(I was a little emotional while writing this, but it's something I feel pretty strongly about.
The link to the official newspaper story is at the end.)
Megan Meier was a 13-year-old girl. She loved things that a 13-year-old girl should love, she loved music, and boys, and myspace.
She wasn't without problems, but what 13-year-old girl is? She was being treated for depression, she had recently ended a friendship with a friend from down the street, and she was trying to lose weight.
Things were looking up, however. Her braces were coming off very soon, she had managed to lose 20 pounds. She had even met a boy, on myspace.
Her mother did monitor her Myspace usage, and the messages.
What happens next in this story is enough to make me physically ill.
Megan logs into Myspace to find that the boy she liked, Josh, had started to send her some hurtful messages. The hurtful messages turned into some horrible vile things said to her and directed at her through posts in blogs, bulletins, and personal messages. He was sharing her messages to him with others, it appeared. Megan was frantic. In one message Josh sent her, he told her the world would be a better place without her.
Soon after, Megan hung herself in her closet, just before her 14th birthday.
Tragic, right?
Josh...the boy...Wasn't a boy. Josh wasn't even a real person. "Josh" was created by THE MOTHER of the friend Megan had the falling out with.
This crazy sick BITCH created this boy, found Megan on Myspace, and led her to believe that he liked her. That he thought she was pretty. Once she had Megan hooked, she pulled the rug out from under her.
This "Mother" (if you can even call her that -- she barely qualifies as a person) knew Megan. She knew Megan had problems with depression. Megan had gone on vacations with this family. The two families were close. After Megan died (before her parents found out about the other families involvement) her parents stored a Christmas gift for the other family in their garage. They attended the other little girls birthday party.... I don't know how this mother could have even looked at them in the face given what she did.
The newspaper in her home town wont release the name of the parent who did this (WITH her daughter's knowledge and participation as well, keep in mind) because they want to protect the daughter.
Screw that. Her name is Lori Drew. LORI DREW. She's an evil bitch and deserves to be outed. According to the newspaper there's no law broken, or rather no law exists to prosecute this woman. At the very least she should be publicly outed and shunned.
Read the story here.
And CNN's story
Justice for Megan Meier
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
37 comments:
Awful :(
Sending love and good thoughts to Megan.
And hoping that karma will catch up with Lori. This is beyond imagining.
There is so much more I could say, but I can't find the right words. I wanted to let you know I have read and been affected by it,
Karen
It just makes me sick. I'm sick for Megan and her family. As a mother I feel rage towards the woman who did this to a little girl.
The whole thing is just awful. And so avoidable had one woman acted like a human being instead of a psychotic evil hateful bitch. (pardon the language)
I am a lawyer and former assistant district attorney here in pittsburgh PA. i can tell you that under pennsylvania law and that of the other 49 states including MO , that vile mother LORI DREW would face reckless endangerment and criminal MANSLAUGHTER charges. What is going on with the state prosecutor in Missouri ? if this is not a 'reckless endangerment' of another human being i don't know what is. You can do 5 years in jail for throwing a brick out of an apartment window if it kills a passerby on the street below. LORI DREW deserves jail time.
I agree with your conclusion, and with the lawyer. Lori Drew should be behind bars for a long, long time!
If you want to see the shear power of the blog, look no further than the sad tale of Megan Meier, the 13 year old that committed suicide last year. She established a relationship with a (we know now) a fictitious boy named Josh Evans. Then this boy called her horrible names and she was pushed over the edge. Then we find out that the fictitious boy was created by Lori and Curt Drew, adults - neighbors of the Meier's.
The story finally came out this week and the blogs have been absolutely radioactive with their disdain for these sick people (Lori and Curt Drew). The local paper did not publish their names, believing their anonymity was valid - but the blogs found them and outed them. And it goes further - we know all about Lori and Curt's business, their clients and even their property information.
More on http://www.what-a-world.com
There must be justice for poor Megan against horrible horrible people such as Lori and Curt Drew.
Justice? What a waste of space you people are. If a girl is that messed up in the head to where "breaking up" with a guy she had never met sent her over the edge; she was going to off herself sooner or later, no question about it. I mean, what if, God forbid, she got a rejection letter from a college?
