For those who may not know, this was a 2004 episode of "Cold Case." A bullying duo of girls, along with the victim's former friend, invite outcast Rita Baxter over to Brandi Beaudry's for a sleepover, with the entire evening going to shambles, culminating in child abuse, and, later, murder.
For those wishing to read more on "The Sleepover," search the space bar for posts referring to it. What I question is what happened in the aftermath, before daylight, and the discovery of Rita's body.
Tiffany O' Connell (Ashley Rose Orr, pictured here as the young Tiffany) says she left Rita in the room with Ariel and Brandi. She tried to get Rita to leave with her, and take her home, but the others would not let her. Discouraged, and already feeling guilt, Tiffany marched downstairs, and discovered the Beaudrys' liquor cabinet, helping herself to samples, until she passed out.
So, was Tiffany still passed out, when the Beaudrys came downstairs that morning? How would that have played out for them? Had they taken her home, her father might have pressed charges on the Beaudrys. How would the couple have dealt with it? Theirs was a house of secrets, and they did not want any of those secrets exposed. And this was before Rita's body was found, in 1990, and the whole thing exposed fourteen years later, in 2004.
Tiffany's passing out just might have thrown more light on the case. My guess is either she got up in time, and left, or she was found, fed, and sent home, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The last is how the Beaudrys would have wanted it, and it makes sense to me.
What do you think, girls? Realistically, how would such a situation have been handled?
And for those who have not, I urge you to watch "The Sleepover."
I Have seen it!!!
ReplyDeletethe far reaching trauma of Family Secrets...
Victoria,
ReplyDeleteOne of the most heartbreaking episodes of "Cold Case."
So many victims and culprits. You have to feel sorry for
Brandi and Neal. How Ariel managed to become a doctor after
what she did is beyond me. And poor sweet Rita. An old soul,
before her time. One of the saddest cases on the series.