Dean Gray is pictured with his mother, Cherina Gray, in 2013 – while having sex with his teacher
A young father who was groomed by his high school teacher spoke explicitly about their sexual relationship with a friend and described it as “deep, dark and twisted”.
Dean Gray, from Narrabri in northern New South Wales, was 17 and in his final year of high school in 2013 when he started having sex with his teacher, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Eight years later, in October 2021, Dean had a promising career in mining and was engaged to Taylor Baxter, the mother of his young sons, when he dislocated his shoulder and drowned in the river. Namoi on a boys camping trip.
Ms Baxter discovered she was pregnant with their second child just two days before the crash.
It wasn’t until Dean’s death that his parents, Rob and Cherina Gray, started going through his phone and found up to 6,000 Facebook messages between him and the teacher – sent between April and July 2013.
The texts – obtained by Daily Mail Australia – showed the pair talking enthusiastically about their exploits throughout their three-month relationship, talking about sexual stamina, performances and reflecting on their dating.
However, a disturbing exchange with a close friend showed Dean’s true feelings about the situation – he seemed to struggle with the nature of the relationship and warned against “bonding with her”.
It can also be revealed that the Grays and Ms Baxter’s family have been at war since the tragedy – trying to slap each other with restraining orders, arguing over her estate, demanding paternity tests and publicly slamming each other online.
Dean Gray was engaged to Taylor Baxter (pictured together) when he drowned on a camping trip
Dean and a close friend were talking about the teacher in 2015, when he suddenly revealed how he really felt about the situation (pictured)
In a 2015 Facebook chat, Dean and his friend were talking about the teacher when he suddenly said, “She’s an arrogant old woman who thinks she’s a gift from the gods.”
‘Like, every time I fucked her, she always tried to make it all passionate and slow like it was a love session.
“She’s deep, dark, twisted dude, trust me, you don’t want to be tied up with her.”
“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
His parents found out about another family member’s relationship the following year, in 2016, but Dean wouldn’t press charges officially and distanced himself from his family when they tried to encourage him to leave. do it.
Since his death, Ms Gray has been pushing for an investigation into the teacher because ‘I don’t want this to happen to anyone else’.
But his fiancée Ms Baxter told Daily Mail Australia ‘that’s not what he would want’.
“He didn’t want that, and I want to respect his wishes,” she said.
“He was 25 when he died and he didn’t want to press charges at the time, and that’s old enough to make a decision.”
Dean Gray (pictured) died on a camping trip when he dislocated his shoulder
The family divide appears to have started just after Dean died in 2021 after a friend set up a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money to help Ms Baxter with ‘funeral arrangements and other financial issues’.
There were disagreements over who should pay for the funeral, the headstone, and his estate.
Ms Baxter then tried to make an apprehended violence order against Ms Gray in January this year, but it was rejected.
In March, Ms Gray tried to take an apprehended violence order against Ms Baxter’s mother Kelita – but it was rejected.
Ms. Gray and Kelita Baxter signed recognizances and agreed not to harass each other.
Months later, his family blocked Dean’s mother from her Facebook page – which is still active, despite her death – and began calling Ms Gray “crazy” and falsely accusing her of taking drugs.
Ms Baxter’s mother, Kelita Baxter, said she did not wish to comment on the matter due to a “police investigation”.
The situation left both sides of the family in distress and communicated through police and lawyers.
Ms Gray said she had not been allowed to see her grandchildren for about a year and wanted proof that Dean was the youngest boy’s father.
Ms Baxter has firmly rejected the idea that her one-year-old has a different father.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said the investigation into the teacher had been reopened, based on new evidence provided in April.
“The Department’s Professional and Ethical Standards Branch resumed its investigation of the new evidence in April this year after receiving police clearance to do so,” they said.
“A final decision will be made shortly.”
The teacher, who had been promoted to another school since Dean’s abuse, was removed from direct contact with the children within 48 hours of receiving evidence.
However, police said the complaint could not progress because the victim was deceased.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the teacher for comment.
Dean Gray is pictured on the fatal camping trip, in the clothes he wore when he died