What is this garbage about "things a 13 year old girl should be interested in?" Myspace does not let 13 year olds have accounts. She was an online liar too!!
Yes, it stinks that people would create a fake profile to contact a girl and then say mean thins, HOWEVER, there must be some parental responsibility, here. Megan's mother said she monitors her daughter's internet use - it is clear that Myspace is NOT for children under 14, so her mother shouldn't have let her have a profile in the first place. And if she had been monitoring it, she should not have let her be friends with anyone the mother didn't know PERSONALLY. It's not right for her to blame someone else for her daughter's actions in killing herself. No one did anything illegal, so they need to keep law enforcement out of it.
Anonymous- Are you Lori Drew or something?
If you think people are a waste of space for wanting to hold this ADULT accountable for her wreckless actions that most certainly pushed this young girl over the edge I think you are in fact a waste of space.
Women know how tough it is for young girls emotionally whent they are going through changes, dealing with mean kids in school, etc.
She would not have necessarily "offed herself" (your thoughful words), she likely would have grown up and learned to get more perspective. Instead she acted in a rash way at what was clearly a very low moment for her.
I hope that woman is haunted every day by her disgusting actions, god forbid her daughter ever be harassed by an adult.
Really? Really? You're going to blame a thirteen year old girl and her bereaved parents? You're not going to hold responsible a morally bankrupt adult who would go to the lengths of creating a fake teenage persona to torment a child? And yes, she is legally responsible. Her reckless, thoughtless actions led to the death of this girl, and people have been prosecuted for less. At the very least this woman should be sued for everything she has, and will ever have, in civil court. But what I cannot get over is that an adult, and a mother to boot, decided it would be a good idea to torment a child she personally knew to be disturbed.
Hey... No one needs to beat anyone else... Saying things like that, no matter how upsetting this entire situation is, is seriously irresponsible.
And to the Anon... If you want to post something like that and then hide behind an Anonymous handle... That speaks volumes. We're talking about an ADULT here. A grown woman. Who KNEW that this little girl was fragile. She KNEW that and still went about torturing her.
Should Megan have been on Myspace to begin with? According to the rules, no. But we're talking about young teenagers here, and let's be realistic, given what Myspace has blown up into you can't possibly be shocked that a 13 year old girl would want to be on there. Her mother did more than most parents of children that age as far as monitoring Megan's account.
You don't have to agree with me on this, but if you're going to post on here, act like a fucking adult.
There are so many people at fault in this situation it's not funny. It's Lori Drew's fault, because she did something incredibly immature in creating that account and doing what she did. It's the woman who outed Lori Drew's fault, for not coming forward sooner, or even coming forward before Megan offed herself. It's Megan's parent's fault, for allowing their daughter not only to break the rules agreed to in the agreement when signing up for MySpace, but also for not checking in on the daughter when she ran up to her bedroom in tears, from the computer. Not only that, but her father had SEEN the final message sent to poor Megan, and did not follow his daughter up to her room, to console her, but instead took the time to delete the message. Yeah. The FBI wanted to see this message, and cannot, because it was deleted. While what Lori Drew did was a horrible, tragic, and evil thing, she's not the only one at fault here. Another thing- Megan had threatened suicide while in the 3rd grade, and her mother's last words to her daughter were "I'm so aggravated with you!", causing Megan to say "You're supposed to be on my side!" before running up to her room and hanging herself. I'd say Megan needed someone in her life who loved her, rather than was aggravated with her.
This is DISGRACEFUL. And this so-called mother MUST be held responsible for what she caused.What is the difference from this and a sex pervert having communication on line with a CHILD?
This needs the full attention ofthe ATTORNEY GENERAL in the state it occured in.PROSECUTE TO THE FULLEST. I hope she gets the DEATH PENALTY.13 year olds are so vulnerable. This mother knew exactly what she was doing to this child.
My heart and prayers go out to Megans Mom and Dad.
BS - words on a screen DO NOT make "reckless endangerment" (and yes, I'm a lawyer, too...) This minor child's mother allowed her onto an internet site where she was NOT allowed (she was supposed to be 14) and I can't believe that she so "closely monitored" the site. Not to mention, Megan's mother was "shocked" by the vulgar language her OWN DAUGHTER was using...this is not a fragile victim..this is an overdramatic gesture that turned wrong...
