This week I wrote about the D. B. Cooper case for the Washington Post. (I’ve written about another airborne mystery before, that of Amelia Earhart). I’ve long had a fixation on missing people. One of the first news stories I remember being aware of as a child was the disappearance of a girl my age. It was a big deal at the time, with the police putting a mannequin in the same clothes by the bus stop in case it jogged the memories of passers-by. I remember wondering if they would do that if I vanished. Despite their efforts, her loss remained unsolved for years, with occasional reminders in newspapers on anniversaries—the same photo in which she remained 9, while I grew up. I thought about her now and then, and know her name, while I would struggle to recall the names of my classmates from that year.
Lost and not found
This week I wrote about the D. B. Cooper case for the Washington Post. (I’ve written about another airborne mystery before, that of Amelia Earhart). I’ve long had a fixation on missing people. One of the first news stories I remember being aware of as a child was the disappearance of a girl my age. It was a big deal at the time, with the police putting a mannequin in the same clothes by the bus stop in case it jogged the memories of passers-by. I remember wondering if they would do that if I vanished. Despite their efforts, her loss remained unsolved for years, with occasional reminders in newspapers on anniversaries—the same photo in which she remained 9, while I grew up. I thought about her now and then, and know her name, while I would struggle to recall the names of my classmates from that year.