Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Jon Hirsch, ABC’s/Hulu’s ‘Betrayal: Under His Eye’ is a docu-series we can only describe as harrowing and haunting, considering it chronicles the case of a silent predator. Justin Rutherford was thriving as a physician in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2021 when officials executed a search warrant on his home following a report about a secret camera in a bathroom. Many likely thought it to be an error of some kind at first, since he was a well-respected man in the area and the proud provider of a blended family, who was treated entirely as his own. However, what came to light was that he is not only a peeping tom but a predator who had been molesting his stepson for years, something his then-wife, Stacey Rutherford, never even suspected.
Stacey Rutherford Once Believed Justin Rutherford Was Her Soulmate
Born around 1979 in Decatur, Illinois, into a middle-class family as one of two sisters, Stacey Lynn Fleener always knew there is more to people than their finances, charm, and aesthetics. The truth is, she had a balanced upbringing, a happy childhood, as well as unwaveringly supportive parents, but she struggled with her weight, making her realize early on that people judge by looks. This led her to have self-confidence and self-worth issues, only for it to take another hit when her high school boyfriend broke up with her for another girl right near the end of their senior year. The teenager was admittedly not that heavy at this point after having lost some pounds, yet she still internalized the split as if it were her fault because she wasn’t funny or pretty enough.
Nevertheless, not long after Stacey graduated, she decided to give love another chance as she almost immediately clicked with an old family friend at a party who then asked her out on a date. The duo actually fell in love in such a whirlwind that they tied the knot while she was merely 18, shortly following which they happily welcomed their daughter Mikayla VanScyoc into this world. They ended up relocating to Virginia for his work a few years later and ultimately joyously completed their family with the birth of Tyler VanScyoc in 2005, but the marriage crumbled apart in 2007. The mother of two again wondered if her weight or her overall looks were to blame because she suspected he husband was cheating, resulting in her further struggling throughout the divorce.
What followed for Stacey were a few bad men as well as tantrums by her young daughter, who did not like her dating, that is, until then-medical student Justin Rutherford came into the picture. The duo was set up by a mutual friend in 2015, so he was well aware she was a hard-working single mother when he decided to ask her for a date, which they had a few days later at a local place. Their beliefs, personalities, and sense of humor aligned to a tee, yet what impressed her most as they continued dating was his being okay with taking things slow in terms of family introductions. In fact, despite her feeling comfortable, loved, and safe for the first time in a relationship, it wasn’t until months later that he met her kids, only to immediately win them over with his charming, silly personality. That’s when she was completely sure she had finally found the man she would spend the rest of her life with.
Stacey Rutherford Was Shattered When Her Husband’s Truth Came to Light
Stacey, Mikayla, and Tyler all adored Justin to such an extent that he became the primary male figure in their lives, as per the aforementioned original, even though the kids’ father was still involved. While his partner moved to Pennsylvania for him after he got matched to a residency there, the kids came to him for not only help in their homework but also life, career, and love advice. They, along with Justin’s godmother Debra Cline (aka Nanny D), were thus a family in every sense of the term, only for them to make it rather official when they moved into a suburban townhouse together. It was here that Stacey and Justin welcomed a daughter named Ariya in 2017, tied the knot in a cozy, intimate court ceremony, and then completed their family with Ryden in February 2019.
The next couple of years seemed almost idyllic for the VanScyoc-Rutherford family, until county police officials came knocking on their door on July 27, 2021, to execute a search warrant. Stacey was at work at the time, so she was asked to come home by Nanny D, just for her to then immediately be taken into the basement and be officially informed about the secret camera. According to reports, a friend of Tyler’s had discovered it while using the bathroom one day and taken it home to show to his mother, who didn’t waste any time in contacting the police. They subsequently opened an investigation that resulted in them retrieving thousands of images as well as videos from the device, most of which were of Stacey’s children; hence, the raid.
However, one such image in particular from the folder shown to Stacey caught her eye as she could clearly see and identify her husband’s hand owing to the ring on his finger. The positioning of his hand had led investigators to believe he was the one activating the motion sensor, and his responses to their questions during the warrant execution only raised suspicions. Stacey kicked Justin out that same night after remembering the Child Protective Services visit two weeks prior, based on similar accusations, thinking she could protect her kids from further harm. She had no idea that upon hearing he might only be charged with a misdemeanor, Tyler would garner the courage to come forward to detail that he had been molested by his stepdad for 6 years. The matriarch had once truly believed her partner was an ideal man, but he turned out to be a monster who secretly abused her son and at least one of his friends while also peeping on other minors, which angered her endlessly.
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Stacey Rutherford Has Rebuilt Her Life as a Family Woman and Entrepreneur
While it’s true that Stacey’s initial reaction upon processing the news was anger, it soon transformed into a mix of grief and guilt too. That’s because not only did she lose the life she thought she had, but she also had to grapple with the fact that she let Justin into her kids’ lives. The fact that he wasn’t immediately arrested further hung over her shoulder like a dark cloud for a while as he managed to escape to Europe, just to be arrested at the airport as soon as he returned on October 2, 2021. However, arguably the worst aspect for her was learning he was still using her continued kindness of allowing him to have video calls with his biological children from jail against Tyler. After all, as per records, he allegedly cased her new apartment during these calls and then conspired to hire someone to kill the then-teenager to ensure he wouldn’t be able to testify against him.
Justin’s plans thankfully didn’t pan out, and Stacey subsequently cut off all contact with him. The last time she spoke to him was via her emotional victim impact statement during his sentencing after he pleaded guilty to several felony counts, including rape of an unconscious person, rape of a child, invasion of privacy, and sexual abuse of multiple children. She made it clear that while he may have caused the family trauma, they will bounce back because they have one another, morality, truth, and justice on their side. In the end, following a statement from Tyler too, the disgraced doctor was sentenced to between 26 years plus 10 months to 70 years in prison, with an added 12 years on special probation upon release. Furthermore, he is now registered as a “Sexually Violent Predator” for the rest of his life and is not allowed contact with his ex-wife or any of his children, bringing them some closure.
Coming to Stacey’s current standing, it appears as if she is now based in Gerrardstown, West Virginia, for good, where she is surrounded by a solid support system in terms of her family. The single mother of four might still have good days and bad days over her past, her weight struggles, and self-confidence issues, but like always, she is determined to provide for her young ones. Fortunately, though, she is not alone in any way, shape, or form because she has her sister, her daughter Mikayla, her husband Tommy, a now-adult Tyler, and Nanny D by her side to help her care for her toddlers.
In fact, the family now ensures that they spend quality time together to maintain their close bond, remove the dark stains over activities like game nights by creating new memories, and celebrate new milestones. Just a few examples of the latter are Mikayla’s Master’s graduation and admission into a Doctoral Program to be a Psychologist, Tyler’s engagement to his long-term girlfriend, and Stacey launching her own business. The former Sales Representative at Scentsy is the brain behind Four Lilies Co., which is a creative space through which she designs and sells art, especially for mothers from all walks of life.
