Both of these beautiful children had just gotten off the school bus. It was their last day of school until after the new year.
As always, I received a dozen or so emails when the news broke about a tragic shooting; in my opinion, a premeditated slaughter in Emington, IL, an entire family erased. Among those who lost their lives was a 10-month old baby Maggie Warren, the father to the infant and live-in boyfriend Daniel Warren, the mother to all the children, Sara McMeen, and Skyler and Ian Lemke.
Interesting how everyone who wrote assumed it was the father. On Friday, a neighbor saw the mother in the back yard after 3 other shots had already rung out from inside the home. The neighbor asked if everything was alright and the mother shouted "no," firing point blank at the baby in her arms, dropped her to the grass, then committed suicide.
As you're reading this you can think of all the "reasons" someone would do this, especially a mother. Was she mentally ill, not on her medication, misdiagnosed or did she just snap? There is not one good reason, in my book, for wiping out innocent lives. Sara McMeen planned the murders. No, she did not simply snap.
Having personally bathed, for 18 years, in the world of abuse victims and serial offenders who eventually turn deadly, society continues to dismiss the events leading up to intimate partner violence and homicide. We sugar coat it by saying the individual was mentally ill or they were under pressure. We tiptoe around these crimes hiding behind the computer screen or inside our home in a hear no evil see no evil mentality. These murders are not isolated, one time incidents. It is an epidemic!
The community of Emington has an opportunity to be a voice for the children and father now forever silenced on a national level. Perhaps a town meeting, after the holidays, with a plan of awareness and action in memory of the victims. It is my hope the town can rise above the tragedy and not keep it a secret, hidden as though it never happened. That would be a crime!
Susan Murphy Milano is a staff member of the Institute for Relational Harm Reduction and Public Pathology Education as a educator and specialist with intimate partner violence prevention strategies directing prevention for high risk situations and cases. She is a intimate partner family homicide survivor.
A national trainer to law enforcement, training officers, prosecutors, judges, legislators, social service providers, healthcare professionals, victim advocates and the faith based community and author.. In partnership with Management Resources Ltd. of New York addressing prevention and solutions within the community to the workplace. Host of The Susan Murphy Milano Show,"Time'sUp!" . She is a regular contributor to the nationally syndicated "The Roth Show" with Dr Laurie Roth and a co-host onCrime Wire. Online contributions: Forbes : Crime, She Writesproviding commentary about the hottest topics on crime, justice, and law from a woman’s perspective, as well as Time's Up! a blog which searches for solutions (SOS) for victims of crime
1 comment:
Although we are heartsick for the tragedy of this beautiful family who was needlessly stuffed out by a mother for whatever reason, all we can do is: to continue to create an awareness,
be proactive in the prevention of other such crimes, and
try to "raise the bar" of human dignity.
Donna- "Ladyjustice"
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