‘A Toxic Love Story’: Where is Michelle Hadley now?
A Toxic Love Story on Netflix brings attention to one of the most twisted true crimes of recent history, with the ripped-from-headlines story of Michelle Hadley, who was accused of cyberstalking and plotting a heinous act of violence against her ex-fiancé’s allegedly pregnant wife.
In 2016, newlywed former US Deputy Marshal Ian Diaz and his wife Angela Connell Diaz reportedly started receiving threatening emails from a mysterious username “Lilithistruth,” and the suspicion quickly landed on his ex-fiancée, Michelle. But despite being served with a restraining order, the cyberstalking escalated to allegations against Michelle of impersonating Angela, responding to Craigslist ads soliciting men to take part in violent rape fantasies.
As shown in A Toxic Love Story, Hadley was put behind bars for 88 days after being charged with multiple accounts of stalking, threatening, and sexual assault. However, as digital investigators dug deeper, it was eventually uncovered that Ian and Angela had orchestrated the entire plot to frame Michelle and destroy her life.
“They told me I’m free to go and the charges had been completely dropped,” she recalled in the Netflix documentary. “Freedom was so sweet at that point because, oh man, I mean, you don’t appreciate it until you’ve lost it.” In January 2017, Michelle was cleared of all charges and Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said that she was “an innocent victim of a diabolical scheme” orchestrated by her former fiancé’s wife.
Although Anaheim Police Department Sergeant Daron Wyatt defended the investigation in a Dateline episode in 2017, in her appearance on an episode that aired a month after her exoneration, she said, “I appreciate the apologies. But the apologies don’t rebuild your life, and the apologies don’t undo what’s been done.”
According to Courthouse News, Hadley allegedly went on to sue the city of Anaheim and the Anaheim Police Department for turning a blind eye to exculpatory evidence hinting at Angela as the mastermind two years after her exoneration. The lawsuit was reportedly settled for an undisclosed amount in 2021.
Hadley didn’t back down due to the miscarriage of justice. She completed her master’s degree in 2017, per her LinkedIn account and the Los Angeles Times. Before starting her own consulting firm in 2023, she reportedly worked for marketing companies such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Jenson USA. Additionally, she wrote two books, The Courage to Heal (2025) and The Courage to Love (2026).
On the same day Ian Diaz was convicted, Michelle reportedly gave birth to her daughter. According to her LinkedIn, she currently lives in Los Angeles, working as a customer relationship management consultant.