I wish we had the address of Dermot's parents' house at the time of his disappearance. I'd like to see how close it is in proximity to the river. Never mind, 817 Swift, Oglesby, IL.
I'm really thinking sadly that Dermot committed suicide, and that the storyline about him starting a new life somewhere, was just his way of distancing from the family. Did they ignore him after he said it? Seems like a parent would have said something to further engage their child.
Dermot looks like a sensitive young man, and I'm thinking if his family or father was harsh on him, verbally, he may have sunk into a depression, and been there for sometime. When kids are picked on at home, they go to school where they're picked on more so they have no soft place. With kids there can be something of a pack mentality, and they can easily spot the kids they can bully. I'm just surmising here. I know some men give their sons what for, especially if they think they need to toughen a boy up for what life throws at him. In many cases, it's done with good intentions, but often without thought of how a child might react. Often kids live with the sense they're not good enough. Stuff like that can really harm the kid who is more sensitive, and therefore less resilient.
We had a poster on the forum around February I think it was, who claimed her Mother was Dermot's younger brother. She said, "It was a messy time in the family and no one's memories are crystal clear." She said that Dermot had friends who ran away to join the hippie movement and that the family was convinced that's what he did. She claimed Dermot had friends who did the same thing.
She claimed that the Father was going through a job loss, that the marriage was failing and sometimes abusive. This poster has not posted on the forum for a long time.
There certainly is contrasting information between the father's search for his son, and what the relative above claimed, as well as the apathetic attitude his father had when Dermot left. "Make sure you wear warm boots." Dermot could have thought "Yea, gee thanks Dad. I told you I want to start a new life and do it on my own three days ago, and hello. I'm leaving the house with a rifle in my hands." Dermot might have reasoned, "You don't give a (bleep) about me, so why should I give a (bleep) about you!!"
And now, I am pairing this with the information above from the other poster. Dermot's father was an attorney and they seemed to live in an upscale community. Maybe in ways to protect his status of his job and his future, he acted sympathetic to reporters and investigators. It would stand for him to say from the article that "We just want Dermot to know that he is welcome when he comes back, and if he doesn't, that's OK too. The elder Kelly saying, "I was too busy being a lawyer, I should have taken more time to understand the boy."
Is this the same lovable understanding father when Dermot said three days before he left, "I am going to make a new life on my own, and do it entirely on my own." and Dad acts like he could care less. His final words to his son, perhaps in so much pain and anguish, "Were warm boots.?"
I think there was something very very wrong and painful in that house, perhaps for a long time. But yet, it is claimed that Dad traveled thousands of miles looking for Dermot. But I see much more apathy than affection in his case.
I have thought of the possibility of domestic abuse and suicide in Dermot's case. Do you think if he killed himself, he could have done it shortly after he left home? If he did, wouldn't his body have been found? The image of what we learned from the detective, who said Dermot may have drowned, and his home near several river areas, tragically brings back more heartbreak now.
I feel uneasy about this case again. Hoping for the best that he is alive and happy, but tragically, I also have to prepare for the worst.
Satch
