Topix was a message board website with forums devoted to zip codes and towns. In 2010 and 2011, it became extremely popular in the town where I was living with my husband at the time (now ex). Like many people, I eventually had a turn in the hot seat while local residents anonymously talked smack about me.

 

I was an asshole in my early 20s, so I don’t fault most people for saying mean things about me on Topix. Do I think anyone deserves to be viciously torn apart online? I don’t know. But that’s what I got for being a petulant brat, and I survived it. No need to ruminate.

 

(I did make a video covering this about a month ago, so feel free to watch):

 

Most Topix users eventually began prioritising other discussions, but one person remained bizarrely fixated on me.

 

The vast majority of the Topix gossip about me fizzled out pretty quickly, much like I had expected. The rumours run their course; people eventually get bored and seek something fresh and exciting to focus on. I was initially relieved when I became old news, but three or four particular Topix usernames continued to obsess about me.

 

It quickly became obvious that one person was behind the handful of usernames. There were too many similarities for this not to be the case. But I couldn’t figure out who it was or why they hated me so viciously. The mystery deepened after I confronted my ex-husband, who said his friends didn’t hate me enough to spend that much time and energy focusing on it. I believed him.

 

The mystery Topix poster remained completely invisible to me while simultaneously scaring the crap out of me on a semi-regular basis.

 

Whoever the person was, they didn’t know much about me, especially in their earlier posts. They told extremely outlandish stories about me, which were so far-fetched that even people who openly disliked me seemed confused by the narratives. For example, this person tried to start a pregnancy rumour. Anyone who knows me is aware that I am 100% sure I don’t want kids, and while anything’s possible, it was clear that this person was taking wild guesses and hoping something would eventually come across as believable.
 

Another time, this person claimed that I had run away and joined the circus. I was actually relieved, because this was a much easier rumour to shrug off and laugh at than most. I also didn’t care when this person claimed (after I moved and before they learned my new address) that I was living on the road with my bisexual Wiccan truck driver boyfriend (so what if I was? I’d love to skip town).
 

 

At one point, the person accused me of hooking up with — who else — Luke Wenke (um, ew). I thought that was pretty weird, because I only knew him from karate class, and I thought he was a kid (I later learned he was an adult). I assumed the person had learned we were in the same class and was maybe trying to frame me as a creep. At the time, it didn’t dawn on me that the twerpy little geek in my karate class might be the mastermind of all this. Not even for a second.

 

The stalking also took place in real life, so I knew the person was a local. But that was all I knew.

 

Anytime the mystery poster saw me in public, they posted my location, a physical description (i.e. my outfit), and a description or name of who I was with if I wasn’t alone. On at least two occasions, the mystery poster put the make, model, and colour of my visitor’s vehicle on Topix in an attempt to identify the car’s owner. And in one case, they managed to identify my friend, which made me extremely worried for that person’s safety.

 

This individual posted a very detailed description of my house, which sat on a well-travelled street corner and was extremely easy to identify. I lived alone at the time, and I didn’t feel safe at home or in public. Whenever I stepped outside, I feared I was being watched by this person. Anytime I heard a noise late at night, i.e. a tree branch scraping against the house, I flew into a panic thinking ‘they’ve finally come for me.’ With no idea who this person was, I had no idea what they were (or weren’t) capable of. I didn’t even know the person’s gender.

 

I was also scared to go into public because I suspected that this person was trying to get me beaten up. They often claimed in their posts that I had slept with men from around town, including guys I’d never met or even heard of. From my understanding, they were all married men and men with girlfriends. I thought that maybe the poster was trying to get these guys’ girlfriends and wives upset enough to hurt me. The person posted so obsessively about me that I almost became a shut-in, and I plunged into the worst depression of my entire life to date.

 

The mystery Topix user caused very real damage to mine and others’ lives. There were many victims, including some who were targeted far more relentlessly than me.

 

The mystery poster targeted me for at least two years, including after I moved away from the area. Months prior to moving, I had noticed that my employer was acting different around me. I think they were worried that I would affect the business’s reputation because such horrible things were being said about me. My bosses were still nice to me. They didn’t ask me to leave. But I ultimately quit because I felt ashamed and embarrassed. I was also scared that the mystery poster might come inside the store and then yack about it on Topix in the most insulting ways possible.

 

I went to law enforcement several times over the years when I felt particularly threatened by the mystery poster’s behaviour. But I was always given the same shpeal: “internet laws are in their infancy” and “we can’t prove who was behind the screen typing.” Then, the cops would give me the standard “block, ignore, it’ll stop.”

 

One night before I moved, someone threw a glass bottle at my living room window while passing by. It cracked the glass, but thankfully the damage wasn’t too bad. I’ll never know who did it or if they were associated with the mystery poster. Maybe it was the mystery poster themselves. I’ll never know if they targeted me or if it was perhaps some dumb teenager doing what teens do and throwing his drink at a random house for the hell of it. I hoped it was the latter.

