I know I promised the response to the OCP’s claim of 27 meetings with my Dad next. But the questions keep coming about why I am blogging and just what exactly I think I am going to get out of it. Here is how I started off in January 2013:
Why this blog?
Posted: January 31, 2013 | Author: cathybroad | Filed under: Uncategorized | Modify: Edit this | Leave a comment »
My youngest brother Tim was murdered by a serial killer in 1977. Tim was 11 years old and supposedly the final victim of a killer (killers, actually) known as the Oakland County Child Killer. I will detail the entire background of this series of crimes and the lame and inadequate investigation, as well as the cover up that continues to the present day.
Today I spent yet another long phone call with someone about my brother’s murder case. It is one of many, many long phone calls since March 2006, when I first got a strong inkling that this case was not only botched, but completely f’ed up and that many officials knew this and turned the other way. So, almost seven years later and no closer to any kind of a resolution despite the convening of two grand juries, much wheel-spinning and perhaps intentionally misdirected reinvestigations, the filing and denial of FOIA requests, followed by litigation and great expense to victims’ family members, the mistreatment of victims’ family members and unethical treatment and behavior by the Oakland County Prosecutor, and the promise of books, documentaries and articles which never see the light of day, I have decided to document what has happened in this case from my vantage point. I will document what has happened since March 2006. Nothing held back. It is what it is. I am asking for no one’s permission to go forward and I ask for and will entertain no comment. If you have something of substance to offer to advance the case, you will find out how to contact me. Sorry, I don’t want your opinion. We are way past that. Let’s just take a look at what has come to light since March 2006 and see if it doesn’t demand intense scrutiny by someone who can make a difference. Someone who can make a difference and won’t get shut down by authorities and those who at one time had power and influence in Oakland County, Michigan. It might be a slow, painful process, but there is too much here to ignore. Make your own decisions. The legal system in Oakland County will do nothing with any of this. But the story still demands to be told.
The story demands to be told. The investigation needs to be kept in the public eye because that is the only way to unearth some potential solution to get the MSP, OCP, and FBI to turn over all files and information to an independent authority or prosecutor for review and action.
My blog is disturbing because the subject matter is disturbing. I am outraged because the situation is outrageous. What I talk about sparks controversy because it is controversial, not because I am creating controversy out of thin air. We are not looking for sympathy. We are looking for ideas. A close friend described it best by saying that light needs to be shed on this tragedy and injustice. “Take action and don’t ask for permission. Get this viral.”
Another friend pointed out that maybe this can be part of a catalyst to bring whatever peace is possible in all of this. Yet another, who has lived with this almost as long as I have, told me to “stay on it, stay strong, do not give in. I can’t believe you are still dealing with corruption, bullshit, lies and nonsense.” One answer is to just get over it. Another is to keep talking about it so authorities don’t get to sweep it under the rug for another 36 years.
So, if it’s easier, I’ll just stick to the facts. As I said in the beginning, you can form your own opinion. The bottom line is that if it happened to my family, it can happen to yours. My story is just as worthwhile as a blog about cooking or running. The best part is, if you don’t like it you don’t have to read it. It’s not like this is on the front page of your morning newspaper.
I did ultimately enable the comment section to the blog and while I have received numerous comments I would never approve for printing (if you think what I have written is disturbing . . . ), I appreciate the fact that people are reading and responding. Like I said, it is what it is. Maybe it gets me no where. But it’s better than nothing, which is what will happen if this case dies another death and no one ever demands answers.