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TL; DR:

  • Erin Napier of HGTV’s Home Town recently opened up about a frightening experience her family had last year. 
  • A man moved to the Napiers’ hometown of Laurel, Miss. and began “saying some very strange things” about their daughter. 
  • Erin urged everyone to “protect their kids in the online world.”
Erin Napier and Ben Napier of 'Home Town' during an appearance on 'Today'
Erin Napier and Ben Napier of ‘Home Town’ | Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

For hardcore Star Wars fans, May 4 is a day to celebrate their favorite franchise. But it’s not such a happy occasion for Erin Napier, the star of HGTV’s Home Town. For her, the day now brings up memories of a frightening situation involving her daughter. 

Erin Napier of ‘Home Town’ shares story of her terrifying experience with a stalker

Erin and her husband Ben rose to fame on Home Town, where they renovate homes in the small town of Laurel, Miss. The couple have two children, a daughter named Helen who was born in 2018, and another daughter named Mae who arrived in May 2021. 

Unfortunately, the couple’s success has also led to some very unwelcome attention, Erin revealed in a recent Instagram post. She reflected on the frightening experience she and her husband had the previous May 4. 

“We were filming … when Ben started getting messages from lots of folks in town about a 54-year-old California man dressed like a Star Wars storm trooper, wearing an ankle monitor bracelet, who had come to town and was saying some very strange things.”

Erin went on to say that the man had said that God had sent him “to protect the women of Laurel, specifically little Helen.” Even more alarming, he’d purchased a home just a block away from the Napiers “and was living in it with nothing but a suitcase and these toys for when my 3-year-old daughter ‘comes over to visit.’” 

Erin said her neighbors supported her and Ben during a scary time

Eventually, the man who had targeted the Napiers was sent back to California. But before that happened, the couple spent two weeks fearing for their family’s safety.

“Ben saw red, his blood boiled. I was terrified and 9.5 months pregnant,” Erin wrote. The man also targeted the Napiers’ friends Mal and Jim, who sometimes appear on Home Town. 

“He found Mal and Jim’s baby girl on walks with her nanny and said unsettling things. Disgusting things. We all had 24 hour security officers at home, while we slept, while we worked.”

“A year on, I still think of this thing every day but it doesn’t scare me anymore,” Erin added. “I’m thankful for the way our neighborhood guarded us and put up a hedge of protection when we needed it and it further validated what I already knew: protect your kids in the online world [as] much as you can.”

‘Home Town’ fans are horrified after learning what the Napiers went through

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Home Town fans were quick to express sympathy and support after Erin opened up about her experience. 

“Oh my goodness! Terrifying! So sorry that y’all had to go through that,” one wrote. 

Others chastised those who pestered Erin to post photos of her children on social media. 

“So all you folks that ask for pictures of those sweet baby girls. This is why momma doesn’t post it.” one wrote. 

“After retiring from 30 years as a law enforcement deputy, I never like TV personalities showing [their] children on the show,” another commented. “Not safe.”

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