This evening I sat down to read the Star Herald and found a photo of my daughter, Carrie Nelson, and the headline "Time heals, but murder victim isn’t forgotten." I had not been notified that an article about Carrie would appear in this week’s paper. Surprises like this are very upsetting, especially during the month of the anniversary of Carrie’s tragic and terrifying death. Reading the headline saying that "time heals" and to find within the article that "For Carrie’s friends and family members, time is beginning to heal their pain … " was enough to prompt me to write this letter. Yes, time has passed, but time is not "healing" my pain — I am learning to live with the horror and the loss every minute of every day for the rest of my life. As Carrie’s Mom I know that I will never "get over" this; I will never reach "closure" and possibly I will never again find peace. I watch Carrie’s only sibling struggling to build a life without Carrie and without the peace and safety we learn to expect. I see some of Carrie’s closest friends, relatives and co-workers at the park also struggling to put their lives back together and I know that none of us will ever really "get over" this. We are doing the best we can to live with the changes in ourselves and the adjustment to an unfamiliar and unwelcome way of life. I would appreciate it in the future if the editorial staff would inform both of Carrie’s parents before another article runs in the paper. I appreciate the attention the Star Herald has given to Carrie’s story and hope that the articles result in a tip or information that will lead to the apprehension of the person or persons responsible for Carrie’s death. Nan Karr KaufenbergWentworth, S.D.
