Savannah Leckie, an autistic teenager, seems to have been murdered by her mother. The autistic community, led by ASAN, has long sought victim-centered narratives when such murders happen. This, from Ozark County Times, tells us about Savannah.
Over the next few weeks, we will see increasing discussion of the killer’s mental health. We won’t see local reporters calling ASAN (or other good groups) for comment, linking Leckie’s death to the pattern of murders of disabled people by their caregivers, etc.
But at least there’s one story that really mourns the human we’ve lost. It’s something on this bitter morning.