There are WAY too many suppositions in the blog and in the postings to definitively say what really happened...that is a matter of fact for a jury, if a jury is even necessary.
Have we turned into such a country of wimps and whiners that words on a screen are a dangerous weapon?? If you want a police state, keep whining about this case and we'll ALL learn how much "freedom of speech" is worth.
OMG -- to the anonymous and the not so anonymous --How the hell can you sit there and predict that young girls future?? Who the hell are you to cast a shadow of guilt at a little child?? God in heaven knows none of you good people ever did something that you werent really supposed to do -- especially at 13!!!
I am so disgusted with the law in that city!! This woman (I prefer to call her satan!) drove this child to commit suicide! She was aware of her mental state, she knew personally how to intimidate her and crush her. She (Lori Drew) as much as put that belt on Megan's throat herself!!
Children have no way of knowing how insensitive, heartless, inhuman adults behave!! That is exactly why we have laws governing this type of thing. While Im at it, let me say, the mother of this child was doing what every other mother in America does, she gave something to her child to try and make her life a little better, If she was wrong then you should look in the mirror because I know EVERY mother out there occasionally "gives in" to their child!! How dare you suggest that her mother did something wrong!
This is just aweful. I'm sick to my stomach. I have a seventeen year old daughter and i remember the stressfull times she went through at that age. I can't even imagine what her parents are going through and pray i never have to. My heart goes out to the family and my prayers will include Megan for quite sometime i'm sure.
Girl commits suicide. Who's at fault? The girl obviously. Nobody made her hang herself. She choose that for herself because she couldn't handle stress. Cruel? Yes, but true. I have seen people struggle through situations that would make this look like a joke. Did they kill themselves? No. Life is tough. Don't be a whimp and kill yourself. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are worse off then you.
It's the DRUGS people. Suicide is just listed as a possible "side effect". Going to a school with a gun and shooting the place up is just a "side effect". They are ALL on these drugs. Check it out. But these drugs are such a huge cash cow that people in power just don't want to talk about it.
Megan was probably diagnosed with "problems" at age 6 and been on them ever since.
Wake up folks! It is the legal drug pushers that are killing these kids.
Lori Drew
Address:
269 Waterford Crystal Drive O'Fallon, MO 63366
Telephone #
636-272-2670
dear lawyers: I am a lawyer too and I am thinking along the lines of child molestation for these folks....what do you think?
Find the answer here:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595085602,00.html
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/redirect-to/?redirect=http://www.teenscreentruth.com/ReasonBehindTheMadness.html
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/redirect-to/?redirect=http://www.teenscreentruth.com/psychiatry_drugs_suicide.html
I think that lame excuse to see what Megan was saying about her kids online is BS. I CANNOT beleive that there is no law against an adult tormenting a mentally sick child. Especially going about it in a pre-meditated way over a period of a few weeks. They HAD to know what they were doing and the effect it would have. If local law enforcement wants to sit on there hands, maybe State or Federal should get involved, since it occured over the Internet. Someone needs to pay.
This is going around the net but the name and address of the lovely human beings that drove a girl to suicide is:
Curt D. & Jori J. Drew
269 Waterford Crystal Drive
Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
(636) 272-2670
So what she was "troubled?" I bet 75-80% of teenagers are troubled. This alleged message that was supposedly deleted? That's BS. This was made up after the fact. That's why the FBI couldn't find it. Are you people posting on a blog really so gullible as to believe the FBI can not find a deleted file? Get real. All that happened was she got "dumped." She hadn't even met the guy for Pete's sake. She was a selfish dumbass to think that's cause to kill herself. That's the truth. The truth hurts sometimes. Just because she's dead doesn't make her some kind of saint. It was her fault plain and simple. She shouldn't have been on Myspace at all; there are reasons for the rules they have. So her parents were dumbasses also for letting her misrepresent herself online.
Face reality, somebody that stupidly fragile is not going to be treated with kid gloves by everyone. Even if everybody was nicety nice because she was a wuss, you know good and well that one day, McDonalds would've given her a McChicken instead of a Double Cheeseburger, and she would've promptly drowned herself in the tub.
