Too Close For Comfort
I recently watched an independently made movie, that was locally made and based on a real event that happened in this area when I was 15. A 20 year-old wife and mother disappeared without a trace until her body was found a couple of months later, well out of town. The town was in a panic as nobody knew what had happened; I remember riding the school bus and seeing fathers out waiting to meet their daughters off the bus while authorities told women to go no place by themselves and to move in groups of at least three.
The police had over a dozen solid suspects here in town but in the end they were all exonerated. The culprit was a wandering serial killer/rapist from another area who had just happened to be in town that day. He was eventually caught and convicted and is now spending the rest of his life in prison.
The movie was filmed locally, though the names of the towns and people have been changed.
It kind of bothers me because, though I did not know the woman, I know people who did know her and I also knew a cousin of hers' whom I haven't seen in some time. It was troubling because it was a real event in my memory and the woman is part of our local lore. Seeing an actress portraying her being raped and murdered was stunning because that reality is part of the community I live in. We are a safe community where murders are something that happens elsewhere -- usually (we average a murder every 2 or 3 years in our city and surrounding built up areas (about 30 - 40k people)). That event sent shockwaves through our community that were felt decades later. Like I said, I know people who knew her, and as much as it bothered me, I wonder how that seen seemed to her surviving family and friends. Movies based on real events must really put a strain on people who were involved or knew them.
And that poor girl. She did absolutely nothing wrong. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a wandering psycho saw her, wanted her, took her, and killed her. Her last moments on earth were moments of terror. May God grant her peace. But if it happened to her, could it happen to someone I loved? The answer is yes but we can't live in fear of every stranger. The overwhelming majority of strangers would never even consider such a thing and all we can do is teach our daughters, sisters etc. to be careful and how to protect themselves if they have to.
The police had over a dozen solid suspects here in town but in the end they were all exonerated. The culprit was a wandering serial killer/rapist from another area who had just happened to be in town that day. He was eventually caught and convicted and is now spending the rest of his life in prison.
The movie was filmed locally, though the names of the towns and people have been changed.
It kind of bothers me because, though I did not know the woman, I know people who did know her and I also knew a cousin of hers' whom I haven't seen in some time. It was troubling because it was a real event in my memory and the woman is part of our local lore. Seeing an actress portraying her being raped and murdered was stunning because that reality is part of the community I live in. We are a safe community where murders are something that happens elsewhere -- usually (we average a murder every 2 or 3 years in our city and surrounding built up areas (about 30 - 40k people)). That event sent shockwaves through our community that were felt decades later. Like I said, I know people who knew her, and as much as it bothered me, I wonder how that seen seemed to her surviving family and friends. Movies based on real events must really put a strain on people who were involved or knew them.
And that poor girl. She did absolutely nothing wrong. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a wandering psycho saw her, wanted her, took her, and killed her. Her last moments on earth were moments of terror. May God grant her peace. But if it happened to her, could it happen to someone I loved? The answer is yes but we can't live in fear of every stranger. The overwhelming majority of strangers would never even consider such a thing and all we can do is teach our daughters, sisters etc. to be careful and how to protect themselves if they have to.
posted by shoprat at 9:03 PM
4 Comments:
That's quite a story, and your right, you can't live in fear, but should still be cautious.
She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, she may have also had a certain look that he was after.
You can also help protect the women you love. If they want to go somewhere, like camping, fishing, or the grand canyon, you could go with them and protect them and enjoy it with them.
"...all we can do is teach our daughters, sisters etc. to be careful and how to protect themselves if they have to."
And teach them how to handle a gun.
That's so sad.
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