I’m so sorry for what you have gone through. I’ve never been through anything like that, so I can’t even imagine how awful that must have been. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Your entire post has given me much to think about, especially in regard to someone coming forward with information. I’ll be reflecting on your words for a while.
JMO
All I can think is what were the chances, how fortunate I am to know, how much his family must wonder where he is- how he is, what happened; how are THEY?
It keeps me from shutting down, or 'getting lost' in my own life (major tragedy happened a week after this incident, just wrecked us all on so many levels)- I stay busy every day trying to figure out what could I have done differently, have I done enough, are the Doe pages & FBI cases I've anon submitted to taking this into account, how can I grow & change to do right by this poor kid.
I see the families of those matching my DOE and it kills me to watch what they go through- They shouldn't have to keep the effort going alone, reassure them justice is coming, remind them what great people they are for bringing these wonderful kids into this life, keep their dearhearts faces & LIFE touching the living, promote their loved one's case- but I would surely die if asked to look any of them in the face and say what I know- kills me to think of breaking anyone's heart like that. That's for the justice system.
Knowing and being silenced is like being in limbo- everything is contradictory.
Some say talk- but mind shuts down & throats closed. I lost 25 years to amnesia & anomias.
Your heart says one thing, brain screams another. Limbic system sucks.
Missing advocates look at you as though you are a traitor- why aren't you telling the news? (ahahaahahha omg HAH are you KIDDING!)...but there are loads of gross opportunists at every corner who can't wait to snatch such a story to rob families & survivors for the least thing.
LE is a wall I wish I could lean on.
There's no handbook for this. Public perception is very off about what it means to 'know something'; many just don't see that what they know Is so important- to them it's just sort of a nagging thought they don't see as significant, don't want to be a bother.
Others know a piece but not enough and are not at leisure to endanger themselves and others with those at large in their homes and neighborhoods.
Some are halfways round the planet & blissfully unaware they are key to cracking a mystery- can take decades to get their 'aha' moment out (sharing cases is so important!!!).
Everyone else who has a piece of the story needs to be assured something is happening with their darker fears of what they remember- many don't have the least assurance that LE won't just blame them, or simply throw them into jail for 'witness protection' waiting for a random court date- we see some absolutely crazy retaliation out here.
I wish like anything it was like the way people think it is. All the time.