ORLANDO, Fla. -- Into the Baby Land Garden, Raquel Gonzalez and her sister walk a familiar path. Every May 23, they come to Chapel Hill Cemetery to bring flowers to the grave of little Natalie Gomez.

Now, Raquel is raising awareness around the violent crime that took Natalie’s life.

  • Raquel raises awareness around DV since daughter was killed
  • Reports of DV, rape cases have increased in Florida 
  • SEE BELOW: DV, sexual assault resources ▼

“She was beautiful, I became like, instantly in love. It’s like this love you will never feel again,” Gonzalez said.

Natalie was killed 19 years ago at the age of 2 by her abusive stepfather. Raquel will never forget the day her abuser exploded.   

“All of a sudden he punched me. Because he noticed I was trying to walk away from him, which I had never done before, and then he punched me, and I fell to the floor and my first reaction was to look at her,” Raquel said.  

Natalie became the man’s next target. He took the toddler into her bedroom and beat her with his fists. The abuse eventually took Natalie’s life.

It’s why Raquel fought through tears -- she wants other’s to hear her and Natalie’s story.  

“I know I have to do this,” Raquel said.

 

 

It’s even tougher, because domestic violence and rape crimes are up in Florida.

Between 2016 and 2017, there were 351 more rape cases and 1,339 more domestic violence cases reported.

Harbor House CEO Michele Sperzel says she firmly believes the #MeToo movement is giving victims a voice.

“I think that kind of collective. It’s OK to talk about it. (It) really ties into the numbers of the reports that we saw, (with) people going to law enforcement. It also translated to people seeking out services,” Sperzel said.

“When (legislators) get involved in an issue, and we are having them talk about it, it is going to be helpful for anybody who is being touched by the crimes,” she added.

It’s a crime that leaves lives marked forever -- one Raquel wants to prevent from happening again.

“I don’t want them to have to go through what I went through and what my family went through … it is a guilt you will always feel,” Raquel said.  “But I don’t mind sharing my story if I can help one person, (so) she didn’t die in vain.”

For anyone seeking help, Harbor House is a resource. You can also call their hotline, 407-866-2856.

More resources:

  • Florida Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-500-1119
  • National Domestic Abuse Hotline 1-800-799-7233.
  • Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence: www.fcadv.org
  • National Dating Abuse Helpline: 1-866-331-9474 or www.loveisrespect.org
  • National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
  • Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network: www.rainn.org
  • National Sexual Violence Resource Center: www.nsvrc.org