A very disturbing local news story

That's terribly awful. The fact that they were gay shouldn't make a difference in the world. This is one of the things I absolutely cannot stand - discrimination against people for whatever dumb reason. I can't believe they let 20 days go by before mentioning it. That's horrible.

And about the horse...that is sickening. What is wrong with people?

Bway_Mill_Fan, what do you mean by, "what's up with the enforcement?" You seem to be the one showing preconcieved intolerence to law enforcement. If a local department didn't investigate one piece of "hate" mail it's probably because mail is the jurisdiction of Federal Postal Inspectors. And unless there's a pattern of harassment what department has the resources to investigate a single piece of mail? Only time that happens is when it's directed to a federal official.

And DoB5, what makes you think that the fact that these two men were gay did or did not enter into a story being "splashed" earlier? Why are you assuming that others assumed their disappearence meant nothing? Because their disappearence wasn't splashed across the media doesn't precude that an active and aggressive investigation wasn't being conducted. Often in criminal investgations MANY things for MANY reasons are not broadcast to the media. Basically because to do so could hamper the investigation. And let's not forget that all too, too often loved ones are in denial about their missing love's gayness. Many time totally forgetting to mention what could be that one little salient fact to an investgator. Can't investigate something as a hate crime unless all the facts are presented. And again, all too, too often many family members of victims denounce any mention of a loved one preference and don't want that detail made public to the media. And of course, without that "titillating" factor there's often not much media interest in the story. Adults do go missing all the time. Adults have the right to go missing. And adults have the right to privacy if they choose to do so. Law enforcement stradles those rights everyday. And God help them if they don't keep a balance.

Possibly there is a connection with the young men's disappearence. And perhaps for a variety of reasons it took 20 days to make the connection. But when at least 10% of most police departments are gay I doubt apathy was the reason for the lack of news coverage.

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Whether or not the police invetsigated the disappearance properly, this story is disturbing just for the fact that someone was murdered in a way that sounds brutal and that possibly a second man may have been murdered. It points to the possibility of a serial killer stalking gay men.

I have to wonder if the lack of coverage on these diappearances are the fault of police or the media. When you look at the coverage of mising people it is slanted toward the young white female. White children, particualrly cute ones sre more frequently featured on the news when they are missing than are children of color. This is usually the fault of the media that chooses the people that will most effectively pull at the heart strings of viewers. The police don't really control this and they may very well have been invetsigating these disappearences.

Etoile, I think you're right in saying that the police often withold information so as not to compromise and investigation but, I think that happens more when they actually know a crime has been committed. In this case, it sounds like these men were reported missing, there was no evidence yet of there being a crime and DofB5's outrage is over the fact taht had tehre been some story on the news, somone may have remembered seeing somethinga nd possibly could have helped the police in preventing the murder.

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I would definitely contact the Human Rights Campaign about this.
Human Rights Campaign

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