A young mother who made TikToks on surviving domestic violence and sexual assault was tragically murdered last week, allegedly by an ex-boyfriend she had a restraining order against.
Mackenzie Anderson, 21, was found outside of her home in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia by police while responding to her call reporting a break-in. The young woman was suffering from multiple stab wounds but was still alive. Emergency first responders and a specialist critical care team attempted to stabilize her, but she died at the scene.
At a Saturday press conference, Newcastle City Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphrey said once officers arrived, Mackenzie was already in critical condition.
“Officers attached to Newcastle City Police District were called to a home unit, responding to reports a man had broken into the unit,” Humphrey said, “I’ve just spent the last 20 minutes or so viewing the officers’ body worn footage and it is horrendous.”
Close to Anderson’s body was her toddler, who was “covered in blood.” The child was physically unharmed, and is now in the care of relatives.
Tyrone Thompson, 22, is in police custody but no formal charges have yet been laid. Thompson and Anderson had previously been in a relationship, but at the time of the murder she had an Apprehended Violence Order in place against him. Thompson was arrested at the scene of the crime, but is currently being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during the murder. Police are expected to press charges against him in coming days.
Police confirmed that Thompson had just been released from prison and was on parole. The child found with Anderson is not related to him.
Anderson had a moderate following on social media platform TikTok, where she went by the username @callmemax62. Just days ago, she had posted videos related to surviving domestic violence.
The text in one video reads: “What I wish I had told myself more during the abuse,” and Anderson is seen lip-syncing to Sleeping At Last’s song “You’re Enough.”
In another video from that day, Anderson dedicates words to “the girl I was before the abuse,” and lip-syncs “I am going to miss you more than I thought I would.”
In a March 2021 video, Anderson notes that her ex-boyfriend had once kidnapped her.
Anderson had made several TikToks about living with depression, suicidal ideations, and experiencing sexual assault. But despite the somber and vulnerable moments, her videos primarily represent her as a committed mother and passionate young woman who was trying to live life to its fullest.
Anderson is the 14th woman lost to sex-based violence in Australia in 2022. Last year, 46 women were murdered in Australia — almost all of which were by male partners.
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