Lynda, angry at a loss that shouldn't have happened!
Thank all of you for your thoughts and concern and kindness.
There is a lot of anger at the PD over this..lots...
People don't understand that the law doesn't authorize the police to act
unless there is foul play suspected, or if the victim is a minor, etc.
Keith's body was found on private property adjacent to the park where
the police did not have access or authority to search freely. The
people who owned that land had been very upset over all the trespassing
recently, understandably so, but finally consented to allow the CERT
team to search today. Now, people are pissed that the PD did not find
him a week ago when they searched. I can see both sides.
I suppose we will be waiting for the autopsy to hopefully determine
whether Keith intentionally overdosed or if this was some kind of
medical issue/accident.
There are lessons here that can be learned however. For those family
members who have these kinds of medical issues, getting a GPS locator or
something similar could reduce the time spent looking for lost adults.
If a family member goes missing, report it as soon as possible, usually
24 hours after the adult is overdue. Time is the enemy. We need to
train police, fire, CERT, and other community responders about less
common medical problems so that there is understanding and a quicker
response established. In Georgia, we have Mattie's call, but folks were
saying that he wouldn't have qualified because he wasn't considered
disabled. I think that should be changed. If Alzheimer's qualifies,
labile diabetes should also qualify. And finally, make sure your
friends know how you feel about them. So often we are so wrapped up in
our own lives that we fail to recognize that others might be
suffering. Look closer.
--
EarthNSky Farm 34.498N 85.076W
SISU! (Finnish--There is no single word in English that encompasses
all that sisu means, but it combines the following ideas: guts, pep,
determination, stubbornness, perseverance, hardiness, stamina, go, do,
nerve, spunk, pluck, and grit. It's like "Just Do It!"& "Go for It!")