ethan stacy

this is from a candle light vigil a day after ethan's body was found somewhere in the woods near powder mountain. and also just a day after he went missing. i think the speed at which this event was unfolding made it especially tough to deal with -- for the public and at least for the people in our newsroom who covered the entire story. One minute you look for a missing child, the next minute he's found dead and right after you hear the mom and step dad are most likely going to be charged with murdering him. how do we understand this weird beast, the human psyche? is it possible to figure out how parents could do this without sounding like you're making up an excuse for their actions? how do we tell the story in a way that's complex yet compassionate?