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Did Caylee Anthony Change the Way You Look at Missing Persons?

January 12, 2009

Caylee AnthonySince July 2008, the case of Casey Anthony and her once-missing - now deceased - daughter, 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, has made headlines around the world. Unfortunately, the coverage it has garnered has been a double-edged sword. While people grabbed onto every headline they could find about Caylee - a child who has often been referred to as "America's Sweetheart" - other cases deserving an equal amount of attention fell to the wayside.

I can name at least 20 children who have gone missing and an equal number of adults who have disappeared since the Caylee case first broke. I can also guarantee that the majority of you have never even heard of half of them. Unless the story is compelling - unless the victim is young, beautiful and the subject of a bizarre or captivating tale - these cases get very little media attention.

If it doesn't make good press, then it doesn't make the press.

During the Anthony case, I covered several other cases of missing persons in an attempt to give them the coverage that they deserved. One of those cases was that of 36-year-old Corrie Anderson, a mother of three from Chautauqua County, New York, who went missing in October 2008. One of the things that struck me most about that case was the initial lack of coverage by the media. I watched local coverage of the case when it first broke. During the first few days, most stations did not even make it their top story. Instead, Anderson stood second to local sports and weather. Taking that into consideration, put yourself in the family's shoes and think about how you would feel if your mother, sister or daughter went missing and you had to beg the media to help you.

Don't get me wrong; Caylee was deserving of attention, but the people who stepped forward to help in her case are unfortunately absent in so many others. For Caylee, thousands of people from around the world sent in donations, joined in the search effort and did whatever they could to help locate her. While I applaud each and every one of those people, I am also saddened that other cases do not merit the same attention.

Missing Person SearchI have been on dozens of missing person searches and I can say from my own experience that we are generally lucky to get 50 volunteers to show up for a search effort. If you get 200, you are doing great. I often wonder how different some of the searches I have been on might have turned out if we had seen the number of volunteers that we saw in the Caylee Anthony case.

Nevertheless, I would like to think that Caylee did not die in vain. I would like to think that she showed the public how easy it is to hurt for someone whom you never have met - the case highlights the compassion of strangers and their willingness to get involved. Now, if only we could take those lessons and apply them to the countless other cases that are out there in need of our help.

Remember Caylee, and the next time you see a missing persons report, take the time to listen to what is being said. If it is in your area, devote at least one day to a volunteer search effort. Whether you serve food at the command post, pass out flyers or actively join in the search, a single day can make all the difference in the world.

In closing, always remember that at any moment you or someone you love could easily become the next subject of a missing persons case. If that were to happen, would you not want all the help you can get?

Related Links:
Investigation Discovery: Top 10 Missing Children Cases
Investigation Discovery: Full Coverage of Casey Anthony Case
Investigation Discovery: Full Coverage of Corrie Anderson Case

Photo Credits: Associated Press and Carla Lohr

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Keep up with the latest in all things crime and criminals right here. Get the details on the Casey Anthony Trial and other daily reports as they unfold.
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