Years ago, I learned that a girl had been kidnapped on her way to school in Northeast Indiana. After a few days, her body was discovered in central Indiana. She was sexually assaulted and murdered. I wondered why this happened. I questioned how this could happen on the way to school when other children and adults are outside in full force.
This crime occurred before budget cuts eliminated bus transportation, putting more children at risk of kidnapping. Walking to school must be safe every day. These budget cuts that make children more vulnerable to predators must be rectified. These cuts should not have been allowed. It turns out that I live in a state where the governor has used his authority to make deep cuts in the educational process just because the state superintendent-elect received more votes than he did. This is shameful.
I couldn’t help but wonder how something like this could have been prevented. Children need a way to call attention to situations that put them at risk. The young woman was known to be one of the kidnappers. It is likely that at least one of the kidnappers was known to her. I’m not convinced the girl agreed to a ride.
Within days, local authorities closed in on a suspect. The man approached by authorities did not allow them to enter his residence. Authorities returned with a search warrant. What they found was not easy to understand. The suspect’s wife and his three children were found at his residence, murdered. The suspect was formally arrested and jailed.
The kidnapped girl lived very close to the suspect. It was published that one of the suspect’s daughters was in the same class as the kidnapped girl and that they were friends.
I had three daughters of my own. I constantly insisted on the importance of safety. His rebuttal was that we lived in a small town and such things did not happen here. Our town is 20 miles from the street where this happened. I was still thinking why this happened and why I felt the need to understand and provide a means to prevent this from happening again.
Then I remembered a moment when my oldest daughter told me that a schoolmate, also a girl, had confided in her that sexual abuse was taking place in her house. This was in the late 80’s. My response was wow, what prompted her to tell you? I learned that the class had a segment on good and bad touch. My daughter was crying because she felt so sorry for the girl in her class. Discussing why it was important to let someone in a position of authority know, my X walked in and demanded that the conversation not continue and that we not be allowed to tell anyone.
I started to pay attention to the girl and other family members when I had the opportunity to do so. To this day I can still visualize the mother’s facial expressions and her body language as she listened to morning mass at the back of the church. Her cheeks were red and swollen from crying so much. Stress, despair, and unhappiness oozed around her. Her demeanor was that of an abused canine. During a birthday party at McDonald’s, I noticed an older brother about 11 years old in the playpen slithering on his belly like a snake around the toddler. I also noticed strange behavior from another brother. When the older brother was in high school, he was arrested for sexual misconduct with a minor. I never saw the father’s name in our newspaper on similar charges.
It occurred to me that a similar program may have been provided to the class of the kidnapped girl and the suspect’s daughter. I don’t know what really happened. I have a strong feeling that the daughter confided in her friend and possibly her mother. The suspect found out and began to eliminate everyone who could be a threat.
I was a vendor at a Farmer’s Market in the town where the crimes occurred for a couple of years. A man passed by my area and asked about the personal protection products that he had on display. I explained them and commented on why he thought children should carry a loud alarm or whistle to ward off predators that prey on children. The gentleman mentioned the kidnapped girl by her name. I recognized that this was the incident he was referring to. He told me that he was the detective in charge of that case. I told him what he thought were the reasons that led to the result. I told him I didn’t think the girl would take a ride. He let me know that they did know each other. He questioned whether anyone would have noticed what was happening even with a loud audible device. That is a question that will never be answered.
The suspect later hanged himself in jail before trial.
