May 17, 2005

Pray They are Safe

We can only pray that two missing children, eight-year-old Shasta Groene and her brother Dylan Groene, 9, are okay.  Unfortunately, other members of their family, including their mother and 13-year-old brother were found slain in their home.  An Amber Alert has been issued for little Shasta and Dylan.

COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho - Authorities said on Tuesday afternoon that they have no leads in the murders of three people found slain in an Idaho home. Earlier they issued an Amber Alert in the search for two children who lived at the house but were no longer there when the bodies were discovered.

"We have no leads, no persons of interest," said Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson. "We’re just doing everything we can early because time is of the essence."

They were last seen getting off a school bus at their house Monday afternoon, the Web site for the Spokesman-Review newspaper reported Tuesday.

Watson said that finding the children was law enforcement's main concern at this point. He said the county sheriff's office was working with the FBI and other agencies and had dogs searching in the area near the home, which is about eight miles from town.

Authorities have said that while the cause of death remained undetermined, there were "suspicious circumstances" reported by a neighbor and the deaths were obvious homicides. 

At least in this case, as it stands, the father of the children has been ruled out as a suspect.  There have been entirely too many situations of late where children are being killed by their own father or mother.  That being said, it doesn't bring any comfort to those impacted by these senseless murders.  I pray that Shasta and Dylan are found and that they have family and friends that can support them during this painful time.