National News reports the murder of a young mother and the abduction of her newborn outside of a pediatricians office in Houston, Texas. The dramatic story paints a tragic and gruesome picture in our minds. A beautiful young mother whose dying words included, "My baby! My baby!" as she struggled to get in her murder's car to save her baby. The love of a mother overcame her body's own impending death. Her injuries tell the story of someone who had been shot seven times in the chest and who should be lying unconscious in the street as she bled to death. The story further creates the image of some crazed, if not demonic woman who killed a complete stranger and took her newborn baby. Soon after, we are told, the father races to the scene to see his wife's lifeless body. We imagine this father in his business casual attire as he was called away from work, bending over his wife's still body unable to comprehend what he sees or has been told. Ultimately, it is reported that the baby has been found unharmed and the suspect is in custody.
In later local reports, we learn that Child Protective Services were called in to help with the safety of the baby until he could be reunited with his father. Then pictures are released of the grieving father and his mother-in-law going into the police station to be reunited with their beloved son and grandson. Another photo, taken an hour later shows the same adults leaving the police station without the baby. In our minds, we are outraged!
More information and pictures are released to the media. The father has to pass a drug test before his children can go home...that's right, there are two more young children who, after losing their mother, were swept away by social workers. The father admits that he has felonies in his past. We go back and look at all the pictures again. We quickly form our individual opinions and pass judgement of the shooter/kidnapper, the victim, her family, the police, and CPS based on an article, a few pictures and our own life experiences. I am no different.
Why didn't someone notice a woman sitting her car watching people; seeing her as they went into the clinic and see her again when they went out. Are we so focused on our own priorities that we fail to see the world around us? If just one person had taken the time to notice something not right about her surroundings and report it, would it have prevented a tragedy? Maybe.
Why didn't someone reach out to this obviously disturbed woman? Now, even medication and treatment can never make her forget what she did. According to her ex-husband, she was a kind woman, a good mother and "would never hurt anybody." Something caused the change in her behavior. Something caused her to snap. Didn't anyone around her notice the changes? Most people don't randomly or obsessively think about or talk about adopting a baby with no viable plan, let alone stalk women with young babies and kill one in order to adopt her baby. This woman's tragedy may be much less accepted by the public than the victim and her family, but a tragedy all the same.
Why did this daddy have to be humiliated and be further traumatized because of his past mistakes? CPS was called in for protection of the newborn on an emergency basis. That was a logical option while all the basic details of the shooting were sorted out. CPS has a protocol that must be followed. Back ground checks are at the top of the list for anyone who is a caregiver for any given child under investigation. Even though this was not an abuse report, that same protocol had to be followed and Dad has a criminal record. It was rectified the following morning with a drug test but I still can't help but hurt for that daddy and his kids. I'm thinking they could have taken Dad to the local hospital or clinic for an immediate drug test to ensure this family could be together as they needed to be. However, I was not there and had I been, I may have been privy to additional information that indicated more caution should be taken.
The fact remains that many lives have been changed forever as a result of this tragedy. The murder victim left behind a husband and children who will never be the same. I'm sure she had extended family that will be changed at their loss. The shooter's children will carry the knowledge that their mom murdered another mom. Her extended family will forever be changed, wondering if they should have done something more. Every person in the parking lot, in the clinic, who responded to the 911 call and even the team that cleaned up are forever changed. The memories of that day will remain always.
Still loving life as a Foster and Adoptive Parent for over 20 years and 58 children.
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