You're also playing pretty fast and loose with the "harassment." The idiocy of the receiving party does not harassment make. If she had told the girl her her favorite band sucked, then the girl killed herself because of it, would that be harassment too?
There are laws in Missouri to cover this crime (they may not specify "Myspace" or the internet but stalking laws can be applied), but the local police have chosen to ignore them. They decided, on their own, not to forward this to the Prosecuting Attorney. (The PA is now investigating if charges should be/can be brought.)
The sad story of Megan Meier grained ground after another local girl was cyberstalked and harrased by another local boy. It escalated to the threats of rape and other harm to the girl. The boy was caught but the police and city attorney (not the PA) ended up charging him with littering. Yes, you read that right---LITTERING!
So, until we can change the mindset of the police departments and get them to realize that crimes that happen via technology are as real as those by paper and pen we will see more stuff like this.
(This is not police bashing, but just an observation that sometimes are institutions--especially in these new, outer suburbs--sometimes have trouble thinking outside of the box.)
Hmmm, interesting. Could it be?
http://www.cbgundaker.com/search/agent/detail.jsp?publicid=CCUDREW
People who lack sympathy for Megan and her family lack knowledge about the way mental illness works.
Mental illness is something in the body not working right, which results in depression. ADD has depression as a side effect, so the girl had two strikes against her.
A person suffering from clinical depression can know rationally that words are "just words" as some people here would like to have readers believe. But the imbalanced brain chemistry will make the negative words that much bigger and more believable and harder to counter.
Why is it we can be sympathetic to the diabetic, to the hemophiliac, and to those with birth defects and other debilitating illnesses, but we heap derision and withhold sympathy from the mentally ill?
Because people are ignorant and refuse to do a little research before spouting off their opinions.
Megan Meier was in therapy and on medication to try working through her depression. She was happy for the first time in a while.
The parents did, in fact, try to check into who Josh was, and got nothing from MySpace. So they monitored her as best they were able.
That Tina Meier was shocked to hear her child using such language is just naivete on the mother's part. Kids want desperately to fit in [and depression makes that worse because depressed people will always feel there's noplace in the world for them], and will do what they think makes them fit in.
Someone building her up and then tearing her down was quite likely devastating to Megan.
So to all you people handwaving her suicide and minimizing her emotions -- you clearly have never done the research or dealt with depression on that level yourselves. You're just blowing hot air without really knowing what you're talking about.
"People who lack sympathy for Megan and her family lack knowledge about the way mental illness works."
I don't lack sympathy for Megan or her family. But I am against all the dumb sheep calling the other mom a murderer. Megan's death was very sad, but it was her fault. If you have problems, fine. If you commit a crime, it's still your fault. If you put a rope around your neck, you'll still die. If the "problems" are that bad, check into a facility where no one will ever offend you or make you angry. Otherwise, you live in the real world and play by the rules.
"The parents did, in fact, try to check into who Josh was, and got nothing from MySpace. So they monitored her as best they were able."
Yeah, her parents were stupid if they think you can get user information from web accounts. They were also stupid because Megan was only 13, and she had to lie on her profile to have an account and claim she was 14. That's bad parenting, and then why would they expect to get real information from Myspace or the users they encountered, when they have just provided false information and signed up an underage girl against the rules.
"Why is it we can be sympathetic to the diabetic, to the hemophiliac, and to those with birth defects and other debilitating illnesses, but we heap derision and withhold sympathy from the mentally ill?"
Well, the diabetic and those with birth defects know how to deal with their conditions and do not blame other people for their idiocy. Diabetic people don't eat triple chocolate fudge cake. People born without legs don't (usually) go mountain climbing. Likewise, if the "mental problem" is really that bad, they should be committed, not out in the public where they are likely to be offended.
The mental problem issue is BS anyway. 90% of ADD is BS. Most depression is a dumb misnomer for the process of preteen and teen self discovery.
Actually, MySpace only very recently changed from 13 [the minimum age allowed by law] to 14, after one of their "MySpace is a haven for sexual predator" newsmaking events. Megan may have been allowed to join before the age change. No way to determine that unless MySpace decides to give up the information. So being determined to make out the parents as bad here is perhaps a bit premature.
