About Jessica Elder

---

Steven Christopher's Heartbeat is based on true events. In a fictional novel, I will change certain details to enhance the story. Jessica Elder, Steven's mother, is one of the bravest women I know. She fought tooth and nail to be part of her son's life after he was abducted, and just as Jessica and Steven Christopher were rebuilding their lives together, her son lost his battle with depression. Dealing with Steven Christopher's father wasn't easy for Jessica. A narcissistic man, Steven Christopher's father was abusive both verbally and physically to Jessica and Steven Christopher. Steven's father didn't believe in co-parenting and often neglected his son, ignoring Steven's basic needs, including mental health care. Steven Christopher was used as a pawn to control Jessica, Steven's own mother. At the age of fifteen, Steven Christopher began to figure things out, realizing he had been deceived by his father. Standing up for his mother, he was abused further. Although a father knew his son was seriously ill, Steven's father still refused to remove eight or more guns stored inside the home. It was one of these guns, that ended Steven Christopher's life.