Terror In A Small Town

Normally, this blog deals with the funny side of life. There is absolutely nothing funny about this post. Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock has heard of the family in Central Ohio who have been missing since last Wednesday.

Sunday morning, the 13 year old girl was found bound & gagged in a house that is a two minute drive from my grandson's school. Security measures have been stepped up dramatically at his school. A nearby park with a pond (actually a former gravel quarry) has been searched extensively. One of the teachers said that the frequent fly-overs by search helicopters keep the windows rattling constantly

The home owner is currently being held on a kidnapping charge. As of yesterday he was not cooperating with authorities. A couple of former service members from my church have volunteered to "assist" the sheriff's office in the questioning of this man.

This morning volunteers met at the Sheriff's office to help in the search for the remaining three missing persons. The searches were to concentrate on wooded areas, of which our county has many. The other day, the Sheriff stated that the longer the remaining family members are missing, the hope of finding them alive diminishes. Today, the worst was confirmed.

According to the news conference, the kidnapping suspect told the Sheriff where to search. The Sheriff said they probably wouldn't have found them without this information. Homicide charges are pending. Currently here are no other suspects according to the Sheriff.

You don't expect something like this to happen in a small town like ours. (Actually it is a city, the county seat, but it's not all that big). Things like this happen in Columbus, Cincinnati or Cleveland, not here. One lady at my church put it best,"This is a sleepy little town. How could something like this happen here?".

Several prayer vigils are being held in the next several days. Please pray for the families of those involved with this tragedy.