The Megan Meier Tragedy: Computers Don't Kill People, People Kill People...

Every evening Ron Meier sleeps 4 doors down from the Drew family who engineered an anonymous & twisted campaign of Internet torture, fraud & misrepresentation against his 13 years old daughter Megan, so complete that it pushed her into taking her own life. He sleeps in the same house with the computer that carried the message to Megan as well. I'm no Internet Cop & I bristle at the slightest suggestion of censorship, that said, who is responsible for what happened to Megan?

In case you have missed this story here is the crib notes version. Megan Meier lived near another teen girl named Sarah Drew. It's been said that Megan struggled socially & was perhaps withdrawn, depressed & slow academically. Some ordinary teenage issues between the girls led Sarah's mother, Lori Drew to post a fake MySpace page in an attempt to lure Megan into a emotional on-line relationship with a nonexistent boy named Josh. Josh's mission was to see what Megan would say about Sarah. Megan was intentionally toyed with and ultimately an unintended consequence of this pathetic misrepresentation by the Drew family was that a fragile Megan hung herself in her closet and died on October 16, 2006.

One of the strangest components of this sad story is that Megan died almost a year ago yet only recently did her parents go public with their story. It seems Ron & Tina Meier were told to be quiet while local law enforcement grappled with the situation. They went public with their tragedy after learning that the fraud that was perpetrated against Megan by the Drew family, and aided by the Internet, is not illegal. The Meiers are in the middle of a divorce right now. I have to wonder if going public with this much earlier could have saved their marriage? I don't think law enforcement has the right to silence grieving parents looking for justice.

So I wonder... how does the Meier family forgive the unforgivable and how do they move on from here? Sadly they probably don't. If I could turn back time, and reshuffle the deck for them I can't see how they could have done much better with their Megan. From what I have read Tina Meier had a better handle on Megan's Internet habits than most of the parents I know, myself included.

While I didn't know Megan, I have seen her picture. She had dark hair, dark eyes and braces. She was a beautiful young woman trying to figure it all out. I have surprised myself by shedding some tears for Megan and her parents while writing this story. If I am any example of the social conscience of the jury pool here in the St. Louis metro area, the Drews should be very concerned.

Let me explain: For starters-if I had visited such a nightmare on a family who lived 4 doors away from where I lay my head at night, I would be afraid to sleep. Anything could happen. The Drews need to move now! Away from the scene of the crime, away from the Meier family. Next-the Drews should expect some legal eagle to come forward to represent the Meier family gratis, and file a civil action against them any day now for wrongful death ala O.J. Simpson or Robert Blake. Finally, as if their actions so far don't say enough about the Drew family-I still have to wonder how in hell can they possibly stand living 4 doors away from the family that they have destroyed? Without question someone in the Drew family owes a debt to the Meier family and society for their actions.

We now know that for all its benefits, the computer & internet can be a deadly tool in the hands of a fragile teenager or a deranged, immature adult. In memory of Megan Meier I'm asking all parents to speak with their kids this weekend about their Internet use. Let them log on and read this story, leave a comment and ask God to bless Megan & her family.