Crossing Paths with a Serial Killer

On July 27, 1981, my sister and I were at a mall in Hollywood Florida. My stepfather, who had an ironworkers convention, took us to the mall that day. I think that is why we were in Florida that month. Our mother had stayed behind where we were staying. When we got back from the mall my mother was in a panic because she had seen on the news a child had been abducted from that mall. The child was Adam Walsh, and we all watched the news hoping he would be found. Unfortunately, a part of him was found in a drainage canal. You can research that on your on. I was 12 and my sister was 8. That day has always been ingrained in our brains. It made me keep a constant watch on my children out in public. I appreciate all the Walsh family has done over the years in helping others, especially through America's Most Wanted.

What I did not know, until I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago, that there were two serial killers in that area. It sent chills through me, when she told me about a deep dive into it. One, was Otis Toole and the other was Jeffrey Dahmer. I remember the name Otis Toole, but I never knew the Dahmer part until the other day. That day we were in the exact spot where evil was present and completely unaware. There were witnesses that gave a description of Dahmer, one even said he saw a man forcing a child into a blue van. Dahmer was working for a place in Miami, where he drove a blue company van. Otis Toole was eventually arrested on another charge and admitted about his murders and included Adam Walsh, which he recanted multiple times. Jeffrey Dahmer never would admit it, and you can google what he said about it. Years went by and based off of circumstantial evidence, law enforcement claimed it was Otis Toole. Now, I have no clue who actually did it. Jeffrey Dahmer had just started his reign of terror tow years prior. What I do know is that my sister and I where there that day when a precious soul was taken.

I have thought alot about what she and I discussed a couple of weeks ago, and it was an eerie feeling to know how close we were to pure evil. And then I thought about what evil looks like. We pretend we can see it clearly, but in reality evil presents in ways that are appealing to us. Satan does not walk around with horns and a pitchfork. He knows what is appealing and enticing to us to draw us in. Unfortunately, people that look so innocent can be very evil. My sister and I have always held up a guard so to speak with people, but sometimes we let our guards down and we get drawn in. I learned that lesson the hard way. But, I have it back in place now. I may act like I don't know what's going on, but I do. And if people walk out of my life now, I figure God is protecting me from something that could potentially harm me. I will be honest us discussing that time in our lives has made me remember the meaning of the word caveat. We should all be aware that evil is around all the time, and we should have the armour of God in place at all times. This world has a lot of darkness in it, and it seems to be getting darker. We should not only watch out for ourselves, but for others as well. We should shine a light of goodness for others, but always be vigilant. Which can be tricky. So, choose goodness and kindness. Don't be the one Satan uses to hurt another. Stay in the word and stayed prayed up.

Dawn Renee