedmoments said her 14-year-old niece asked to be picked up from a sleepover around midnight.
The aunt said the girl had noticed a camera in her friend’s bedroom and covered it with a hoodie before texting for help.
In a TikTok video, the aunt described the night, what the friend’s mother later told her family and how the mothers went to a police station together.
Aunt Agreed to Watch Her Niece During a Wedding Trip
The aunt said her sister and brother-in-law were headed to a wedding and asked her to watch their daughter. The aunt said she agreed.
The couple dropped the girl off early Saturday so they could catch an early flight, the aunt said. They were expected home Sunday.
The girl’s mother left a list of tasks, including homework. At the bottom, the list said the girl would attend a birthday sleepover at the home of a girl on her soccer team.
The aunt said she asked her sister whether she knew the family. “Yes. We’ve been together on the same soccer team for like ten years,” the sister replied.
Aunt Checked a Safety Checklist Before the Sleepover
A little before 6 p.m., the aunt said, she asked her niece a series of questions. She asked if the girl had money, a fully charged phone and an extra charging cord. She also asked if the girl could see her location.
The aunt said her niece answered “Yes” to every question.
The aunt said she also took a picture of her niece.
At the house, the aunt said she introduced herself and left her phone number in case of an emergency. She informed the family that her niece had no food allergies. She also told her niece she would return at 11 a.m. the next day.
Niece Texted Her Aunt to Ask for a Ride Back Home
The aunt said she and her husband had dinner plans and got home around 10:30 p.m. She said she dozed off on the couch.
She said she thought she heard her phone ring but was not sure. By the time she woke up, the ringing had stopped. Then she heard a text alert.
“It said from my niece. It said, Auntie, can you come pick me up?” the aunt said.
The aunt did not ask why. She said she replied, “On my way.”
When she arrived, she called her niece and asked her to meet her at the door. The friend’s mother also came to the door and asked if everything was okay.
The aunt said she told the mother that her niece was not feeling well and that she would pick her up early.
“That’s weird. Some of the other girls weren’t feeling well either,” the mother answered.
Niece Described Hidden Camera in the Bedroom
The aunt said she asked her niece if she was all right.
“I’m good, but it was weird. There was a camera in the room,” the niece replied.
The niece told her the girls had asked the friend about it and the friend confirmed it was a camera.
“It’s not live or on,” the niece said the friend told them.
The niece added that she took off her hoodie and draped it over the camera. The aunt called her niece a “smart girl.”
The niece said the friend’s mother later came in and took the hoodie off.
The aunt said she asked her niece, “Did anyone undress in front of that camera?”
“One girl did, but it was before the whole hoodie thing,” the niece answered.
The aunt then asked about the bathroom. The niece did not think there was one in that room.
“I think there was one in the game room and maybe the kitchen and the living room, something,” the niece said.
The aunt called her sister and explained what happened. Her sister and brother-in-law looked for an early flight and returned within five or six hours.
Friend’s Mother Explained the Camera as a Security System
The aunt said her sister spoke with the friend’s mother and called her back on Monday.
The mother said the family had used a security monitoring system for some time. It was there for safety because her husband traveled often and the daughter’s room is above the garage. Someone could reach the room from the garage, the mother explained.
The aunt said the mother was “very apologetic” and promised the camera was not live. When the aunt’s sister asked about the hoodie, the mother said she did not recall it.
The mother also wished the niece had come to her about feeling uncomfortable. She would have moved the girl to a different room.
Mothers Went to the Police Station Together
The aunt said the friend’s mother spoke with the mothers of the other girls at the party.
“We all went to the police station together,” the mother told the aunt’s sister.
The aunt ended her video with a warning: “Be careful with sleepovers.”
