Remembering Dru Sjodin

November 22, 2003 Dru Sjodin was leaving her job at Victoria's Secret to head home to begin preparations for the Thanksgiving holiday. As she made her way through the door towards the parking lotm she dialed a friend on her cell phone. Shortly thereafter, the friend would hear Dru say "oh my God" and the phone fell silent. Dru never arrived home that night and it was clear that something had gone very wrong that afternoon.
The search began for Dru. Who could've taken her and why? Dru's boyfriend was ruled out as a suspect shortly after Dru's disappearance. It appeared that Dru was taken by someone she did not know. Authorities began a search for anybody who might be a person of interest in the disappearance of Dru, when one person appeared on their list. His name was Alfonzo Rodriguez. Rodriguez was recently released from prison where he served a sentence for rape and attempted kidnapping. He was considered a level three sex offender. Later Rodriguez's vehicle would yield information that he was the person who took Dru. He was subsequently arrested. Several searches were called off due to treacherous weather conditions. Later, in April of 2004, Dru was found covered by her coat in a revine. The search for Dru was now over, and the search for justice would begin. Rodriguez has been charged with Dru's murder, however he has yet to be put on trial for Dru's murder. Today's blog entry is not just about the disappearance of Dru Sjodin, it's about another very serious problem in our world today - that being sex offenders.
Many people are trying to find out what causes these people to exist and what causes them to act on their impulses. It is my personal opinion that many of these people who commit these crimes have past problems with sexual abuse as a child or some sort of porn addiction. I believe the pornography fuels many of these violent attacks against women and children, even against men. It is a known fact that some people cannot separate reality from fantasy. We cannot stop adult films, and Lord knows if we did, there would be a lot of people out jobs. HOWEVER - we can make these items not so readily available to people. These things to certain people are dangerous tools that fuel impulses that are later acted upon usually against others who do not have the same mindset.
With Alfonzo Rodriguez, I believe had a hatred towards a certain type of woman. He used his hated, along with his twisted thoughts inside his head to attack an innocent victim.
How many of these disappearances are we seeing on the news daily that are later found to be linked to a sex offender? It appears we have a global epidemic. I believe each state in the US should begin a campaign to stop these people. Make them known to everyone, not just listing them on a website. We need zero tolerance. Life needs to revert back to the times when we could sleep with our doors open without fear. No other woman or man should be abducted for some person's sick idea of a good time. There are things we can do to work towards zero tolerance. What happened to Dru should've never happened. Let us remember her family and Dru tomorrow as they celebrate this unfortunate anniversary. Once again, if we all work together, we can put a stop to these people and save somebody's loved one.

This blog entry today is dedicated to Carrie Culberson and all others who are either missing or murdered.