Ghosts of Halloween past

Today I decorated the yard and the house for a favorite Whitefish holiday, Halloween.

As I was enjoying the beautiful autumn day I was remembering that we didn't have any trick or treaters last year. That evening, many of the houses in our neighborhood were shut tight and the streets were eerily and sadly quiet.

I'm looking forward to seeing the gangs of goblins arriving in droves as usual though I still can't help but think about how different Whitefish felt after the frightening events of last fall.

It's been a year since two reported rapes occurred during October 2003. One happened in the Whitefish area and the other followed a very short time later in Columbia Falls.

It was big news initially and I believe the Flathead County Sheriff created a special task force to investigate the rape near Whitefish. But, they still have not told the community if the rapist were ever apprehended. This lack of information about the investigation hasn't helped to alleviate anxieties that many females still feel about these terrible crimes of violence, nor does it quell the rumors that still abound.

Women in general, families with daughters and female employees of Whitefish businesses all had to endure a very tense and traumatic time last fall and winter. Some business owners paid to have extra staff on duty as escorts for employees who had to work after dark. Money was spent adding extra security to homes around the area.

There was implied danger and we all did our part to become more aware, be smarter about self protection, be on the lookout for leads, and yet remain calm and go about our daily business.

We still have yet to hear meaningful information about the status of the case. We were told by the Flathead Sheriff's Office that the physical evidence (DNA) collected for evidence could help to identify a suspect. It was reported that the two assaults were violent and done by an unknown attacker. Did one man do both assaults? These were unusual crimes for the Flathead Valley and yet the investigation went completely cold without any explanation from the authorities. If the man is still at large, then possibly a cold-case investigation by specially trained investigators could help to solve these crimes.

We deserve meaningful answers. We've had very little updated information from the sheriff's office. What we did learn was from the local newspaper, and all they were able to glean was sparse, vague and guarded information.

Kalispell experienced a similar crime, a reported rape at gunpoint in a shopping mall. Their police department got right on the case and after a brief investigation reported to the public that the event was a hoax. The victim was not really a victim but made false reports to the police for her own motivation. The Kalispell police cleared the air and its citizens were not looking over their shoulders. Kalispell police should be commended for doing such a good, thorough and quick investigation, and then reporting the outcome to the public.

So what is the current status of the rape investigations of last October in the North Valley? Are the cases any closer to being solved? Could the Kalispell police assist the sheriff's office special taskforce in completing its investigation? These events should not be ignored. They shouldn't be hushed no matter what the actual outcomes really were. No news leaves the citizens to speculate. A good investigation includes periodic news reports to reassure the people that something is still being done about these crimes.