Friday, April 27, 2007

Michelle Young Memorial

Photographer, Statia Grossman, has created a blog as a memorial to her friend, Michelle Young. There she includes photos and video of the recent Arbor Memorial established in Michelle's honor as well as links to her photos and video of the 30th birthday celebration held in February. The address by Linda Fisher is particularly poignant. In addition to expressing the heartache and grief of the family's loss, Linda explains the reason for the Michelle Marie Fisher-Young Memorial Arbor Program and recites the poem etched on a star atop Michelle's evergreen tree. As I understand it, the poem was originally posted at Websleuths by a member named Samiya. Linda found it touching and meaningful, as Michelle often sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to Cassidy at bedtime, and had it engraved on the star with the opening words, "For Cassidy" and closing, "Love, Mommy".

In another clip, Michelle's father, Alan, with Meredith and Linda at his side, addresses the attendees and speaks of the Fisher family's grief as well as their commitment to attaining justice for their daughter and sister. In encourage you to watch each of the clips so generously provided by Statia Grossman. Michelle will not be forgotten.

If I have any of the above details wrong, please let me know and I will make the necessary corrections.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The Calm Before the Storm?

It may be pointless to open the comment threads back up. It appears nothing is happening with the Michelle Young case right now. I was on the verge of abandoning this blog last November, so my interest in the Young case is virtually the only thing keeping the doors open.

It's not that I'm no longer interested in, or keeping up with, the other cases I've written about in the past; I'd just lost interest in continuing to blog about them. Some of them -- Natalee Holloway, Trenton Duckett, George Smith, IV, John Fiocco, Jr. -- may never be solved. I don't like it, but I've come to accept it. Others -- Tracy Tribble, Michelle Gardner-Quinn, Nona Dirksmeyer, Tiffany Souers, Imette St. Guillen -- appear to be proceeding toward satisfactory conclusions. I don't feel compelled to press on about them.

It's the uncertainty of an arrest and prosecution, the mystery of what investigators know but aren't revealing, that holds my interest in the murder of Michelle Young. And it's the apparent stagnancy of the investigation that frustrates me to no end. The forums devoted to discussion of the case at various message boards have all but died, progressing from a Groundhog Day-like continual loop of hash and rehash to a virtual standstill. Sparse information publicized by early media coverage and scant search warrants and leaked by people close to the family has been dissected and analyzed past the point of monotony to the brink of exasperation. I can only hope that the investigation being conducted by the Wake County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney Colon Willoughby's office has not gone as cold as the daily discussions at the crime forums. It's too dang quiet.

So like I said, it may be pointless to open the doors here, but I'm doing it anyway. Something's gotta give. Often, all it takes is one little change, one minute vibration of activity, to get the ball rolling. This is my insignificant contribution.