Must read:
The USA Today editorial titled Our view on criminal Justice: 18-year kidnapping tragedy yields useful lessons examines how a convicted kidnapper and rapist, a man being monitored by parole officers and on sex offender watch lists, eluded authorities for so long while tormenting a captive child.
In the meantime, I received a warning yesterday from my local police department that two registered sex offenders have moved into my neighborhood.
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Interestingly, i-phone has an applicaion that will notify you of where sex offenders are. GPS and all.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, though, these "notices" do no good if the police blow off neighbors who report hearing children on their property.
The whole Garrido situation is mind bogglingly appalling.
SYD
Thanks SYD,
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. In this case it took two female law enforcement officials to solve the 18-year travesty of justice.
I don't understand why feminists aren't up in arms over this. The reality is that women and girls in this country are still vulnerable to the likes of Garrido.
this story is heartbreaking. It is surely mind-boggling that this guy slipped through the cracks and this went on for 18 years. Sex-offenders are such deviants that parole seems an unwise option. Useful lessons? I guess better late than never, but still...this is an outrageous story. I just can't wrap my head around all the details and how sick this man is. To say that it is alarming, shocking, or whatever is an understatement. Thanks for giving it exposure as you are, Virginia.
ReplyDeleteHi Becky,
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to sort it all out, but in the meantime, I certainly wouldn't go for a walk alone in my neighborhood again - especially after dark.
Thank you for your multiple posts on this situation. It is heart-breaking that professionals were not more vigilant in spotting this monster. I am grateful she was finally rescued - but the thought of what she had to endure for 18 years is overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteNot too long ago, a woman was traveling from Georgia to Alabama and spotted a man with a little girl in a convenience store that was behaving strangely. She reported it to the police in that town. She then followed up on it when she arrived home. Her gut level feelings were correct. She saved a little girl for gawd knows what. One person can make a difference.
Boo,
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to show you that our intuition can be a powerful asset. Maybe I've just missed them, but I don't recall hearing very many cases of kidnapped children that were successfully solved before the child was harmed.
Virginia -
ReplyDeleteShe had been molested - I did not mean to give that impression. But, she was saved from who knows what more could have happened to her.
Thanks for clearing that up, Boo. I did misunderstand, but your story still validates the intuitive response of the woman who intervened on behalf of the child.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comments very much, Boo!