A Bit Tough...

It's been a bit of a rough couple of days here in Pueblo West. We've been a community on edge and in mourning. You see, yesterday afternoon a 14-year-old girl went out to the field next to her house to search for rocks...something she did regularly. Her mom was well aware of where she was, what she was doing, and that she'd be back very soon. After 90-minutes passed without the return of Ashley, her mom called the police.

It only took about an hour for the police to find her. She was no longer living. It was revealed that it was a homicide investigation, rumors began to fly, and the community shut down their houses while leaving porch lights on. It was a bit of a long and unsettled night.

Just before 4pm today, just shy of 24-hours after Ashley's body was found, a press conference was held to announce the arrest of a suspect. He is Ashley's 64-year-old neighbor...a man who is married and has 6 grown children of his own. The community has breathed a sigh of relief and has started the task of truly mourning.

I have seen pieces of the arrest affidavit and my heart breaks even harder for Ashley's family. Because of the nature of this horrible crime, I will not provide details, but I will add a couple of links for anyone who wishes to read. In the meantime, I am going back to my random bouts of tears and fervent prayers for the two families most affected by this heinous act....
http://www.koaa.com/aaaa_top_stories/x300750440/Arrest-made-in-murder-of-Pueblo-West-teen
http://www.krdo.com/global/story.asp?s=10098072
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/03/30/news/breaking_news/doc49d1549627610534190047.txt