My hometown, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is known to be a cute and quirky little town. It's full of mom and pop shops, great restaurants, and has a strong art and music culture. Police officers find the time to arrest teenagers for loitering at the local Starbucks because nothing more important is needing their attention. When you jump from hearing a strange noise in the bushes, people laugh at you, joking a serial killer is going to get you. Crime here, especially violent crime, is almost nonexistent.

Doylestown happens to be the county seat of Bucks County. My father's law practice was across the street from the courthouse. Being the naive child I was, I remember asking if there were any "interesting" cases, like murder. My father, the bankruptcy lawyer, laughed. "The Doylestown Court House only sees cases that happen in Bucks County, usually civil court cases, not criminal ones. Basically nothing too exciting. Now Philadelphia on the other hand..." I listened, wondering what it must be like to be a lawyer, as we strolled through our happy town on a sunny weekday afternoon.

This is why many of us, despite the police implying there may have been foul play, assumed the four young men that went missing were probably fine. We were in denial that something like this could happen here. Rumors flew like wild fire at what could have happened to them, from running away to taking a spontaneous road trip to going off on a bender. We're painfully privileged to live in an area where we feel safe. And our false sense of security was shredded as the truth slowly revealed itself.

Jimi Patrick, 19, went missing on Wednesday, July 6th.

Mark Sturgis, 22, was last seen leaving his home July 8th around 6:00pm to visit his friend, Tom Meo, in Doylestown.

Tom Meo, 21, was last seen around Routes 202 and 263 near Doylestown on July 8th.

Dean Finocchiaro, 19, was last seen July 8th around 6:30pm.

On Saturday, July 9th, around 7:00pm, the investigation went public. All four men had been reported missing and there was speculation on whether or not their disappearances were connected. Police asked people to contact them if they had any information.

Before this, I had heard nothing of the case. I actually didn't know until the next morning when I woke up and mom informed me. It was then I grabbed my phone and began frantically searching for what in the world she was talking about. We heard rumors and speculation, but nothing solid for the rest of the weekend.

On Monday, July 10th, Cosmo DiNardo, a 20-year-old from Bensalem, was arrested. According to the police affidavit, DiNardo was accused of possessing a shotgun in February, but this charge was dismissed. Due to the circumstances, the dismissal was revoked and he was being held on one million dollar bail. He was not permitted to own or use a gun due to his history of mental illness. Although he was considered a "person of interest", he was not labelled a suspect at this time.

When asked if foul play was involved, Weintraub stated "I surely believe there is," but he didn't elaborate further. We were not told why DiNardo was considered a person of interest or what led them to searching his parent's property.

That night, I went to my Al-Anon meeting, and, as always, we stuck around afterward and chatted with one another. Of course the subject of the disappearances came up. It's not uncommon in the world of addiction to not hear from a family member who is actively using for days, weeks, or months. They're reported missing, but if they don't want to be found, they're not going to be. However, four young boys disappearing at once was strange, even from our perspectives. One or two people maybe... but four? We knew we were lacking vital pieces of information.

On Tuesday, July 11th, DiNardo's father paid 10% of his son's bail in cash and he was released from the county jail.

Today was the day I realized in horror this was no longer a search and rescue mission, if it ever was one. They publicized that this was the fourth day of the search party. They had brought in cadaver dogs and digging equipment. However, when asked if the four missing men could still be alive, Weintraub responded, "I think it's very important to hang on to hope." So we did and we prayed that these boys were okay.

Wednesday, July 12th, is when we began to learn the truth.

Dinardo was arrested again but this time for theft. Bail was set at five million dollars cash. According to a friend of Dinardo, he attempted to sell a 1996 Nissan Maxima, which matched the description of Meo's car. The friend, who asked to remain anonymous, reported this to authorities. According to a criminal affidavit, Meo's vehicle was found by authorities at the property owned by the Dinardo family on Sunday, July 9th. Meo was a diabetic and his insulin kit was found inside the car. Meo's family reported that he would never go anywhere without his insulin, and could not survive long without it.

