Another article on this tragedy:
‘The system has failed this baby’: Gouverneur community mourns death of high school senior
The author of the article didn't intend it, probably, but the sense I get from the way this community is described is that everyone knew the family was troubled, many knew this young woman was in physical danger, and yet no one--neighbors, classmates, teachers, etc.-- really made an effort to intervene in any concrete way (aside from calling the police, whose response--as described in the excerpt below--seems a bit underwhelming). A vigil is a nice thing to do, but honestly (and this is IMO only) it strikes me as far too little, far too late .
SBM:
"Just three weeks ago, Staci Serviss, a Gouverneur home health aid whose family members live next to 135 Rowley St., said she saw Ms. Summerville at Colonial Laundromats, 180 E. Main St., in the village. At the laundromat with a friend, Ms. Serviss said they noticed Ms. Summerville sleeping. They observed her with cuts on her face and blood on her shirt. When they woke her to check if she needed help, to offer her a place to stay or a hotel room for the night, Ms. Serviss said Ms. Summerville replied that she was OK.
“You could tell she was scared of what was going to happen now that I’d seen her like that,” Ms. Serviss said.
Thinking something was off, Ms. Serviss said she called the Gouverneur Police Department. She said officer Jason Whitton responded to the laundromat and went inside to speak with Ms. Summerville. Upon reporting back to Ms. Serviss outside, she recalled Mr. Whitton saying something similar to “she has mental issues, don’t worry about it...she’s known for walking around town and digging at her face to make it bleed like that. She digs at her scars.”
“I explained to him, that’s not just a little scratch, her face looks tortured,” Ms. Serviss said. “The pictures you see online, and on Facebook, that wasn’t her face when I saw it. She had no hair on her head. It was shaved-looking. You know how hot it is, and she’s wearing winter hats to cover her, with hoods up and arms covered.”
Gouverneur police officer Alex Dagget was standing by at the vigil, to ensure the group’s safety, and said he did not know anything about any report related to Ms. Summerville at the laundromat three weeks ago. When the Times called the main line at the Gouverneur Police Department on Monday evening, Mr. Whitton answered the phone. He said he would look into sending along any information the department may have about Ms. Serviss’ call. No report or information was received by the Times at the time of this report. The Times has also not received any police blotter information from Gouverneur police, which typically includes information about village dispatches and is sent via email, since May 30."
