A Crime Writer's Goodbye to Caylee Marie Anthony

A Crime Writer's Goodbye to Caylee Marie Anthony

February 10, 2009

When you write for a living, it becomes second nature to mentally plot out a story prior to putting pen to paper or, as is the case nowadays, fingers to keyboard. When you write about true crime, you obviously must separate yourself from the subject matter. If you don't, you'll find that you live a very bleak and depressing life.

Every writer has a personal way to cope with the atrocities of human nature – some good, some not so good. While some turn to positive outlets, others look to alcohol and drugs. My outlet is an Xbox. I find that games such as Halo or Medal of Honor can do wonders for relieving anger and frustration.

Regardless of our coping methods, there will always be cases in which we become emotionally involved. I have had several throughout my career. They generally involve missing persons. The case of Caylee Marie Anthony is no exception.

During the months that Caylee was missing, I was able to keep from getting too close by busying myself with the case and participating in the search efforts. I tried not to dwell on her image, and I hung her missing child shirt at the back of my closet. However, my ability to successfully separate myself from the case was greatly affected when I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Caylee's grandmother, Cindy Anthony, at the end of the second search effort. The pain in her eyes struck a chord within me.

View a video a reader made of the search effort

Tim Miller, founder and director of Texas EquuSearch; Tim's assistant, Barbie Tarr; and his media spokesperson at the time, Mandy Albritton, were all at the hotel when Cindy came to see us. Prior to my formal introduction to Cindy, she sat with the group and listened to a song that had been written about Tim's daughter, Laura Miller. Laura was abducted and murdered in 1984. Her killer has never been identified. Everyone who was present at the meeting had tears streaming from their eyes as they quietly listened to the song.

Listen to Laura's song

To my surprise, Cindy knew who I was. She had actually read some of my work. Even more surprising, she did not physically or verbally assault me. I say that because, as many of you are aware, I held back few punches when I initially began my coverage of this case. Instead, Cindy embraced me. I won't reveal what was said, as some things deserve to be kept private, but I can tell you that I was left with the impression that Caylee was the center of her life.

I by no means agree with everything that George and Cindy Anthony have done; however, I can tell you that the pain I saw that day was all too real and all too encompassing.

Dec. 11, 2008, the day Caylee's remains were found, was not an easy day. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that I had been in such close proximity to her during the first search – within a couple hundred feet – and never even knew it. That is something that bothersme now and probably always will.

My point is that no matter how hard we try, crime writers often can't help but get sucked into the middle of certain cases. That is what happened with me and Caylee Marie Anthony, and that is why her name will forever hold great meaning to me.

Caylee, I never knew you in life, but you'll always have a special place in my heart. – David Lohr

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/02/a-crime-writers-goodbye-to-caylee-marie-anthony.html#more