A physician friend recounted this story to me recently:

I was watching a news report about the Anderson story and there were several other doctors there. The anchor woman posed the idea that DiMaggio had romantic intentions toward Hannah Anderson.

The others in the room scoffed at this as though the woman had said that the people were aliens.

My friend was surprised. Knowing my family’s story may have skewed his perspective. I know it has skewed mine.

I think we do not face these stories well. Good people, even highly analytical people like these doctors, are uncomfortable admitting to themselves that an adult could cultivate a relationship with a family in order to pursue a child.

I have experienced this phenomena myself. Once I was the young woman Hannah’s age with an adult male who made me uncomfortable.

I was saved not by my parents but by a good friend who warned my parents that this man–a coach, was targeting me for sex.

Ugh.

My friend saved me just by speaking up. Warning me was enough.

Who could have saved the Anderson family?

It should not take a manhunt and homicide to get us out of our cocoons to talk about the predators who target children.