After four days of searching, a body was found. The cadaver dogs had sniffed out what authorities described as a 12.5-foot-deep "common grave". Finocchiaro's body was identified, and it was declared there were "other human remains" in the grave as well.

We knew the worst was yet to come. Three more boys were still missing, and we checked our phones every hour for updates. Hoping these young men were somehow okay. Praying that Meo, Sturgis, and Patrick didn't have the same fate.

Thursday, July 13th, DiNardo confessedto killing all four men in exchange for a plea deal where he would not receive the death penalty. He told authorities where the other bodies were and admitted to having an accomplice: his cousin, Sean Kratz. By Friday morning, the three remaining bodies were found.

The reason behind DiNardo and Kratz's actions are still unclear. DiNardo stated that he was in contact with all four men in order to sell them marijuana. The first victim, Patrick, brought $800 instead of the $8000 DiNardo requested. DiNardo offered to sell him a gun for that price instead. He handed Patrick a shot gun, and then proceeded to shoot him with a .22 caliber rifle. DiNardo later buried Patrick in a remote part of the property.

On Friday, instead of going through with the drug deal as planned, DiNardo recruited Kratz and they decided to rob Finocchiaro. According to DiNardo, Kratz shot Fincocchiaro with a handgun that belonged to DiNardo's mother. However, Kratz told police that Dinardo was the one who fatally shot Finocchiaro.

Later that evening, they continued the drug deal facade. Meo and Sturgis arrived at the DiNardo property and proceeded to exit the vehicle. According to the affadavit, Meo was shot in the back, and fell to the ground screaming; Sturgis started to run away, and Dinardo fatally shot Sturgis. Dinardo then drove a backhoe over Meo, killing him. The cousins allegedly then placed the bodies in a tank which Dinardo called a "pig roaster". They then proceeded to use the backhoe to dig a 12 foot deep hole, burying the tank with the three men inside"

DiNardo and Kratz were arraigned and held without bail. The charges included multiple counts of homicide, conspiracy, abuse of a corpse, robbery, and a weapons charge.

This story hits home for me in so many ways. I think of my friends, my family, the people I grew up with, it could've just as easily been them. Sturgis's car was found at Peddler's Village, a place I plan to have lunch with a friend next week. Meo was last seen on route 202, which I drive on to and from Villanova University. The trials took place in the courthouse I walked through as a child with my father.

I didn't know any of the victims personally, but we walked down the same streets, lived in similar communities, and likely led similar lives. As a 22-year-old, I am so excited to finally start my life as an adult, and it tears me apart inside to think that these boys will never experience that feeling. My heart aches for their family and friends and I cannot imagine the grief and torment they must be going through.

DiNardo and Kratz have not explained why they committed these crimes. According to the Bensalem Police Department, DiNardo had "over 30 run-ins" with officers, but they all occurred before he turned 18. He had mental health issues, and at one point was institutionalized. However a vast majority of people with mental illness never become violent, certainly not homicidal. Kratz also has a long history of trouble with the law, and was out on bail at the time of the killings.

However, as much as we want to analyze the perpetrators and understand why these horrific murders were committed, we need to realize something. Even if the explanations and answers do surface, we are never going to be satisfied. There will never be a good reason as to why four innocent men were murdered in cold blood. We will always feel a sense of helplessness and mourning for the lives that were tragically cut short.

That being said, there is something we as the public can do.The criminals' names and faces are plastered all over every local and national news source. In a sick and distorted way, they are famous, and they do not deserve it. Their actions were sickening, and pure evil. We can choose to not glorify them. We can instead choose to remember the four men whose lives were stolen:

Dean Finocchiaro

Tom Meo

Jimi Patrick

Mark Sturgis

Remember their names, and keep their families in your thoughts and prayers.

A very big thank you to all the people who worked tirelessly to find out the truth. Whether it be search party members, law enforcement officers, the FBI, district attorneys, or even just people calling in to offer information, you all did everything in your power to bring those boys home. I'm proud of how my county handled what is considered one of the most heinous crimes in recent Pennsylvania history. You may not have been able to save those four men, but your diligence and tireless pursuit for justice gave the families answers, and likely saved the lives of many other young men and women. Thank you.