The Death of Renae Marsden
For this case I watched an episode of Web of Lies. It’s season 7 episode 9, titled ‘Cruel Intentions.’
A young woman becomes the target of a catfishing scheme.
Background
Renae Marsden
Renae lived in Sydney, Australia with her parents Mark and Teresa, and three siblings. She was very close to her family, especially her mom. She was described as being a “spark,” with an infectious smile and laugh. Her family also said she was bubbly, affectionate, and always put her loved ones first.
A New Relationship
In 2010, when Renae was 18, she met a man named Angus. They met at a hair salon that Renae worked at, and Angus said he had to work up the courage to speak to her. When he did, they became inseparable and fell in love. They even talked about their future together, getting married and having kids.
Everything seemed great until one day, Renae ended the relationship when she saw a message that was apparently from Angus, saying he was just using Renae and would cheat on her. Renae ended their relationship after two years.
Teresa said that Renae was devastated, but one day Renae told her that she started talking to a new man named Brayden Spiteri. Renae said that Brayden was her friend Camila’s ex-boyfriend, and that she was perfectly fine with them getting together. From that day forward, Renae and Brayden texted constantly.
Brayden said he was 23, went to a prestigious school, and that his family owned a construction company. Renae told her family that Brayden wanted everything she wanted in life. Teresa was skeptical, but happy that Renae was happy. Renae wanted to meet up with Brayden, but he always had an excuse.
Renae and Camila
A Long Distance Relationship
In January 2012, Renae went on a two week cruise with her family. Teresa said that Renae didn’t have any cell phone service, and didn’t have any contact with the outside world. She said they had so much fun, and then the texting started back up again when they returned home.
A week after they returned home from the cruise, Camila texted Renae and told her that Brayden was going to prison on manslaughter charges. Brayden and his friend Ronnie had gotten into a motorcycle accident, and Ronnie died. Camila said that Brayden was going to Golden prison, and wouldn’t have visitation rights for the two years he would be in there.
Even though Brayden was apparently in prison, he was given a phone. He and Renae were still in constant contact. Brayden also got to know Renae’s family very well. The family was concerned, and there were several times when red flags came up, but they were happy for Renae.
Renae started to become friends with Camila again. Teresa said that Camila was very obsessed and possessive. She even found love letters from Camila to Renae. Renae’s cousin said that Camila wouldn’t let Renae be friends with anyone else, and always needed to know where she was. They decided to give Camila another chance though, when she joined the same soccer team as Teresa.
Emotional Abuse
On New Year’s Eve 2012, Renae went out with her cousin to a nightclub in Sydney. They were drinking, dancing, and taking photos. Renae even sent photos to Brayden, but instead of complimenting her, he said she looked like a tart and would probably cheat on him.
Renae’s ex Angus even texted her that night. Renae told Camila about it, and Camila asked her how she could do that to Brayden. Brayden also called her out about it. Renae’s cousin Stephanie told Renae to stop responding, and not to let her ruin the night.
Over the next few months, Renae and Brayden were talking about getting married once he was released. Brayden even asked Renae to start preparing for it. At the same time, Renae told Camila she didn’t want her in her life anymore, she would get upset about the smallest things and belittle Renae about it.
The Gap
On August 5, 2013, Renae came home from work. Teresa said she received a message from Brayden saying “sort your daughter out, threatening to kill herself.” Teresa was shocked, and went to talk to Renae about it. Renae told her mom that she was done with the relationship, and wasn’t going to hurt herself. Renae told her mom that she was going to go out with some friends from work.
Later on, Teresa received a message from Renae, and in the message it said “please forgive me.” Teresa tried calling her, but there was no answer. She also contacted Camila, asking her if she had heard from Renae. Camila said yes, and that Renae told her she loved her and was sorry. Camila said she would go out and search with her.
They drove by McDonald’s, and by a home that Camila explained was Brayden’s sister’s home. Renae’s car was nowhere to be found, so they went home. At around 9-9:30pm that night, the police arrived at the Marsden home. They told Mark and Teresa that they had found Renae’s car at Watson’s Bay, at a place called the gap, where people are known to take their lives.
The Catfish
Mark and Teresa were heartbroken. They drove to Watson’s Bay, and found a pair of black flats. The police wouldn’t let them search anymore, and sectioned off the area. They told the Marsden’s to go home. Several family members came over to wait with them, including Camila.
Stephanie said she remembers Camila asking her if she thought Renae did it, and she said she didn’t know. She asked Camila the same question, and Camila said no, that Renae was an attention seeker. Stephanie asked Camila if she could see the last message Renae sent her, and Camila said she accidentally deleted it.
The p0lice searched the area of Watson’s Bay, and didn’t find anything. They did however find CCTV footage of Renae right before she died. The CCTV footage wasn’t shown in this episode, but Teresa described it. She said Renae walked down the path, jumped the fence, peeked over the ledge, and looked at her phone. She sent three final message: one to her mom, Camila and Brayden. It’s believed that Renae threw her phone in the water, and then she disappears from the video.
Mark explained that the police called off the search, and treated the case as another suicide. However, the family looked into why Renae did this, and they discovered that all roads led to Brayden and Camila.
An Obsessed Friend
Mark was able to obtain Brayden and Camila’s phone records, and learned that they were the same person. There was also no record of Brayden at the Goulburn prison. Mark sent this information to the police, and they too came to the same conclusion.
A co-worker of Renae’s came forward and said that Renae received a message at 1pm on the day she died. The message read “I think I need a break, and so do you.” The co-worker said Renae started crying and shaking.
At 2:44pm, Renae called the Goulburn prison, and most likely discovered that Brayden didn’t exist.
The police searched Camila’s home, and found several phones. They didn’t find the ‘Brayden’ phone, but they did find the picture of the person she claimed was Brayden, which was actually of a man named Cameron. This person didn’t know either Camila or Renae, he just had taken a picture with Camila when they met briefly at a nightclub.
The photo Camila used for Brayden, the real person named Cameron
Camila confessed to being Brayden, but said that she and Renae created it together to hide their relationship. Teresa didn’t believe that because she and Renae were very close, and she said she would’ve accepted her daughter anyway she was.
The police didn’t charge Camila, there are no catfishing laws in New South Wales.
No Charges for Camila
In 2020, Teresa and Mark persuaded the authorities to hold an inquest. The family hoped that Camila would give them answers as to why she did this. Camila said she and Renae were in love, and did this because their families wouldn’t accept them.
Camila wrote several letters to Renae about her feelings
Camila was not charged with any crimes. Mark and Teresa are now campaigning to make catfishing a crime in Australia.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I 100% think catfishing should be a law in all countries. It’s a hard topic for me to have an opinion on. Camila lied and manipulated this family for several years pretending to be Brayden. I feel so sad for this family, they deserve to have some kind of justice for their daughter.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/renae-marsden-death-where-is-camila-zeidan-now/
