The first thing I did when I saw that Ronald Cummings had a tattoo of Haleigh on his leg was put myself in the shoes of an innocent parent, whose child was truly abducted, and I thought about how I would feel. Then I thought about the tattoo.
Read moreThe tattoo gave me a horrible feeling.
If my daughter was missing, I would not want to memorialize this horrible tragedy on my leg, should she still be alive and come home, which is a thought I would desperately cling to until I had no other option.
If my daughter came home, I would never want to be reminded of the horror that I endured all those weeks not knowing where she was, but worse and more importantly, of the potential pain and suffering my daughter would have had to endure at the hands of a sick stranger for all those weeks. If my daughter come home safe and sound, I would want to forget this nightmare. Forever. I would not want to have horrific memories memorialized on my leg in a tattoo, especially if it could become an emotional “trigger” for my daughter of her nightmarish experience. I would never want to give a predator such power, either. I would want fresh beginnings and a new start, but a tattoo would rob me of that.
Of course, Cummings would likely argue that he got the tattoo as a sign of love and devotion to his daughter. We can’t say anything conclusive by his behavior here, but it is unusual, to say the least. Most parents of missing children find secondary things, such as unnecessary salon visits and self-pampering, are not a top priority in times of crisis like this. Finding their missing children takes top priority, even four weeks later.
It brings me back to the day I saw Cumming’s mother, Teresa Neves, on TV saying that Cummings didn’t go out and search on that particular day because “no one came and got him”. I was just appalled by that, as if it is the responsibility of other people to motivate Cummings to search. He is the father who should care the most, and be the most driven to organize, plan and continually work to find his daughter, but he continually shows us he is not.
If I were in his shoes, there would always be a task I could do to keep my daughter’s face front and center in the public’s eye, if I was not searching.
Cumming also doesn’t appear to look at the media as a tool, which I find perplexing. Innocent people who are victims of crime and are looking for a missing loved one usually see the media as a means to an end. They may not like the media, but use them as a tool. Instead, here, Cummings actually complains he is not being left alone to do what he wants to do! It’s just mind boggling.
What sad story this is on multiple levels. I just don’t trust Ronald Cummings. To read more of my thoughts on this case, click on the labels below.
