Location: Florida, USA and possibly Canada
My husband and I (based in Florida) are being targeted in a disturbing and escalating cyberstalking and defamation campaign, and we’re looking for advice on both how to present the case to law enforcement and how to structure the timeline and summary effectively.
What’s Happening:
We’ve received over 500 emails and countless spam calls over the past week.
The stalker is contacting people across our network, including our workplaces, both of our undergrad universities, his current MBA program, his former internship, and even our mortgage company (we were CC’d on many of the messages).
The emails accuse us of horrific, completely false crimes including murder, child rape, fraud, and identity theft.
We have never responded to any of the messages.
The sender is using a single email address and, in one message, listed what appears to be their full name, birthday, address (in Canada), and phone number — though it could be fake.
Over the past few days, the emails have escalated to include:
Photos of us
Our home address
Former address
Photos of our condo
Pictures of our neighbors
Screenshots of our social media
There have been no direct threats and no financial demands, so it does not appear to be a scam. It seems personal, targeted, and meant to intimidate or defame us.
Where We Stand Now:
We’re currently abroad until July 31.
We notified the Miami Police Department, but they told us they can’t open a case until we file in person.
We’ve been told by others that we should be able to file over the phone or email, especially given that this is cyberstalking and involves international components. We’re trying to confirm what’s actually true.
We’re also preparing to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), but we want to present everything in the clearest and most effective way possible.
Our Ask:
We’re currently pulling together all the evidence and need advice on how best to structure it before submitting.
What’s the best way to organize a timeline and summary?
Should we lay it out chronologically, by recipient, by escalation level?
Do law enforcement agencies prefer Excel, PDF, bullet points, or narrative format?
What information is most important to include — and what’s overkill?
We have emails, screenshots, full message headers, lists of recipients, etc.
Should we write a high-level overview first and then attach detailed logs?
Has anyone else successfully filed a cyberstalking or online defamation report while abroad?
Can we push harder to get Miami PD or another agency to take the report remotely?
Should we escalate to a state or federal agency now instead of waiting?
We’re documenting everything carefully, but we feel overwhelmed and honestly scared. If you’ve gone through anything like this or have knowledge of how to structure a case like this so that law enforcement will take it seriously — especially across state/international lines — we’d be deeply grateful.
Thank you in advance for reading and for any insight.