The last two weeks have been especially hard ones news-wise for people who have dedicated their lives to loving and protecting their children above all else. Two weeks ago, we learned about a young mother who selfishly placed her daughter in her car late at night in order so that she could allegedly conduct a drug transaction more than an hour away from the child’s home.
Krista Dittmeyer was tragically murdered during the alleged drug deal. That sad outcome doesn’t change the fact that she placed her 14-month-old daughter in complete danger in a way most parents are unable to comprehend. It’s even sadder to think that with the drug problem we are facing as a society, thousands of children are victims of this type of behavior every day.
Just as I was coming to terms with the danger little Aliyah was placed in, helped largely in part by the knowledge that she was in the good hands of Ms. Dittmeyer’s family, we learned of the boy found dead on the side of a dirt road in South Berwick, who we now know and love as Camden Pierce Hughes.
For four long days, Camden remained unidentified. Even when the case drew national media attention, no grandparent, aunt, uncle or neighbor came forward to say that they knew and loved this precious little boy.
The heartbreak for the people of South Berwick and, indeed, the whole state was then and continues to be huge. My personal breaking point was at the release of the little “Lightening McQueen” shoes Camden was wearing when he was killed. I know how much my son loves particular characters on items of clothing he owns. It broke my heart to know that the little boy we all came to love, once so full of life, would look down at his little shoes on his tiny little feet and be so excited to see “Lightening McQueen” looking back up at him.
When we learned of Camden’s identity, we were able to find videos of the little angel laughing, joyfully playing on his tricycle and being as cute as any other child in our lives. We will never know if Camden was ever able to comprehend just how crazy his own mother was or would turn out to be before he was murdered. I cry at the thought of how scared he must have been when he found out for sure.
McCrery is now reportedly telling her attorney that she wants to “be in Heaven with her son.” She has the right idea in that Heaven implies an end to her life on earth. She is wrong to assume Heaven is her destination. I know in my adult mind that if my own mother had murdered me, and if there is an afterlife from which I would be able to observe the aftermath of the crime, I would want nothing short of the ultimate justice brought upon her. In most cases, the mind of a child lacks a cause and effect clarity, and in a supposed afterlife, Camden may simply be asking “Why did mommy hurt me?”
So it will be up to a jury in New Hampshire to seek justice for little Camden. Tragically, the same messed-up court system that we’ve witnessed turning a blind eye to elite white collar criminals over recent years, also protects murderous lunatics who kill their own children. McCrery will most certainly plead “not guilty by reason of insanity.” Because there is no other explanation but insanity to explain such a heinous act, a jury may indeed award that verdict. A lifetime spent in a psychiatric facility doesn’t feel like justice for Camden to me. I can only hope little Camden, with his loving heart, is a more forgiving person than I.
Camden Pierce Hughes. May you rest in peace.
(Jeffrey S. Spofford is the circulation manager for The Portland Daily Sun. His column appears Fridays.)
Thank you Jeff. Both of these stories tore me up inside, too. I could only think how lucky that little girl was to have survived her mother's "parenting".
ReplyDeleteThe little shoes touched my heart, too. I kept thinking that somebody cared enough to give this little boy a pair of shoes that he loved.
I know it sounds crazy, but I almost hoped that Camden was a kidnapping victim. As a new mom, I can't imagine such harm befalling my own child, and I can't fathom causing it myself. I'm crying as I type this. I only hope that little boy just fell into death from a deep sleep, and didn't know the harm his mother did, and is somehow at peace for that (though I don't believe in an afterlife).