Dan and Megan: Evelyn

A year ago I remember seeing a story on the news about a 5 year old girl who had disappeared in a small town. She had been asleep in her apartment and when her mom came home from working the nightshift she couldn't find her daughter. As the search continued for days I know my hopes were not high in finding her. You hear this story too frequently in the media and rarely do they turn out well. About three days into the search is when I found out she was the niece of one of my friends. It's amazing how your perspective changes when you become loosely "linked" with something like that. All of a sudden she became a person rather than a news story.

Six days after her disappearance her body was found in a nearby river.

This past year has been an emotional rollercoaster for my friend. She has had to fight for a safer home for Evelyn's two younger brothers, she's had to watch her brother get arrested for something not related to the case but who keeps getting linked with Evelyn's murder, and she has had to deal with lies quoted in the paper by Evelyn's mother (and her family) about the case.

Maybe the most frustrating part as been the lack of arrests. It's hard to believe that justice will be served when it feels like the case has been on pause for a year with no hope of moving forward. Hope was restored yesterday when an arrest was finally made. Not for the murder of Evelyn but for lying to investigators. There have also been hints that others have lied as well and they will be punished too. It's one step closer to solving the case and helping my friend and her family find some peace within the chaos.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Evelyn but this past year I have heard a lot about her as my friend has shared memories and photos. Every picture I see of her she has the biggest smile on her face. She obviously loved life and loved those around her. You can go crazy with the whys and what ifs. My friend shared the other day that she's moved on from mourning the loss of her niece to instead celebrating the life her niece had for those five years and cherishing the times that she got to spend with Evelyn.

My friend passed along some photos for her friends to share on their blogs: