woman posts pictures of horror injuries suffered at the hands of her partner to raise awareness about domestic violence

A mother-of-two in South Dakota started a domestic violence awareness campaign after she was assaulted by her boyfriend.

Brooke Beaton, 27, put a face to domestic violence after her boyfriend left her with two black eyes and a bruised shoulder.

Beaton called police on August 22 to report the assault. The next day, she called her childhood friend Tiffany Thoelke, who is a freelance photographer, and planned a photo shoot.

Thoelke took several shots of Beaton and posted the pictures on her Facebook page, along with a message about raising awareness about domestic violence featuring the hashtag, #SilenceHidesViolence. 

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Brave: After Brooke Beaton, 27, was left bruised and battered after her boyfriend attacked her on August 22, she asked a photographer friend to take photographs

In one photo, Beaton looks up as tears run down her face, while another highlights a purple bruise on her shoulder. 

Since the photos were posted on Sunday the women have received an overwhelming response from other women and men who have survived domestic violence.  

'It opened a conversation that could go on forever,' Thoelke told the Argus Leader. 'Where it goes from here, I'm not sure. It's only been a couple days, but it's hitting powerful, powerful people that I'm hoping will use this as their platform.' 

In Beaton's own city, police have recorded 180 aggravated assault cases and 518 domestic simple assault cases this year, according to Sioux Falls Police Officer Sam Clemens. 

Beaton's assault on August 22 is on the growing list. 

Her alleged assailant, her boyfriend of four months and friend of eight years, was arrested for domestic aggravated assault and interference with emergency communication, when he stopped her from calling for help.  

Raising awareness: Beaton and her friend, Tiffany Thoelke, shared the photos on social media, where they soon went viral





Overwhelming response: The friends, who wanted to raise awareness of domestic violence have received thousands of messages from other victims since the photos were posted on Sunday

Beaton, who works at Chevys Fresh Mex and planned to start classes on Monday at the University Center, was driving her car with her boyfriend - who has not been named - in the passenger seat. 

After he became angry, he punched her in the face, struck her again, choked her and tried to take away her phone, she said. 

'I ended up at a gas station about five miles away from where we were,' Beaton told the Argus Leader. 'He was wiping up the crime scene with a paper towel from the gas pump.'

Beaton, who previously dated Adam Linds from MTV's Teen Mom 2, said her blood was spattered on the ground and all over her cell phone. 

Her attacker eventually let Beaton take him to his home and she drove away to her own house. 

Once she arrived home she called the police and a sheriff's deputy. Though she hadn't seen Thoelke in ten years, she believed that it was time for a phone call. 

The women had recently reconnected on social media and planned to do a photo shoot, since Beaton often models for local photographers. 

So Beaton saw her assault as the perfect opportunity.