What is going on in Vermont?

Check out this story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/ap_on_re_us/missing_girl;_ylt=AvzI5auWrfmKGx_Crk_1jSms0NUE

I think anyone with any sense of morals would find this situation to be just heinous. That a 12 year -old girl was duped by a family member no less, is bad enough. But after thinking about it for a minute, I have to ask myself what is really going on here?

This 12 year-old was allegedly last seen with her uncle a convicted sex offender, on 25 June 2008. He is her uncle by marriage (married her mother's sister). First off, I have to ask myself why her mother or father never discussed with her to avoid this person, despite him being her uncle. I find myself always trying to see the best in people and so I suppose there is the possibility that his conviction was one of teenage statutory rape (underage kids having sex...girl's parents pissed and pushed for conviction) scenario. But as I read further this seems highly unlikely, and therefore is simply nauseating.

As it is alleged, this man was part of a Pedofilic sex ring in Vermont and lured the niece to his house under the guise of having a party. When they got there, apparently a 14 year-old family member (girl, victim) of the accused was there with her boyfriend. As the story states, she has been having sex with this guy since she was 9 yrs old! She last saw the 12 yr old as she and the accused went upstairs. She and her boyfriend left at that point.

On one hand I have to assume that this 14 yr old knew what was going to happen, and yet did nothing. And while understanding this kid was a victim of a Pedophile for the past five years (allegedly) and this tends to skew one's perceptions, how could you not tell?! Especially after the 12 year old went upstairs with your attacker and then disappeared? Maybe she did later when she was in a safer position. Don't know the story doesn't say.

As if it couldn't get worse, it turns out the now dead girl's stepfather helped to try and cover up the ring by posting updates on the girl's My Space page implying that she was going to secretly meet someone. Her former stepfather for crying out loud!

I now find myself asking what happened that caused the girl's mother and stepfather to divorce (perhaps he put the moves on the kid?) in the first place...especially since he knew to cover up the ring and made frequent trips back to Vermont. By the way he was arrested on one of those trips back to Vermont by federal authorities and charged with obstruction of justice. If he was complicit in these kid's victimization, I have few other thoughts on how he should experience obstructing justice, or more to the point... causing justice to be up front and personal.

But I am still wondering... how does a family not coach a child about the dangers of this sex offender in their midst? How does her Aunt marry a convicted sex offender and expect the family to have their children around them? Having grown up in New England, albeit in a city bigger than 5,000 I am having quite a lot of difficulty reconciling how this child was not better protected than she was. Rural or not, in this day and age people are generally a lot more savvy about things like this and, it is generally a lot more public than when I was a kid. I have to wonder how this could have been prevented and a young girl could have grown up and contributed to the world.

That being said, my comments are not intended to be an indictment on the girl's parent's skills. Certainly, they are suffering terribly at this time. And I am sure they are asking themselves what they could have done to better protect her from this end. As a fellow human, I really feel very badly for them because certainly the loss of a child is among the worst of blows life has to offer. I just think it's important to see how this whole situation unfolded so it can be prevented in the future for someone else's child. And let's hope Justice comes hard and heavy where deserved.