What An Indescribably Horrible Thing To Happen To A Child!!!!!!!! But Did It Have To????????

                                         
                                               Girls, the Cyndi Allinger case, which I watched the other night on "Nightmare Next Door" is a cautionary tale for parents everywhere, and the one episode I have seen  of this program where it truly earns its title!!!!!!!!

                                                   On July 4, 1996, Cyndi Allinger, age 9, disappeared.  Two weeks later, in a wooded area, her partially clothed body was found,wrapped in a thick blanket.  Evidence showed Cyndi died a painful, terrifying death--one that involved blunt force trauma, enough to fracture her jaw, not to mention rape and then strangulation.  A nine year old child, darlings!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Weeks later, Guy Matthew Rasmussen was found to be the culprit. He was arrested, put on trial, and sentenced to Life, without parole, which he most likely deserves.  But there are underlying pieces of this story, which make it even more interesting.

                                                       Rasmussen, who was known as "Raz' about the neighborhood, near where he lived, was a musician in a band. He was in his thirties, and like most band musicians, smoked weed, and had access, I am sure, to plenty of groupies, which would have guaranteed some action. And I have no doubt he partook.  But he had other dirty little secrets.   When the search was on for Cyndi, the canvassed area revealed a total of 28 sex offenders living there.  None of them, of course, touched Cyndi.  But Rasmussen, though he had a prior record of child molestation, if not murder, in Thurston County (the case with Cyndi was in Lakewood, Washington)  was not on the roster, due to "legal technicalities."  The System fails again!!!!!!!!!

                                                        I could not determine the gender of the child or children in Rasmusssen's prior cases, but I am willing to bet they were all underage girls, about Cyndi's age.  Evidently, this sicko likes young, prepubescent girls, and the fact that he did not  show up on a registry, indicated, while exhibiting a prior history, that he was someone struggling with his impulses.  In the case of Cyndi, it was less lust, than a theft of opportunity.

                                                         Cyndi's mother, Rhonda Plank, had gone on an errand.  The two often communicated by cell phones, so Rhonda felt safe leaving Cyndi for awhile to play in the neighborhood.  Rasmussen must have seen Rhonda drive off, witness the exchange between them.  He saw his chance, and made good on it.

                                                           But there was more.  When Cyndi's young friends, who essentially cracked the case, talked to law enforcement officers, they revealed Cyndi and they had a history of visiting 'Raz' , as they called him, at his house in the woods.  He had lots of "cool" musical instruments, and a little dog they enjoyed playing with--and he seemed to enjoy having them there.  According to them, nothing happened to them as a group--but Cyndi would often visit him alone.  Now, there is a red flag right there.
What is a guy in his 30s doing hanging out with prepubescent girls?  At one point, Cyndi asked her mother if
'Raz' could come to her birthday party.  When Rhonda asked her daughter about 'Raz', how old he was, etc. Cyndi replied, "Oh, about your age!"  At which point Rhonda wisely said no.

                                                            However.
                                                     
                                                             Rhonda did not do enough. Now, I know some will say I am doing what is called "Monday morning quarterbacking" here (the Raving Queen using a SPORTS metaphor???? It doesn't happen often, but come on, darlings; I read!!!) but it seems to me from that point Rhonda should have consulted with the mothers of the other girls, and they should all have questioned why this guy would want to hang out with their inappropriately (for him) young daughters.  Whether Rhonda was overwhelmed by single motherhood (she was raising three girls on her own in a working class nabe), did not have the insight or education, or just had poor parenting skills, much more adult intervention should have taken place, to stop the girls from associating with 'Raz'.

                                                             In Rhonda's case, the reason seemed to be all of the above.  Now, though I may sound like a broken record, Rhonda was white trash, and was drawn to abusive men--both Cyndi's father, whom she left, and now David Bauschman, her live-in boyfriend, which is no way to be raising girls, having someone you are having sex with in your home, not being married, and causing your daughters exposure to immorality.   Perhaps Rhonda's lifestyle made it easy for Cyndi to think nothing was unusual about a very adult man taking an interest in her.  So, I am not saying that Rhonda is Casey Anthony, and I do not subscribe to the view held by some that she or Bauschman killed Cyndi, but I do think that, had Rhonda not been so negligent, Cyndi would be alive.

                                                            And I don't blame Rhonda's social status, or lack thereof, or even the nabe. These things happen in high end areas. Etan Patz, anyone?????????

                                                              This was a horrible tragedy that need not have happened.  Rhonda needs to work on those parenting skills, if she wants to keep her other two daughters safe.

                                                                 And don't bring sleazy boyfriends into houses filled with girls!!!!!!!!!