It is too late and too sad for the Porter children and Tina Porter. The grim story is the definition of disheartening. The Independence, MO. police department announced they had identified the remains of Sam and Lindsey Porter who had been missing for over 3 years. Their father, Dan Porter, is serving a 38 year sentence for kidnapping his children and terrorizing his wife by not informing her of their children's whereabouts. I, and I think many others, including Tina Porter, always had hope that the children would be found alive. We had hope because most of us believe that most people have enough good in them to stop them from killing children. Especially their own children. How does a person come to that moment and actually end their children's lives? That is a question for eternity.
But the bigger question I have is whether the Porter children or Tina Porter have any rights. Yes, I know that Dan Porter has rights. Geez, I've got it. But, in this age of Guantanamo, couldn't a way be found to make Dan Porter talk. Isn't there expertise that wouldn't really hurt the killer of children but would protect the rights of the victims. It appears that Dan Porter may have told authorities the location of his children's bodies because he was too afraid to be let out into the general population of the prison he is in. That was a simple. Perhaps authorities just have to understand that child kidnappers and killers are BIG cowards.
But there are many cowards in prisons. The Grissom murders in Kansas come to mind. Why should three families never get to know where their daughter's bodies are? Because Richard Grissom has the right to hold onto that info even though he is in prison for their deaths? Is he better than the prisoners in Guantanamo? Can't anyone find out what Mr. Grissom is afraid of? Perhaps info should be the get-out-of-the-electric chair card.
Now we know there was never any hope for the Porter children. But there are so many others. Could someone remind me again why nothing could be done to Dan Porter to make him talk?