Jeremy Bilbo is currently sitting in a jail cell in Tarrant County, Texas. Bilbo stands accused of sexually abusing his stepdaughter who is now 7-years old. That’s not the most shocking part of this horrific story, though. The child’s mother and Jeremy’s current wife is denying that the abuse occurred despite evidence to the contrary and has been actively asking for donations to help bail her husband out of jail so they can “fight this together.”
According to the family of the underage victim, Bilbo was arrested after she told teachers about the abuse she was allegedly enduring at home. Family members said that she had told others before, including her own mother, but that Tiffany Bilbo refused to believe her daughter was telling the truth and failed to report the information.
Instead, the accused sexual predator’s wife blamed her daughter’s story on another family member, whom she claimed didn’t like her husband and would stop at nothing to tear the family apart. She has also been accused of limiting contact with the child’s biological father and when she did get to visit, insisted that all visitation be supervised. The family believes this was done in order to keep the abuse allegations quiet, knowing that the child’s father would immediately go to the police if their daughter was to suggest that Jeremy Bilbo had been sexually abusing her.
Based on information obtained from Tarrant County court records, Jeremy Bilbo is accused of sexual abuse of a child dating back to December 2014. According to what CPS told the child’s family, she was likely victimized over a period of time. They believe the abuse may have started before December 2014, but that it just hadn’t been reported yet and that the then 5-year old went to her mother for help. When her mom didn’t separate her from her stepdad or do anything about her accusations, they believe she stayed quiet until recently when she went to a teacher at her school.
While he and the child’s mother maintain Jeremy’s innocence, other family members related to the child disclosed that Texas child protective services opened the case after the child told her teacher. A medical exam was completed and it was said that there was evidence that something happened to her.
The date on file for Jeremy Bilbo’s arrest is September 16. The child’s father and extended family were not made aware of the situation until ten days later on September 26 when a CPS caseworker made contact and shared information about the ongoing investigation. It didn’t take long for family members to uncover Tiffany Bilbo’s GoFundMe account as well as proof that she may be managing his Facebook account at this time.
The father of the alleged victim has since retained his own legal counsel and is seeking physical custody of the child who remains living with her mother. Meanwhile, the child’s mother is actively asking for donations to assist her in posting bail and defending Jeremy Bilbo, who is still in custody in Tarrant County.
Initially, Tiffany Bilbo posted a plea for donations on GoFundMe that featured a picture of herself, Jeremy and her daughter. The campaign wasn’t specific about their actual need and instead, read, “Dear family and friends. My family is dealing with a very serious situation that has put us in great financial need. We are in jeopardy of loosing [sic] everything. We are fighting a battle and we need help. The enemy is trying to tear my family apart. Anything that is placed in your heart to give is greatly appreciated. I can’t go into detail via this message but I’m willing to speak to you individually if more info is needed. Keep us lifted in your prayers.”
Tiffany Bilbo’s GoFundMe account raised $1,570 before it was discovered by the alleged victim’s biological father and his family. At that point, a complaint was made to GoFundMe and those who had already donated were contacted and asked to file a complaint asking for their donations back. The account has since been closed down and it is unknown if the Bilbo family actually received any of the funds.
After the GoFundMe was closed, Tiffany took another route in order to secure donations in order to bail out Jeremy Bilbo. She is now soliciting help via her personal PayPal account, asking friends and family to donate there instead. She has also asked friends of Jeremy Bilbo to write letters to the judge about the accused sexual predator’s character and based on screenshots of her request obtained by the Inquisitr , she is asking that anyone willing to write a statement and have it notarized to please get it to her by October 3.
This case is still pending and so far, Jeremy Bilbo is accused but not convicted of any crime. The child’s biological father is still in the process of securing custody, as he believes if she remains in her mother’s care, she is at risk for more abuse in the future.
[Featured image by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department]