"Bethany McKee. She is a complicated person. I remember the times we sat and talked about life-about her dreams, her hope, her ambitions. In the two years before all this happened, she had only one all-consuming thought. She wanted to be a good mother and she feared that she didn't know how. In the weeks she stayed with us prior to her daughters birth, she asked many times whether I thought she could succeed. When her daughter was born with medical problems, she spent ever minute with her in the NICU at Rush-Pres, even though she herself had needed a Cesarean delivery and should have been caring for herself. She worked with the principal of her high school to graduate and with the WIC representative to learn about how to properly care for her child.
Over the years, she has been hospitalized many times for various issues including cutting, drugs, and alcohol. Because of this, she had a difficult time making and keeping friends. She was introduced to drugs and alcohol though one friend, Alisa Masarro. Bethany's family made every attempt to keep the girls apart and succeeded for several years, but after she turned 18, they became reacquainted.
Like many teenaged girls, Bethany turned to a friend rather than a family member when she had disagreements at home. She feared some of her friend's associates, but trusted the friend to give her a safe place to stay while thinking things through. Did she use drugs during this time? I really don't know. But I do know that her first thought when she was finally able to escape that house without supervision was to get her child away to safety.
She was let down by the system many times. A teacher who was assigned to home school her simply did not show up - no calls to cancel, just a no show. The psychologist who was to work with her from the Will County Health Department would likewise not show up or would cancel week after week. When she was abducted and taken by a man who was later convicted of human trafficking in federal court, the local police told me not to worry about it - she was probably partying with her friends. The police officer told me they had too many young girls missing to look for them all. It was my phone call to the FBI that finally got results. When she was raped and the rapist confessed, the States Attorney refused to prosecute and released him. Is it any wonder this girl didn't know how to protect herself and her child when she found herself in an unimaginable situation? She did not go to the police, she went to her father who I am convinced she knew beyond an doubt would do the right thing."
-Anonymous
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