Yes, MO is a death penalty state. The whole process takes forever, unfortunately. This poor little girl was moved around from motel to motel, school to school, city to city in the months leading up to her death. I am not parent blaming here, but her family situation does need to be looked into. Her horrible death was the result of many, many sad circumstances. The whole picture here includes drugs (at a minimum, her murderer was a meth user), homelessness, poverty, lack of social services intervention, lack of proper court proceedings and procedure (he would have never been bonded out for $171 in the first place, for many reasons), and society as a whole turning their heads, for the most part, to the homeless and to the poor. The one and only homeless shelter for families in the 417 area, The Missouri Hotel, closed down for good this month, focussing on 'community based housing'. There is no longer an option for these families, who are often fleeing domestic violence issues, drug related issues, and so much more. So, where do they go? To these extended stay motels. I sincerely hate even typing this, but we should expect to see a lot more of things like this, especially in this area. Meth runs ramped, job market is not so great, affordable housing is few and far between, and now, there is no homeless shelter. Prayer can only go so far. There needs to be a community intervention, and it needs to happen soon. This is so sad, as this area used to be so beautiful, so safe, so happy, and so full of life. In the last 9 days, there have been 13 murders in the 417 area, including this 6 year old child, a mother and son, and a pregnant woman, all non-related. A police officer was shot not too long ago as well, who had to be airlifted to Atlanta for recovery. The people of the Ozarks need to open their eyes, and their minds, if they want to make a change.
