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Metro Detroit hair salon accused of being ISIS sleeper cell by cyberbully

Posted at 3:37 PM, Aug 30, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-30 16:22:41-04

A hair salon owner in Howell said she is being harassed online by a distant relative who doesn't live in Michigan. 

Liberty McKee, owner of the Parlor Salon located on Grand River Ave., said for the past six years, a distant cousin from New Mexico has been stalking her online. 

McKee said there are devastating accusations being made on the salon's Facebook wall.

"That we are an ISIS sleeper cell, ISIS related business and that we are stealing people's identities," she said.

When McKee opened the salon late last year, she said it took only a few months for that woman to start targeting the business.

She said her cousin would write more than just bad reviews - she would downright accuse the salon of being a palace of criminal activity. 

More than 50 Google and Yelp reviews have been removed, suspecting the same woman was writing comments under several different names.

"I've spent a lot of my time where I should be working on my business trying to work on this issue," she said. 

McKee said the local community has been very supportive, after employees and customers who "liked" the salon's Facebook page were also attacked online. 

The accusations started off with one heated word.

"I used to be a Nazi, that's what she called me before," McKee said.

She said her cousin didn't get the outrage she suspected, which is why she began accusing her of being an ISIS terrorist.

McKee said she thinks those comments are the reason why people across the country have also joined in on this type of social media bashing.

"We need to be a little more deliberate in figuring out how to put an end to social media stalking and cyber bullying," she said. 

McKee is now working with authorities to stop the harassment, and she hopes to press charges.