BELTON, Texas — A Belton father who is an autism advocate says for the last few months, he has been living in fear.
Marty Mendoza claims he and his son have received death threats over the internet and he is hoping the person responsible can be stopped.
Mendoza is a single dad who lives in Belton with his son Marty Jr. Marty Jr. suffers from severe autism and is non-verbal. The two have nearly half-a-million followers on social media and are well known in Central Texas.
Mendoza said a few months ago, he started getting threats from a man online asking where he was from and threatening to kill him and his son. Mendoza said he is an autism advocate and spends nearly all of his time with his son trying to raise awareness about the condition. He is unsure why anyone would want to hurt him or Marty Jr.
"They said they were going to come kill me and my son. Just being a single parent and a single dad with an autistic son, we just try to live our lives and try to spread the word of autism,” said Mendoza. “All of our formats and platforms is nothing racial, nothing political. It is about the day in the life of my son. To actually get threats and things like that, it hurts me, because we don’t know if it is real or not."
Mendoza said whoever is doing this, he wants them to know this is not funny and it is scary.
“I've been fighting this fight for 30 years, and this little hate they are doing, it is not going to stop me from doing what I’m doing," he said.
6 News reached out to Belton Police about the incident. They said to be cautious when using social media. Social networking brings people with similar interests and life experiences together, but it can also bring unintended consequences, they said.
They said making threats on social media could lead to misdemeanor or even felony charges, depending on the facts. Just do not do it, they said. They advise people use safe practices, be kind, understanding and tolerant of others; this will help you limit negative interactions online.
Belton Police safety tips for social media:
- Use privacy settings.
- Do not share personal details (address or phone number)
- Limit your online circle
- Block trolls or unfriendly followers
- Do not meet strangers (or meet in a public place)