There seems to be no end to the deadly attacks on young girls in this country. The latest and highly disturbing crime comes from a small, quiet suburban neighborhood 44 miles north of Chicago. Here's what strikes me as odd:
- Home to about 23,000 people, Zion is 44 miles north of Chicago. The town was founded in 1901 as a utopian society by a Scottish minister, Dr. John Alexander Dowie, according to its Web site.
Zion had three reported murders in 2002 and none in 2003, according to the police department's annual reports.
"This is an unusual occurrence for our community, and we are going to do everything we possibly can to bring this to a quick resolution," Mayor Lane Harrison said.
A heinous crime, no conclusive sign of sexual assault, two victims viciously attacked in an exceptionally low crime area?
- The cause of death appeared to be multiple stab wounds with a knife, said Lake County Coroner Richard Keller, adding at an afternoon news conference that autopsies were still under way.
No initial signs of sexual assault were found, he said.
I hate to speculate about such things, but my gut feeling is that this wasn't the act of a stranger, but rather someone known to the girls. Possibly even a minor themselves. I have a theory, but I decline to reveal so early in the investigation. This is incredibly sad news to the parents of these two little girls, who according to news reports were best friends.
- "Apparently these girls were best friends and had last been seen riding their bikes together earlier in the afternoon," Malcolm said.
The mother of one of the girls called police at about 8:50 p.m. (9:50 p.m. ET) to say that her daughter had failed to return home as scheduled at 7 p.m., the chief said.
He said police conducted a search with help from a rescue dog and local citizen volunteer group.
"They were out all night helping us search," he said of the volunteer group.
He said police put out flyers urging residents to look for the girls, but did not take further steps because "there was no indication that there was any specific foul play."
Article comments
1 - SFC SKI
The Iranians recently hung a convicted child murderer in the town square, I can get behind that.
2 - Dawn
Yeah, I can get behind that too. How about we have more child murderer hangings and less child murders.
3 - -E
It is really scary to think that there are people out there that do that sort of thing to children isn't it?
4 - Steve S
This is definitely tragic. There has been a rise in crimes against children and I think we as a society really need to think of why, in order to solve the problem.
I am no expert by any means, but I would throw one thought out there to consider. I've blogged here about a rise in aggressive behavior in this country, specifically vigilantism. From the death threats on judges to Americans feeling helpless and patrolling the borders on their own, to a rise in hate crimes in this country.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that there is a rise in violence against young women as well. There is this feeling, I suspect, of helplessness, in America. People feel they have to act out and do something. 9/11 is probably still a big factor in this, I don't know.
People feel their judicial system is failing them, their government is failing them, society is failing it's moral structure, their jobs are being taken by illegal aliens, etc. If child molestation and/or murder is about power, then there is a possible connection in the feeling of helplessness going on throughout the country? They feel helpless like everyone else, so they turn to harming children to feel powerful? All I know is that this rise in aggression is manifesting itself in numerous ways, there must be a connection.
Although I doubt I will ever be able to prove a connection, if it turns out this reason for the rise in aggression against young girls is the same as for the rise in vigilantism, then my prediction would have already come true and lives would already be lost in this culture war.
5 - Dale
Just take a look at Judge Cashman's recent decision here in Vermont concerning a pederast who had sexually assaulted a mentally chqllenged girl from the age of 6 to 11. He was given 6 months and an early release after 60 days for therapy unavailable in prison.
There is no incentive for liberal/socialist judges to protect children because the people do not demand it.Focus is on rehabilitation of the crminal and not protection of community members.
The sad thing is that soon, vigilantes will take action against convicted pederasts here in Vermont, thereby disrupting the true function of Vermont's justice system, and eroding civilized society further. It has already happened in Ryegate Vernmont where a convicted out of state pederast pulled political strings to avoid being placed on Vermont's Stae sexual offender list. Local residents burned his car in his driveway, and he took the hint and moved away.
State justice systems across our nation need to get a handle on this dynamic, and institute penalties which would discourage the idea that one can assault young women with relative impunity, or use politics to escape one's criminal status.
Men need to be allowed to exercise their protective instincts in our culture as well, for those qualities of protection are the very ones discouraged by our liberal community, and by liberal educators. Young men are caught in a grey area of non-interference and minding their own business while bullied females are thought to be able to fend for themselves, alone and unsupported.
These facts are a sordid commentary on new age ideas about the independence of women, who really need the community support and protection of men, who have now been acculturated to allow women to simply fend for themselves, and to exercise independence of both movement and activity, when young women have not been prepared for the violence and agression the world can present to them all too often.
The idea that every woman is a man's mother or sister is not as outdated as many have thought.