Brianna Denison

I'm not sure how many of you have heard about this story - but our community here in Reno has been hit hard by a tragedy. In late January, Brianna Denison, 19, was abducted from a home in the neighborhood next to campus. She grew up in Reno and was home visiting for winter break (she went to college in Santa Barbara). She had gone out with her friends to a concert and later that night slept on the couch in her friend's livingroom. The sliding glass door next to where she was sleeping had been left unlocked. In the morning when her friends woke up - Brianna was gone. Her cell phone and shoes were still there.

In the weeks that followed, the entire community seemed to rally in hopes of finding Brianna. I have never seen a campaign like this for a missing person. Posters of Brianna were everywhere - the casino marquis, in drive-thru windows, on every telephone pole, etc. Search and rescue teams made up of hundreds of volunteers combed the fields closest to campus for weeks hoping to find some trace of Brianna. Reno is still a small town in the sense that everyone seems to know someone you know. We have a friend who owns a car dealership and the police where there (and at every dealership) seeing if anyone tried to get rid of a car fast. One of the parent's in Korey's classroom was telling me her friends ex-husband was turned in as a possible suspect and interviewed. Another parent told me everyone in her husband's office were interviewed. The talk about this case has been constant and everywhere - in the line at the grocery store, on the radio - and of course on the news and in the paper.

This past weekend, Brianna's body was discovered in a field near my home (not the one right at the end of our sreet for those of you who have been here - another field about a mile away). Brianna had been strangled and her body dumped there over a week ago (perhaps longer, they haven't said yet). Until recently, most of the fields had been covered with snow. A man walking during his lunch break discovered her body. It was horrible news.

DNA evidence had linked Brianna's abductor to a serial rapist who has assaulted 2-3 other women on and near campus. They assume the man is local and have a possible description. They think he either lives or works near campus or on our end of town since he dumped her body down here. Women around here are rattled to say the least to know a serial rapist and now murderer is on the loose. Oh - and one of his rape victims told police there was a baby shoe on the floor of his truck - so this guy might be a Dad. They think he blends into the community really well and it's probably someone that family and friends would never imagine would be capable of these crimes. It's beyond creepy...

Brianna's favorite color was blue and today Jeff & I went to a birthday party with the kids and there were blue ribbons everwhere - on car antennas, front doors, light poles. Where Brianna's "missing person" posters had been now show posters with the sketch artist drawing of the potential suspect. The community is outraged and the manhunt has begun.

I wanted to post something about Brianna's story because I hope it reminds everyone to be safe. I can think back on my life (and our lives) and think about many times we made dumb decisions (leaving doors unlocked, walking around in dark neighborhoods, hanging out with boys we didn't know very well, the list goes on). We are all very lucky. In addition, I just hope people don't forget about this young woman who died way too early. My heart goes out to the Denison family. I cannot begin to imagine their pain. I know I will never forget Brianna. For more information about Brianna, go to http://www.briannadenison.com/.

Be safe,
Temple