Three Little Angels Haunt My Dreams
What do the names Samantha Runnion, Alexis Patterson, and Caylee Anthony have in common?
They’re three little girls who I’ve never met, but whose big eyes and wide smiles have affected me deeply, little girls who have all had tragic endings.
Samantha Runnion
Samantha Runnion was a 5-year-old who was playing outside her house when a man came up and asked her to help find his puppy. That was July 15, 2002.
Her body turned up a day later with signs of physical trauma, asphyxiation, and sexual molestation.
The killer, Alejandro Avila, was finally convicted of her murder three years later.
Alexis Patterson
On May 3, 2002, LaRon Bourgeois walked his stepdaughter, Alexis Patterson half a block to her school. He was the last person to ever see her again. Lexi disappeared from the face of the Earth. Police have found nothing, no signs of her whereabouts, no evidence of any sort as to what happened to her. So far all anonymous leads have come up empty. Alexis would be 13-years-old now.
Caylee Anthony
Caylee Anthony disappeared several weeks ago, but her mother didn’t see fit to tell anyone until recently. That’s why Casey Anthony is a “person of interest” in the disappearance of little 2-year-old Caylee. Unfortunately, all signs indicate that this story will not end well.
Why, out of all the missing children stories that happen every year, have these three affected me so deeply? I wish I knew, but their little wide eyes haunt me relentlessly.
Why do people harm children? Why do the adults that these children look to for love and protection often end up being the very ones who break that trust in the most vile, violent, and malicious manner?
I wish I knew. I wish I knew how to prevent it from ever happening again.
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- Tuesday, July 22, 2008 / 6:45 pm
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