Many horror movies with plots involving children would be *much shorter* if movie parents listened when the kid complained about something under the bed.
Those fears are often pushed away with, "You're imagining things," or "Oh, that's nothing," only to become a very real problem later in the film. Parents in real life are also quick to brush off their kids concerns as an over-active imagination or too much sugar.
But as a babysitter in Kansas confirmed, it's better for parents to listen to their kids for a moment, if only to ease their worries, but also to confront a real problem if one exists.
While putting the children to bed, a Kansas babysitter was comforting one of the kids, reassuring them that there were "no monsters" under their bed. To really drive the point home, the babysitter got on their knees to check under the bed for themselves...
...Only to come face-to-face with a 27-year-old man staring back at them.
The two got into an altercation, which led to one of the kids being knocked over. The child was later confirmed to be okay, but the man escaped the home before he could be caught.
The babysitter reported the incident to the Barton County Sheriff's Office, who sent out multiple deputies to the property and surrounding area. They captured the man, since identified as Martin Villalobos, Jr., arrested him, and took him tot he Barton County Jail.
Villalobos has since been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, child endangerment, felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and violation of a protection-from-abuse order.
That final item was what connected Villalobos to the home the babysitter was overseeing in the first place. He used to live in the home, but because of a history of abuse, a protection against abuse order was issued against him, requiring that he stay away from the property.
Villalobos is still in the Barton County Jail with a possible bail of $500,000.
You can see the announcement from the Barton County Sheriff's Office here:
Some were terrified of one of their worst nightmares coming true.
Yikes. Nightmare come true!
— Never forget 🇺🇸❤️ (@kathy25932350) March 27, 2025
Right out of a horror movie!
— Dianna M (@DiannaM519) March 27, 2025
Oh man this is like every kids worse nightmare coming true. I couldn’t even imagine how terrifying for the babysitter and kids
— MAGA🔥MOM (@megamom1252) March 27, 2025
This is horrifying! The stuff of nightmares
— Tammy Bergom (@TammyBergom) March 27, 2025
pic.twitter.com/XYvVF3BSvK
— Daniel Gump ☕️ (@DSiPaint) March 27, 2025
Others agreed and applauded the babysitter for listening to and defending the children.
Bravo!! The Babysitter is really a Hero!!
— MC Conroy (@MCConroy2) March 28, 2025
Good on the babysitter for actually humoring the child to the point of looking under the bed! Can you imagine if the babysitter just told the kid to go to bed and knock it off?
— Chrissy (@Chrissys067) March 28, 2025
OMG. I'm going to have nightmares tonight. I wonder how long this has been going on and if the parents ignored it. Wow. Thank goodness for a tenacious, brave babysitter!
— Beth Carter (@bethcarter007) March 27, 2025
Thank the good Lord for people like the babysitter. I keep my doors locked at all times. I do not answer the door if I’m alone. I stand at the window.
The world we live in today is sadly not the same world I grew up in.
— Hallie Looyah (@LooyahHallie) March 28, 2025
This incident highlights the importance of taking children's fears and concerns seriously., but this case shows that there may be truth behind their fears too..
— Abhi (@Abhiew_) March 27, 2025
While it can be so easy to dismiss a child's concerns, you never know when they might be speaking from the heart and sharing a fear that stems from real life rather than a silly story they dreamed up.
If the babysitter hadn't checked, this situation could have had a very different ending, and there's a high likelihood that Villalobos wouldn't have been caught.