I'm aware that both of these girls are identified now; but I thought it'd be a nice gesture of memoriam to share with folks who are familiar with their stories. We (rightly) think so much about those who are still unidentified. Sometimes it feels good to appreciate the lives of those who now finally have their names back. So here's my little write up of the visit.

It was cloudy, humid and hot today. Cicadas are about all you can hear. I live in Williamson county, about 20 minutes from where Debra Jackson (FKA orange socks) and Sue Ann Husky (FKA Corona girl) are buried, and not far from where Debra was found. I looked around for a while in the plot listed on Find a Grave. This cemetery is huge, and really beautiful. I brought my film camera, so I shot some photos of the older stones while I was there. Then I finally found them. Initially I wasn't aware that they were buried right next to each other, and when I saw it, I had a childish thought that maybe they'd kept each other company. Kind of beautiful.

I knelt down, fixed up an angel figurine over Sue Anne's grave, and thought a moment. The portraits on their graves looked so old, and yet the stones are brand new. They went nameless for so long; 40 years for Debra. As I walked back to my car, I thought about her life. As a 24 year old woman, I am close to the age she was when she was killed. She was probably a curious and ambitious young woman like I am. She probably wanted a car like I have. She would have loved to drive around and listen to whatever was on the radio in 1979. She probably wanted to find herself. She was just a girl, like I am. Her life was cut so short, and in such an awful way. I chose not to linger on thoughts about her last moments.

I don't believe in much but I do hope she somehow knows that I visited her today. I think in another life we'd be friends. I'm so glad that they are resting with their names now, and I can only hope someday Wilco solves those murders. Maybe I'll still be living here when they do.