Reference no: EM133423168

Case study

Jill Dawson was the mother of a beautiful young woman, Amy, who went to work for a social agency in South America after her college graduation. She loved working with the children in the little village where she and three others had been assigned. After a year in South America, Jon Peters, one of the men assigned to the same village, made sexual advances at Amy, but Amy was not interested. She tried to be diplomatic in her refusal, but it did not work. She reported her discomfort to agency headquarters and asked for a transfer. Their response was to tell her to "work it out."

One month later, the natives heard screams coming from Amy's hut. As they arrived at her door, they saw Jon Peters running out. He dropped a butcher knife as he rode away on his bicycle. Amy was inside with 14 knife wounds in her body. She died before they could get her to medical help. Jill received the dreaded call from the agency, which also informed her that Amy's assailant, one of the other agency employees, had been arrested for the crime. The murder trial was held in South America. Jon Peters was represented by the agency's lawyers, and was found innocent by reason of insanity. He was released into the custody of U.S. officials who accompanied him to the United States, where he was to be held in a mental institution.

Jill grieved for months. She grieved every birthday Amy might have had, she grieved the grandchildren she would never have, and she grieved the loss of a daughter. But, even through that grief, there was consolation in knowing that her murderer would not harm anyone anymore.

Twenty years later, Jill was approached by a writer who wanted to tell the story of what had happened to Amy. She agreed to be interviewed. The writer was sensitive and shared information with Jill. While she relived some of the horror, it helped her put into perspective what had happened. She found peace in telling her side of the story. Before the book was published, the writer visited her again. He said, "I don't want you to read this in my book; I must tell you myself. I found Jon Peters. He is living in Ottawa and works as an accountant for the federal government. He is married and has one daughter. He refused my interview requests. My research indicates no criminal record."

1. What can you learn from this story about grief? Does grief ever end? Why or why not?

2. Identify what Jill might have felt after learning the whereabouts of Amy's murderer.

3. If you were Jill, what might help bring closure to your grief.