It was a story that sparked outrage and frustration, especially after officials confirmed no laws had been broken. But now it's taken another strange twist, and the outcome could be the most ironic part of this terrible tale yet.
For the past few weeks, we've been telling you the tragic story of Megan Meier, a 13-year-old Missouri girl who
committed suicide after being taunted online by a handsome boy named Josh Evans on her MySpace page. When it was revealed that a neighbour had allegedly created the fictional hunk to see what was being said about her own daughter online, the victim's parents were furious.
But because no laws were broken, there wasn't much police could do.
Lori Drew, the woman accused of being behind that fake I.D.,
has denied through her lawyer that she knew what was going on, noting an 18-year-old employee created the false profile. But a strange thing has been happening since then. Someone purporting to be Drew has started a fake blog on the net, using a first person account to justify "her" actions.
The web log, including one message that was titled "Megan Had It Coming", began appearing on
blogger.com two weeks ago, and contained cold and calculated prose that appeared to be from Drew herself. "The final word from authorities has come down that there will be no charges, so I don't have to remain silent," one passage reads. "There's no point in hiding anymore. The internet has made it clear that mob revenge must prevail, even if there's no justice in it. So be it.
"Here I am internet. Come get me.
"It's time I dropped the charade. Yes, I made this blog. Yes, I'm Lori Drew."
A later message was equally disturbing. "My daughter had nothing to do with this," the writer posing as Drew maintained. "Everyone needs to leave her alone. None of you can possibly know her involvement, and none of you can possibly know what she's gone through. She's just a kid. She doesn't deserve these brutal verbal attacks. Please stop."
Both Drew and her lawyer insist she didn't post anything and authorities believe her. But the response from the public has been understandably vitriolic towards the woman and she now fears for her family's safety. Attorney Jim Briscoe has contacted blogger.com owner Google and asked them to take the posts down. The company is reviewing the allegation and so is the local sheriff's department.
And you may not believe what comes next. The town of
Dardenne Prairie, where this bizarre drama has been unfolding since October 2006, rushed a law into existence designed to prevent harassment over the Internet. And the first person it could be used to protect may be Lori Drew herself.
"I would say that would be a possibility, that they could be the first," Mayor Pam Fogarty admits. "A law is a law is a law," she concludes. "You can't discriminate."