Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Kelsey Bransby and Alina Fitzpatrick Are Still Dead

We are a a fast food, intensely faddist nation. We are constantly possessed by the latest rages and out rages. We are all about the moment. When the Komen foundation pulled grants from Planned Parenthood huge segments of the population roared their disapproval. For days the Internet and cable news services couldn't talk enough about it. Komen's management backed down and suddenly everyone was back in pink and running for the cure once again.

Then Jason Russell's video about Ugandan warlord, Joseph Kony went viral and the next thing you know all sorts of young people were wearing Kony 2012 tee shirts. Twitter was all atwitter.Unfortunately Russell went, as they say, a little funny in the head and was last seen stark naked on a San Diego street corner raving at passersby and masturbating. But it didn't matter, the Kony rage had all ready run its course. We were all ready looking else where.

Thanks to George Zimmerman it didn't take us long to find a new cause. Currently crowds are in the streets calling for Quick Draw McGraw's head because he shot an unarmed teenager in the course of his duties as neighborhood watch "captain." This craze will probably have more legs than either Komen, or Kony. After all Planned Parenthood is still in business, Kony is still in Africa while Trayvon Martin is currently being depicted as a drug fiend by authorities who are desperately trying to cover their asses. Sadly, as white hot as the issue currently is, it will still have a shelf life. Somewhere down the road, beyond his family and friends Trayvon Martin will cease to be a household name. Hoodie sales will return to their normal levels.

There in lies the problem with America. We have the collective attention span of a five year old on a sugar rush.

In Oklahoma City things began to go weird in the deadliest sort of ways last October. Within a month three young women were murdered. First was Carina Saunders who went missing, then turned up in pieces in a duffel bag. Shortly after that gruesome discovery a former class mate of hers, Kelsey Bransby was found shot in the face in a south side apartment.

Ms. Bransby's case had the misfortune of following on the heels of the more lurid Saunders' murder. It would seem a simple shooting death can't compete with the overwhelming fascination generated by decapitation and dismemberment. In fact it appeared the local media was bored by the story from the very beginning. Just another vanilla murder in the big town. Very little was said, or written in its immediate aftermath and certainly nothing has been mentioned lately. It looks like the police and the local news organizations have written her off completely. She became, cruelly, old news even before the next body was discovered.

In early November Alina Fitzpatrick went missing.  She turned up five days later, dead, naked, covered with what was described as "wide spread" bruises and abrasions." She was also found with a gag in her mouth. Her system was chock full of meth, but that still didn't explain how she got to that lonely field in far eastern Oklahoma City so obviously abused. On January 20th an OKC police Sgt gave a hint as to how important her death was to the department. She was quoted as saying, that although officers were keeping an open file on the case, they weren't currently investigating it as a homicide. That cold blooded take must have rang someones bell because ten days later an OKC police captain went on record as saying that the investigation, while not technically a homicide, was still active and on going.

That is, as far as I know, the last mention of the Alina Fitzpatrick case in the newspaper, or any other media outlet in this town. It would appear both she and Kelsey Bransby are just two more  largely forgotten casualties who were caught up in the violent undertow of American society. The media won't bother to mention them any more because there is no progress, no suspects, no drama. Cold cases don't sell ad space and besides there are new fish to fry, new outrages to capture the public imagination.

Yes, we like our burgers served fast and hot and then we want to move on. Never stay in one place too long. Kelsey Bransby and Alina Fitzpatrick are still dead. Tell us something new.

3-27-12

  

6 comments:

  1. Amazing,......very well written. Dead on.

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  2. Bransby solved now

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  3. How dare you. Just because you weren't close to these girls doesn't mean you have to be so pessimistic about their stories and play as if their lives meant nothing. Like stated above, Kelsey's case has been solved, so she was't just one out of "two largely forgotten casualties who were caught up in the violent undertow of American society". and i believe that they will eventually solve the Fitzpatrick case also. Good things happen to those who wait and have a little more faith.

    In other words, FUCK OFF.

    Good day.

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  4. Bitch Alina was a friend of mine, if she was here then it wouldnt be a big deal to the public but shes not there fuck you wit a long black dick

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  5. Woooow. Is that what you guys got out of this piece? i must be on an entirely different plain. The way i read it, was a means to make america wake up to the fact that our fast paced way of doing and seeing things is not good In a sense...our A.D.D attention span causes us to read, hear, listen, and quickly forget about things that are important and not the things that are constantly pushed in our faces like freakin Lindsey Lohan, and the Kardashian antics. I get it hunnii. These ladies are still dead, and the least we could do is not push them aside because they arent the hot issue in the news like these rich and famous celebrities. I get it...if i am wrong...i apologize, uuuh...nope dont think so. I believe i am correct in my analysis of this story. Well written...Very well written. The writer was being sarcastic, not cruel. Subliminally helping us to see that we DON'T SEE what is important, as life. I applaud you for writing this piece. It helped me to stop and think about a lot of stories i hear on the news, and they never give follow-ups as to the latest findings, or news as to the capture, death, life, or otherwise.

    I am so sorry these ladies fell asleep in death in the manner that they did. I hope the killers get what they deserve, slowly, and painfully.
    Such beautiful ladies...gone but never forgotten.

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  6. Still waiting for the Fitzpatrick case to be solved or for the media to update the public. We are interested, she is not forgotten and it's important to know that our police force is solving horrendous crimes. And, Carina Saunders...how about that case? Yes, we are watching and paying attention when young girls and boys are murdered.

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