You see it on TV seemingly every day. There are new movies made that say “based on a true story” almost each month. Dateline’s most popular segments are Saturday night mysteries and 20/20 is dedicated to finding out what really happened. I’m talking about true crime. Those cases in the news that either go cold, get new evidence or are super popular thanks to today’s news media and culture.
From Martha Moxley to Natalee Holloway or ‘The Girl in the Box’ and ‘Manson’s Lost Girls’, America seems to be fascinated with these stories of peril, murder or kidnapping. I’m included in this, because whenever there’s a new special or movie on television, I record it in case I can’t see it when it’s live.
Why? While I may not be able to speak for all of America, I can speak to my own reasons.
Maybe it’s because I’ve always loved mysteries. Or maybe it’s because I’m intrigued by the advertisements of such cases. Maybe it’s because I want to know why someone could commit such acts of violence. While the crimes that are talked about are horrendous and fear-inducing, I can’t help but want to know what went on back then. Some crimes only happened 5 or 10 years ago, so it’s not hard for me to wonder how something could go so wrong in 2005 and yet 2016 hasn’t lent itself to that same horror.
Take Natalee Holloway. The senior was on her class trip to Aruba, and she disappeared while in the tropical paradise. Police made arrests in the case, and people still talk about it to this day. Perhaps it’s because Holloway was a straight A student who wouldn’t have gone off with Jordan VanderSloot. Or because her whole class was there, why was it only her that such a terrible thing happened to?
For me, I can’t help but wonder how someone would want to harm an innocent student. I mean, it’s not like she provoked anyone or was going to be a danger to others. She was simply there to have some fun before her school year came to a close. I also wonder how the case could keep having holes in it to be re-opened or to be questioning new suspects. It doesn’t make sense to me, and that makes me want to read more on how exactly that can occur with our justice system. Seeing cases like these also remind me of things not to do when I’m out or what to watch out for if I’m ever alone. While it frightens me to think that people take advantage of others like that, it also keeps me alert and cautious. It helps to know that I can protect myself and that there are safety measures in place at school or other heavily populated areas.
I think that America has always been a country that wants to improve and wants to see what it can do to keep it functioning properly. If law enforcement can be more flexible or if judges can be tougher with their decisions, then why not use previous mistakes as lessons? Parents may also look at these cases and want to talk with their kids (no matter how old they are) and remind them of how to act and what to do in emergency situations. Whatever the reason may be, it’s no secret that we are very much interested in cases that unfortunately continue to happen. While it’s not on everyone’s mind, it’s certainly a topic that has kept enough attention.
