I've only watched this show a few times. I was horrified the
first time I saw it in 1992. As I
watched it today, 20+ years later, I have a clearer understanding as to the
challenges we faced back then. This TV show was filmed during the first couple
days and into the next 3 weeks of the abductions of my mother, sister and Stacy
McCall. What you see is one family being treated as co-victims of a horrible
crime, they are given support, respect, sympathy and inside access to law
enforcement, you will also see another family (mine) being treated in a
disparagingly, derogatory and suspicious way. The blatant insinuations made by
Det. David Asher towards my mother and sisters life styles and choices are hard
to miss. I of all people understand
media spin and would be more than willing to excuse it as such. However, I was
right in the middle of this investigation, being considered an early suspect
was logical at the time and I was willing to do whatever was needed to clear
myself and have them move on and find my family. I was suspected, investigated
and dismissed. I then allowed myself to be marginalized by the shame of being a
shitty son and brother. That part I own. However, why was there a need to
choose sides in this situation? And it was done, no spin needed by the media,
why did Det. David Asher go out of his way to degrade my family and then attach
himself to the McCall family? I'm not trying to insinuate anything here, just
trying to make sense out of it. You see,
I got really lost after all this, my mother and sister are gone. It has been
over 20 years and we still have no answers, this will always mess me up, but
there was something else that happened back then and it was also messed up.
There was a somewhat successful attempt to degrade my family and their
reputations in the public eye, was this done to make the general public feel
safe? You Know, This type of horrible crime doesn't happen to good people and
of course you and your family are good people, so those people (my family) must
have been bad people. Was it that easy to slander and degrade 2 loving people's
memories, just to make you feel a little safer, so you could go to bed at night
holding on to your illusions of security? Was that Det. David Asher's motive? I
don't know, I'm just guessing. I can only hope it was that pure.
You see 20+ years later, Det. Asher and the rest of us know
that my mother and sister were good people, the slander was uncalled for and
he was wrong.
Hopefully, we all have learned to be less base and
condemning.
Bartt Streeter
9/30/12
Link to Original 48 Hours TV show