02/10/08

They found John Bryant's body..the male half of the missing hiking couple associated with GMH. His head was found 20 feet from his body. This seems to be this wacko's MO, but could help to attach him to the murder.

Apparently the Bryants were also wonderful, amazing 'shirt-off-your-back' kind of people. I'm just glad that Mere's case being so high profile, their family is probably going to be able to find more closure by knowing their friends/parents' killer is incarcerated and will never be free.

Also, Hilton is talking a little. At the spot where they found the water bottle and the leash there was an extended struggle. Mere fought very hard, but Hilton had not one but two weapons (Baton and hunting knife) and was eventually able to overcome her.

Had Mere not been the person she was, so loved, so loving, and if she had not fought and made him leave those clues behind (baton and her things so close together) people may not have made the connection between the man with the baton (who they later identified as GMH) and people would not have recognized the white van which had switched license plates. She had the world in love with her (and rightfully so) and so people everywhere were looking.

Her struggles, though her life ended, were not in vane. This is a man who would keep on killing until he was stopped. He has nothing to live for...so he was just taking what he needed until he was caught. Mere obviously knew he was going to kill her as soon as he got the money (As he did the Bryants) and wouldn't give him her pin numbers, even though it made him angry. She was hoping we would find him, rescue her. And we were just a few hours too late. But though we didn't rescue Mere, we did rescue countless others that would have come after her. The kind hearted, those willing to talk to a strange man with no teeth on a cold day.