Member-only story
This Is Us
After My Daughter’s Unsolved Death, I Turned to True Crime
Now I fantasize about telling her story
Since my daughter died earlier this year I’m becoming a reader of true crime, murder mysteries, and investigative journalism of the more gruesome sort. Now that this tragedy has befallen me and my family, the perils of others don’t cause me to recoil. Not in the least. (Covid? Hurricanes? Please.) Since experiencing the unimaginable, I’m drawn to other people’s horror stories with a fascination that’s hard to explain.
Before this, I would never allow myself to imagine one of my children dying. It’s a repulsive thought. And I understand why some friends (former friends?) haven’t called or mentioned my daughter since the funeral. I’ve become one of those people you’re uncomfortable running into at the store. Yikes. What do you say? I’d avoid me too if the shoe were on the other foot.
But here I am, nevertheless, getting along in this world. I’m more approachable than you’d think. You can’t shock me. I like to hear my kid’s name, even though she’s gone and we’re not exactly sure how it happened. I like hearing the names of other dead people, too, and the stories their families tell. I have a higher tolerance for terrible things these days.
