The horror that a family experiences when a member goes missing is something that not many people are able to comprehend.
All too often, there are stories in the news about little girls that have gone missing and parents that must sit around and pray, amidst a troubling reality that most of the time the search goes on forever.
Yet, every now and again there is an exception to the normal outcome of events such as these, and yesterday’s rescue was the perfect example.
Yesterday, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, three girls who had been missing for a decade, were found held captive inside a home in Cleveland.
A neighbor, Charles Ramsey, heard shouting coming from the house and when he went to investigate, heard Berry screaming for help and explaining whom she was.
Another neighbor knocked the door down and helped Berry out, as she called the police explaining that she had been locked up for a long time. There was also a six-year-old girl in the house who is reportedly Berry’s daughter, although it is unsure who the father is and where the child was born.
Three brothers in their fifties were arrested last night, one of them being Ariel Castro who owns the home that the girls were found in.
“I don’t get what type of person would keep three girls, including a child, locked up all these years,” said senior communications major Michael Altman. “Thank goodness they were found alive and hopefully these men will be put away for good.”
The girls were found safe and in good health, yet after 10 years of waiting, there were some definite scars left on them and their families. Berry’s mother, Louwana Miller, died in 2006 after years of searching for her daughter led to health issues.
“Things like this make you put things into perspective,” said senior journalism major Karly Moll. “I couldn’t even imagine how my parents would handle something like this and I hope they never have to.”
Moll was good friends with Lauren Spierer, the Indiana University student that went missing two years ago and has yet to be found. Her parents, as well as the Bloomington police, continue to search and have avoided losing hope despite their tragedy.
“You can’t lose hope, you have to just keep fighting and thinking positive,” said Moll. “You never know when someone might show up, and when they do, it’s almost always worth the wait.”
Top Photo Credit: http://www.couriermail.com.au/
Bottom: The Daily Beast