Tragic teen’s family living a nightmare

HOW often have we heard the phrase that no parent should have to bury their child? It runs contrary to the cycle of life and is distressing in the extreme, no matter the cause.

When the death happens in suspicious circumstances, it adds another layer of heartache to the family involved.

That is what is occurring at the moment to the family of Shona Gillen, an 18-year-old girl whose body was found in a river near her Antrim home on March 6, four days after she had left the house.

Suicide was quickly ruled out by the PSNI, with the police investigation centring on a tragic accident, but further unexplained developments have deepened the puzzle.

Who answered her phone before a relative spoke to her for the last time? What caused the bruises and scratches on her face and head?

How long had she been in the water before she was found in an area popular with dog walkers? Was she the victim of an accident or something more sinister?

Hopefully, police investigations will determine exactly what happened.

However that does not ease the heartache of Shona’s family. Already they have undergone a roller coaster of emotions, their pain becoming more intense as the days passed.

How they must dread the next knock at the door or the next phone call in case the mystery deepens even further.

Shona came from a large family. She was one of nine children and every one of them has been touched by her death.

As ever in such cases, there will be regrets about what was left unsaid the last time she walked out the door.

Did anyone say goodbye or ask her to give them a call if she needed anything? Perhaps not, but then how many of us make such comments when someone from our family heads out for a night? No one ever expects it will be the last time a loved one will ever be seen alive. Such things happen to other people, not us. Don’t they?

So, what should happen now? The obvious thing is that anyone with any scrap of information about Shona’s last days should give it to the police so that they can fill in missing parts of the jigsaw.

Someone may be holding information which seems inconsequential to them but could be a vital clue.

Giving information is a civic duty and something can bring some closure to Shona’s family. They deserve to know how and why the tragic teenager died.

If it was your daughter, wouldn’t you want to know what had happened?