Naman Shrestha
What began as a love story between Abigail Winters and Bryan States soon turned into something traumatic and abusive for the former. Blinded by love, she was determined to help her partner fight against his inner demons. Unfortunately, in the process, she reportedly went through years of abuse and sexual assault. In Investigation Discovery’s ‘Evil Lives Here: He Haunts Me Everyday,’ we get a first-hand account of it all by none other than Abigail herself, who recounts her relationship with Bryan in detail.
Abigail Winters and Bryan States Shared a Tumultuous Relationship
The story of Abigail “Abbi” Winters and Bryan States began when the former was just 13 years old. Raised in Kansas City, Abbi first crossed paths with Bryan at Mill Valley High School. After the latter approached her, they felt a strong connection and began dating. From the very beginning, he allegedly showed signs of insecurity when she used to talk to other guys at school via chat or in person. According to Abbi, thereafter, not only did he instruct her to stop talking to them, but he also started controlling what she wore. When she realized that Bryan’s controlling behavior was not right, she told him that she wanted to break up with him.
Bryan did not take it well and allegedly blackmailed her, threatening to leak her unclothed pictures online. Scared of the repercussions, Abbi decided to stay in the relationship. A few years later, they moved in together. As per her accounts, he reportedly used to sexually assault her on a regular basis. When she could not take it anymore, she confronted him about it and told him she was leaving him. With the intervention from a neighbor, she managed to escape the apartment with her things despite his forceful attempt to prevent her from doing so. After the incident, she said that he began stalking her and claiming that he would take his life if she didn’t give him another chance.
Abbi decided to give him another chance as Bryan claimed that he had changed his way and was a better man. Although facing lots of ups and downs in their relationship, the couple decided to take the next step and got engaged in South Padre Island, Texas. Soon, she learned that she was pregnant with Brian’s child. However, upon breaking the good news to him, he gave a cold response and advised her to get an abortion as he was not ready to be a father. Despite his apprehension and disapproval, Abbi got through with the pregnancy and gave birth to their son, Staisles, in 2022, hoping it to be a turning point in her life.
Abigail Survived a Deadly Attack, While Bryan Took His Own Life
Unfortunately, things went further downhill for Abbi as Bryan allegedly isolated her from her loved ones, not allowing anyone to get in touch with her or their newborn. On top of that, she claimed that she also endured constant abuse for several months, including an instance where he almost choked her to death while she was taking a shower. As she reached her last straw with him, the mother of Staisles explained the situation to her family and told them about the abuse she had gone through. When her fiance went to work, she and her family took all the things that belonged to her and cleared out most of the house before he returned.
Having gone through such traumatic experiences, Abbi was stumped when she was forced to share the custody of Staisles with Bryan. After cutting ties with her ex-fiance, she started dating a guy named Jordan Taylor, who showered her with loads of love and affection. One day, Bryan texted her and invited her to his house to take a look at the cake pops he had prepared for an upcoming event. Just when she thought she had broken out of the pattern, the father of her child allegedly sexually assaulted her again. On the fateful day of May 2, 2022, Bryan was supposed to return Staisles to Abbi after spending a week with him.
However, he told her that his car door was broken, so she had to come get their son. Not feeling stoked to return to his house, she was accompanied by her mother. As soon as they reached, her mother got out of the car and knocked on his door. In the meantime, Bryan came armed with an assault rifle to Abbi and fired three rounds at her — one in her lungs, one in her heart, and one in her face. He then aimed the weapon at his own head and shot himself to death. With Staisles being her motivation to keep going, she somehow survived the life-threatening attack.
Abigail Winters Continues to Recover From Her Injuries
Abigail Winters’ path to recovery was marred with several challenges. Though she had survived the gunshot wound, Abby was in a lot of pain. Immediately after the horrific ordeal, she had to endure multiple surgeries for which she had to be put in a medically induced coma. Despite being treated with many surgical procedures, Abby revealed she is likely to undergo more operations. Even after nearly three years of weathering the worst day of her life, her pain persists. However, Abby is now more determined than ever to use her voice for the prevention of domestic abuse. She is a staunch advocate for the cause and uses her social media account to raise awareness for the same.
The courage to open up about it all didn’t come easy to Abby. She spent months contemplating whether or not her story deserved to be told. It was due to her resilience and the strength and belief of her loved ones that she let go of her inhibitions and shared her story on TikTok. To her surprise, the mother of one received immense support from the people, with many echoing her sentiments and sharing their stories of survival with her. She is quite grateful to social media for providing her with a platform where she can build a community of other survivors and make them understand that they are in this together. In an interview, she said, “I wanted to save one person from crying at night because they’re stuck in a relationship they can’t get out of. I would want to save one person from feeling like their babies are in danger.”
With her newfound confidence and agency, Abby is now a digital creator with over 174k followers on TikTok. She devotes her time to making videos about domestic violence and sharing tips on how to identify and get out of abusive relationships. She has garnered immense influence and uses it to prevent others from potential harm. She believes she wouldn’t be here, stronger than ever, if not for her people, and urges others to confide and believe in their friends and family as they play a major role in getting one out of the perils of an abusive relationship. “Even though you feel isolated, hold on to your family,” she stated. “Hold on to your friends. They’re still there for you, and they will come, and they will pick up the pieces. They will.”
When not helping others, the Kansas City, Kansas, resident works as a Tattoo Artist at Snapbacks and Tattoos. In her downtime, she likes to go out and bask in the sunshine while appreciating the beauty of the flowers and all things natural. Alongside all the tattoos she has on her body, Abby also enjoys dying her hair to funky colors. On the personal front, she is very proud and grateful for her support system — her family and friends. Her world revolves around her partner, Jordan, and son, Staisles, whom she loves with all her heart. Abby also has the unwavering backing of her mother, father, and brother, Mason Winters, who have stood beside her like a rock throughout it all. While the frequent hospital visits get exhausting for her, the presence of her family and friends is enough to lift her spirits. While Abby is still not completely out of the woods, with the love and support she is surrounded by, she knows she will be one day.
Read More: Marcela Borges: Where is the Assault Survivor Now?
