June 19, 2002
by Tim Rollins
As a religious man, I have always felt that part and parcel of being a man of faith calls for being informed and for making wise and responsible choices in the responsibilities entrusted to us. This is particularly so when it comes to the most sacred trust of all - our children.
Out in Utah (no surprise, folks!), they have yet another case of a parent failing to exercise due caution and proper responsibility in taking care of their child or children. This is an ongoing problem that has been part of the regional landscape out there for well over 20 years. The one that stands out the most to me involved three-year old Rachael Runyan, who was kidnapped from a park in Sunset, Utah in August of 1982 and subsequently murdered. A frantic community rallied around the family and prayed and searched for 24 days before her body was found in Morgan County on a dirt road known as "Trappers Loop." Twenty years have passed and her killer still remains at large, her murder unsolved, and as I see it, it isn't likely it will ever be solved either in my lifetime, my now ex-wife Gaylene or that of my now three children.
I was a student at the University of Utah at the time Rachael disappeared, and could relate to the vulnerability her parents felt at the time, as I was the father of a nine-month old boy myself. However, when Rachael's parents went on ABC's Good Morning America, I remember remarking to Gaylene that if Rachael were still alive, her parents' appearance on national television had in effect signed her death warrant by negating any bargaining value Rachael may have once been.
For whatever reason, it seems that during my time in Utah (1979-1984) and according to conversations with friends in the ensuing time since, all too often the prevailing "Pollyanna" mentality there is that because they are faithful in church, the Lord will watch over them and their families, and thus, many of them blithely overlook many basic security functions that are the inherent responsibility of both Mom and Dad.
Another case in point was the case a few summers ago - also in the Salt Lake City area where four or five children were found suffocated in the trunk of a Saturn sedan with one of the children unable to reach the emergency escape cord - all in the name of a game of 'hide and seek'. Branding me insensitive, my younger brother ripped me a new one when I wrote a column calling the parents to task for failing to exercise proper parental responsibility by at least checking in on the kids from time to time while they were outside playing.
Now I know that some Moms and Dads spend their days in the summer playing with their younger children and some work in the house while the children play outside; however - as I said before, each parent who is at home at least has the obligation to check in on the kids from time to time during the day to see that they are playing safely.
Fast forward to the present. We are now being deluged with daily accounts from the media of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year old who was kidnapped in the early morning hours of June 5th while her 9-year old sister watched in paralyzed fear and then waited for hours before telling her parents. I'm no cop, but I have to tell you, there are more holes in this emerging story than in a Steven Spielberg script. Like Elizabeth being permitted to get her slippers before leaving for example.
This home was no shack or hovel. It was a 6,600 square-foot mansion with seven bedrooms and an indoor racquetball court among other features. Come to think of it, being a home worth over $1 million and all, you'd have thought that with an alarm system in place but turned off at the time (why - it was 1:00 a.m.?), it would have been activated at least for the upper levels or for where the children's bedrooms were located. Yet Elizabeth was taken through a window, setting off no alarms. You have to wonder what really happened?
Another question that sticks out is training the children how to handle emergencies such as this - especially with the family having a greater amount of financial wealth than most. The home was on the market for $1.2 million and was being seen by prospective buyers. Whoever "took" Elizabeth Smart had a very good idea of the home's layout and knew exactly where to go. Elizabeth's father Edward revealed yesterday he might have left the garage door open, thus facilitating a way for the 'kidnapper' to have access to the family home. The more I hear about this however, the more it sounds like an inside job or even the possibility - however remote - that Elizabeth may have even run away. Most likely, it probably was indeed a kidnapping and like Rachael Runyan of 20 years ago, in all likelihood, Elizabeth is by now dead with it being only a matter of time before her body is found and yet another child's death is mourned - a death that would be needless and that could have been easily prevented through proper, reasonable and responsible precautions on the part of either or both parents.
More than anything, I would very much like to see Elizabeth Smart safely reunited with her family. However, that usually happens within three days or so after disappearance, after which the trail grows cold. Given that such a time window has long since closed, I believe any realistic chance of safely recovering Elizabeth has also closed as well. As much as I would like to be proven wrong, I just don't see that happening. From the friends I have in the law enforcement community both in Utah and elsewhere, again - I just don't see that happening. Please understand that my observation is not limited to the Smart family by any means as they are the victims of a vicious and terrible crime - it is the Utah culture and a climate of smugness, arrogance and elitism that drove me away from the state nearly 20 years ago to which I have no plans on returning in the foreseeable future for anything beyond a visit. My feelings for the place are so strong that I even wrote a Utah Credo that reflects my attitude on the matter.
Until the people of Utah (among other places) overcome their blind faith and adopt a more well-grounded attitude along the lines of a more informed faith both in their fellowmen and in God through being more responsible in their stewardships - to include responsibilities over their families - particularly their children, then the likelihood of more Rachael Runyans and Elizabeth Smarts and more children suffocating in the trunks of cars in their driveways will continue to increase unless parents increase basic security measures in and around the home.
Had the Smarts made some basic efforts to street-proof their children as well as place some security devices in their home, they might very well still have Elizabeth with them today.
In the meantime - as for the Smarts along with their family and friends: Prepare them for bad news.
http://conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/timrollins/06-19-02.shtml
Sounds like a pretty perceptive article.