Diabetics can and do eat triple fudge cake and then they take the consequences. I know of a woman who is deadly allergic to chocolate. She eats it once a year on her birthday and calls 911 to let them know to send an ambulance.
And a lot of people who suffer from mental illnesses, over time, learn [in therapy] what triggers them and set them off. They learn to handle or deal with the triggery things. Megan was in therapy, so she was in the process of dealing with her condition.
But if a diabetic were given something loaded with sugar in a package saying they were actually sugar-free, it's not the diabetic's fault for eating something given them that they didn't know or expect to be bad for them.
What was done here [because the Drews knew Megan suffered from depression and was in treatment for it] was about the same thing. They built her up, then tore her down.
"The mental problem issue is BS anyway" is another unfortunately ill-informed statement. Depression is tracked and linked to brain chemistry and serotonin levels; or other neurotransmitters not functioning properly. This is proven. It can be measured and that's why the medication works. This has nothing at all to do with self discovery.
Teenagers may have depressive periods as part of their self discovery, but there's still a difference between that and the medical definition of depression. Drew and company took advantage of an existing medical condition they knew about.
I wouldn't call Drew a murderer because she didn't personally put the belt around the girl's neck, but I would say harassment, stalking, and emotional abuse would be valid charges.
I would also think Drew needs some psych eval herself, because playing mindgames with a girl she already knew struggled with depression, and encouraging others to join in is not something a healthy adult does.
"Tearing her down" by calling her fat and cruel...maybe she was! Her own mother was "shocked" by Megan's language - maybe she precipitated the incident or at the very least, exacerbated it. Further - threats of raps online are entirely different than insults about a person's appearance (for suzyjax). Threats amy be actionable - opinions ARE NOT. And by the way, if anything happens to the Drews, all of you idiots posting their address as an implied threat should also be prosecuted.
Wow. I can't believe these people call themselves adults...
For all of those of you who are hiding behind the "Anonymous" tag:
Have the balls to identify yourselves and give others a chance to address you personally.
How about we just address the ideas and quotes that someone says if we disagree? Do you even realize the irony of whining about people hiding behind an Anonymous ID while posting as "detail medic?" Don't see many of those in my phone book.
All this outrage is a travesty. The other mom, an adult, more than likely didn't even participate or know about any of the really mean things, until after the fact. All she was guilty of was being wierd and making a poor choice to give or allow others to see the password on the account.
Do any of you screaming abuse, even realize that she could turn off the computer any time and walk away? Or better yet, just NOT log on to Myspace? She could have even created a whole new identity. I'm sure her first one wasn't her real name anyway, so make a new one that the offensive party does not know. Geez, it's not rocket science.
I've also heard mentioned that Megan's mother once was shocked by what her daughter was writing. This tidbit has been given very little attention. I know how it has been portrayed, but Megan supposedly "had mental problems." What if SHE WAS abusive to her friends? What if all the mean messages she received were just retribution?
The other thing is that we can't prove the Myspace incidents led to her suicide. Apparently, she didn't leave a note. So, there is ample reasonable doubt to cause and effect. Maybe she went round and round with her dad about driving her to the mall that night. Maybe she was overwhelmed by her homework assignment. Anything could've happened and there is no way for anyone to know. The Myspace incident may have just been the reason the parents gave to avoid saying, "We wouldn't let her go get her belly button pierced so she killed herself."
Her parents need to own some of the responsibility. They allowed their underage, mentally unstable child to go on MySpace. They further encouraged a suspicious relationship with a stranger. Now the sh!t hits the fan and it's all someone else's fault? They are partly to blame. She should have been in counseling, not on the Internet.
With that said, these GROWN ass fools who perpetrated this SHOULD be prosecuted in some way or fashion. There has to be some law that prohibits adults from intentionally and maliciously contacting children online. If an adult flirted with a child in-person they'd be arrested! If an adult verbally assaulted a child in-person they'd at least be fined.
A brief letter to lawmakers, sheriff's department and other people -- even an email or fax -- will show that we will not stand for this harassment, goad them to change legislation to make this kind of online harassment illegal. Megan Meier is not the first kid to be hurt by online harassment, and she won't be the last. It is the best chance for Lori Drew to actually see the jail time she so richly deserves -- and hopefully get her kid some counseling.
