Readers Respond About Amy Harris
June 28, 2011
My apologies for the lack of updates recently. The death of Alex Thomas was a massive shock, and in amidst the media frenzy surrounding what happened, I felt it would be futile acting as one more buzzing voice in the swarm. Today, I don’t want to talk about that. Instead, I want to talk about something that was important to Alex when he was alive: Amy Harris.
In earlier blogs, I’ve talked about how 9-year-old Amy Harris went missing without a trace last month, and how Alex Thomas got invested in aiding in the thus-far fruitless search for her. Indeed, in his last public appearance before his death, on Tonight! With Howie Hollows, he made a point of mentioning Amy and reminding the audience and the viewers at home that she still needs our help. I made an appeal for people to contact me at thestandardcomic@gmail.com if they had any information on Amy’s whereabouts. We had a great response. Sadly, no one had any concrete, actionable evidence – I don’t think I ever seriously expected I could do what the police couldn’t – but what I did get was an outpouring of support that helped show me that Amy is not forgotten, and that some people still care about seeing her found and returned safely to her mother. Here is a sample of some of the messages I’ve received:
It’s terrible when a child goes missing. Too many of these faces show up on the news all over the world, and it’s easy for us to let one blend into another. But we shouldn’t do that. Every one of those faces means the world to someone, including Amy’s. The police should redouble their efforts to track her down. We can’t give up on her!
- Luke, Glasgow, Scotland
Maybe we could form some kind of group or initiative to help Amy, do things to raise funds and help continue the search and raise awareness? It might not be much, but anything we can do to make a difference is surely a good thing. Thanks for taking the time to write about Amy on your blog.
- Melissa, San Diego, California
Hello John. My name is Emily and I am 6 years old. My mum said I could write this letter to you because I heard about Amy Harris on the TV and it made me sad. They say on the TV that no one knows where she is but I know that the bogeyman has her. I know because I saw the bogeyman once and he tried to take me away with him but then my mum called on me and I ran away. He was very scary and he was a bad man. I think he took Amy and he maybe took other children too. I drew a picture of him which I will also send you. I say in my prayers that I want them to find Amy so she can go home to her mom. She must be very sad and scared and want to go home.
- Emily, Sky City
That girl didn’t run away. Somebody took her. Someone knows where she is.
- Tyler, Newburyport, Massachusetts