 

Topix eventually shut down following a lawsuit, and I was so relieved. It was such a weight lifted. Even though I knew this person still existed, I instantly felt safer. In hindsight, I should’ve been more cautious.

 

Everyone seems to think they’d know how to handle this type of situation, but you truly don’t know until you’re in it.

 

During the Topix incidents and Wenke’s stalking in more recent years, people have constantly preached at me to “just ignore it,” “just block,” “just don’t look at it,” etc. And while I agree that there’s value in not becoming consumed by someone’s harsh words, I firmly believe it would’ve been reckless to remain completely oblivious to this person’s mindset. They seemed like they wanted to hurt me, and judging by their anger, they seemed quite capable. I felt obligated to pay attention to that.

 

There’s a distinction between a conventional harassment case and a clinical stalking case. Both can be deadly and should be taken extremely seriously, but harassment typically eventually stops. Stalkers, on the other hand, don’t just get bored and go away. Stalking is a never-ending hell that takes over your life. You can’t ignore or block it out of existence. It will find you. That person will find you. And they’ll keep finding you while refusing to let anything or anyone get in their way.

 

And, contrary to popular notion, escaping a stalker isn’t just about preserving physical safety. I was left so traumatised by the Topix torment that it took me years to deprogram from PTSD symptoms, which have returned in the three years since Wenke began crusading to ruin my life — again. Yep, you read me right. This isn’t the first time, which leads me to this next part.

 

So, who was the mystery poster? It was Luke Wenke. My friend Luke Wenke.

 

It took me several years to figure it out. When I became suspicious that Wenke was the mystery poster, I tried putting it out of my mind. I didn’t want to face it. Luke and I had become close friends (or so I thought) while the Topix drama was going on, and he saw how deeply it affected my mental health. He saw it firsthand while I leaned on him for moral support, unaware that he was the one causing my anguish.

 

I confronted Luke Wenke about Topix in 2018 or 2019. I asked if he was the mystery poster, and I told him I would respect him more for being honest than I would if he lied. I promised not to immediately shut the door on our friendship if he came clean. (In reality, I probably would have, because only a sick fuck would cause that kind of suffering while getting as close to it as they can to watch it firsthand).

 

Wenke denied being the Topix poster. And he’s an extremely shitty liar, so I could tell he was lying. Wouldn’t make direct eye contact, became visibly nervous, his tone of voice changed. He became extremely eager to change the topic (no pun intended). I pressed him a little more because I didn’t believe him, but he refused to admit to my suspicions.

 

Since then, Wenke has openly admitted to being the Topix poster many times on social media, and I’ve spoken with numerous people who were also targeted on the site by him (or who know someone who was). Everyone knows it was Wenke. The poster’s identity is not in question. And this means that Wenke began targeting me 14 years ago, right around the time he befriended me at karate class, and I learned he wasn’t a kid.

 

 

 

Wenke has been doing this to people for far too long. It needs to fucking stop.

 

I don’t think he’ll ever stop voluntarily, and medication cannot cure evil. I don’t understand the misguided compassion Wenke receives, but please don’t ever bring it near me. Between the Topix saga and his harassment and stalking in recent years, no one can convince me that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, that it isn’t deliberate, or that he doesn’t enjoy the hell out of it.

 

I have no problem with Wenke getting mental treatment, but I care first and foremost about him being held criminally responsible for his actions. I’m terrified that this mental illness label will pave a path toward little to no accountability for future actions. And if that becomes the case, God help us all. I hope I’m nowhere nearby when the switch flips.

 

During the Topix era, I went to the police probably at least a half-dozen times, feeling threatened, scared, and humiliated. From that angle, this means I unknowingly reported Wenke to the cops for the first time 14 years ago. The authorities still won’t take action despite Wenke’s blatant disrespect for the law and even though laws against internet harassment are starting to modernise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I hadn’t made this website, I wouldn’t have found the sense of community and support that I have. This website is about Wenke, but it’s not for him.

 

I created this site mainly because I want people to have access to information that I feel is important for anyone who lives near or has connections to Wenke. I also Wenke to be held properly accountable for his actions, and I’ve lost faith that it’s going to happen before he goes off the rails and does God knows what. In the meantime, I believe that any other possible path to justice will start with simply putting the truth and facts out there and by connecting with others who can relate to what I’m going through or who simply take an interest in the case.

 

I’m very grateful for all the new friends and acquaintances I’ve made. Thank you so much for being so kind to me and for also opening up about your experiences. I’d never wish Wenke’s torment on anyone and it angers me that so many people have endured it. But this is the first time in years that I no longer feel alone in this, thanks to you. I guess the one thing I can credit Wenke for is that his stupidity has caused me to cross paths with a lot of really good people.