Powerless

Yesterday 3PM.  The Broward Sheriff’s helicopter was repeatedly circling around my neighborhood.  That usually means a bad guy is on the loose and they are trying to locate him.  I anxiously awaited for the arrival of my 15 year old daughter Logan who would shortly be dropped off by the school bus.  I used the remote clicker to open our electronic gate to make it easier for her to get into the yard.  My wife Jennifer and son Hunter arrived home from his elementary school at the same moment as my daughter.  Relieved, we went inside and locked the door behind us.  Shortly, we received an automated call from the Broward Sheriff’s Office informing us an 11 year old Hispanic girl is missing and to please check our yard.  Jen went outside and was really concerned stating the girl is only a few years older than our 8 year old boy and the girl’s parents must be freaking out.  The address of the missing girl was also just a few blocks away.  A friend of ours called on Jen’s cell phone and broke the bad news.  “Tom!  It is Ashley!  Ashley from church!  That is who is missing!”  It struck.  The sense of urgency and panic.  My wife and kids started to cry immediately.  This is a child, a small child that we have known for years and is part of our circle.  The youngest child from a loving family with 4 girls, the father runs the parents group Jen attends every Sunday.  We see them every week, we work the church fair with them, we celebrate holidays with them.  Ashley is an A student, she has received awards for perfect FCAT scores and for playing the violin.  Ashley went out of her house around 1 PM to check the mail and never returned.  “How do we help?  Jen cried!  We immediately jumped in our truck and went to their house.  The street was filled with vehicles from the Sheriff’s office.  The father was crying as he walked with the officers and their blood hounds as they went door to door looking for Ashley.  Ashley’s mom started crying as soon as she hugged Hunter, which triggered my boy to also break out in tears.  Ashley’s older sister printed out a recent picture of her and we hit the road in search for the little girl.  We went to the closest store which was a supermarket and made copies of the picture to hang there and all the local businesses.  We scoured the neighborhood looking for her and showed everyone the flyer.  What would Batman do?  We printed out the addresses of every sex offender in the neighborhood and slowly drove by every one of their houses with eyes wide open and ears listening for anything unusual.  We got flashlights and searched a local canal, checked the local community pool, and a nearby go kart track.  The powerless feeling set in when it got dark about 3 hours later.  A cold front was moving in and temperatures were beginning to dip into the 40’s.  We really began to suspect foul play and our hopes of finding her turned into a prayer vigil.  We dropped off the kids with grandma and returned to our friends house to offer support.  Around 11 PM we went home fearing the worst, that some one has abducted her.  There were 3 sexual predators listed in the immediate area and about a dozen sexual offenders.  3 of them lived less than a block from Ashley’s house and one lived right across the street.  I began having flash backs from my child hood when we lost the neighborhood boy Adam Walsh; who later showed up decapitated in a canal.  Adam’s father went on to Washington to fight for victims rights and became the point man on America’s Most Wanted.  I always tell my family that he became a real life Batman.  Click here http://www.documenting-life.com/ for my videography blog discussing Adams story titled The Real Batman.  My kids were so scared last night that they both slept in our bed, I told them that I really wish I had super powers so I could find Ashley.  I tossed and turned.  Like a helpless child, I tried foolishly to reach out with my mind like the Martin Manhunter.  Like J’onn J’onzz using his telepathic ability I tried desperately to sense her whereabouts.  You will try anything in desperate situations.  Suddenly, the phone rang.  Ashley had been found walking in the parking lot of the local library about a mile from her house.  She was lost, cold and dehydrated but she was alright.  A good friend of ours Jenny and her daughter Julie did one last search before calling it a night.  God led them to that parking lot that had been searched multiple times before.  A place we had checked only a few hours earlier.  According to the Sun Sentinel, Ashley wandered off and disappeared, something she’s never done. Distrustful of strangers, Ashley didn’t approach anyone for help.  Instead, the girl tried to return home on her own and was lost.  This was a good lesson for all of us.  I think my kids realize what could of happened to Ashley and will take stranger danger a little more seriously.  They also shared the sense of community and love that our Church Saint Maurice brought to the family while going through those anxiety ridden hours.  Our kids were part of the team of parishioners that immediately came to the family’s aid and began the search.  Any one can make a difference, even without super powers.

Republished from my blog Capes and Kids Jan 3rd, 2012 4:13pm