People to write and fax a letter to:
Jack Banas, Prosecuting Attorney
Courts Administration Building
Room 601
300 North Second Street
St. Charles, MO 63301
Tom Neer,
St Charles County Sheriff Department
101 Sheriff Dierker Court
O' Fallon, MO 63366
Fax: (636) 949-3078
E-Mail: sheriff@sccmo.org
Remember - Lori Drew, the woman who started it all, actually had the gall to file a complaint against the parents of the girl she tormented, for destroying a "foosball table" she asked them to hide for Christmas.
The Meier family, when they learned of Drew's harassment of their daughter months after her death, destroyed the foosball table and drove its remains onto the Drew lawn. The police filed a report about the property damage -- but not about Drew's harassment and goading of Meier?! Ask them to drop the charges and file new ones against Mrs. Drew.
Rep. Doug Funderburk
MO House of Representatives
201 West Capitol Avenue
Room 236B Jefferson City MO 65101
Congressman Todd Akin (St. Louis)
District Offices 301 Sovereign Court, Ste. 201
St. Louis, MO 63011
314-590-0029 voice
314-590-0037 fax
Email: http://www.house.gov/akin/emailtodd.html
If you're not from Missouri, also write your own senator and representative. Ask them to work on a federal law that would make online stalking, punishable by mandatory community service, mandatory counseling and/or jail time.
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Ed Weeks
President and CEO
The Saint Peters Chamber of Commerce
1236 Jungermann Road, Suite C.
St. Peters, Missouri 63376
Fax 636-447-9575
Mrs. Lori Drew is a member of the Chamber. Make sure the Chamber knows that using a business temp to help harass a 13 year girl, while using office equipment, goes against the grain of all ethical business people. Ask that Lori Drew and her company's membership be suspended immediately.
United States Attorney (Eastern Missouri)
Catherine Hanaway
Thomas Eagleton U.S. Courthouse
111 S. 10th Street, 20th Floor
St. Louis, MO 63102
Fax: 314.539.2309
Carrie Costantin
Assistant United States Attorney
Project Safe Child Coordinator
Cybercrime Task Force
Fax: 314-539-2309
Ask the US Attorneys to take a crack at this case.
Sick ...just sick...I to strongly agree with you on it!
Ms. Drew played directly on the sensitivities she knew would cause maximum damage to the Megan. Ms. Drew lured Megan in a way she knew would be most devastating to the child.
This wicked MOA Drew used is the exact methodology that a child predator employs to bait, lure and reel a child victim into doing their will. Child grooming was utilized over weeks and weeks to gain the child's trust... and once trust was obtained, she exploited it into a relationship. (Another Child Predator Hallmark).
When Ms. Drew saw her bullets were hitting it's mark, she turned up the heat. She invited others to partake in the sick, twisted mental assault on this child, keeping the pressure up. Even her business employee joined in the game.
Ms. Drew then delivered the final blow that many depressed 13 year old girls would crumble under.
She mentally raped the child and left her for dead. Better said, encouraged her for dead.
Ms. Drew remains smug and defiant about her actions - even seeks to attack this grieving family while their beloved daughter's memory is fresh in their mind.
She has committed the unthinkable.... and doesn't even acknowledge she abused this child.
Child Predators go to jail for their actions. Physical contact is not required for a conviction. Evidence of any kind of sexually charged grooming of a child by an adult is worthy of a charge of indecent liberties with a child.... or at the very least harassment.
If even assisted suicide is criminal intent, driving someone to it should at least qualify as something more heinous than an ordinary parking ticket.
Danny Vice
http://weeklyvice.blogspot.com/
Curt D. & Lori J. Drew
269 Waterford Crystal Drive
Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
(636) 272-2670
Curt's Cell: 314-520-8688
(Lori's Advertising Business)
Drew Advantage
2977 Highway K Ste 200, O Fallon, MO 63368-7862
Mr. Curt Drew
Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker Gundaker
2 CROSSROADS CENTER
O’FALLON, MO 63368
Office Phone: (636)379-8500
Fax: (636)379-2144
Lori's Cell (314) 520-7916
Post a Comment