Alyssa Bustamante: Could She Be Your Child?

By now, we've all heard the horrifying tale of Alyssa Bustamante, the 15-year-old girl charged with murdering her 9-year-old neighbor, Elizabeth Olten.  Apparently, she lured the young girl into the woods, strangled her, stabbed her, cut her throat, and dumped her is a pre-dug grave, all because she wanted to know what killing would "feel like."  She then supposedly went back to her daily life, acting normally to all who encountered her.

There were warning signs.  Alyssa was depressed, a cutter, and attempted suicide two years ago.  She is currently on Prozac, which has been accused of causing homicidal and suicidal tendencies in young people.  She spent time creating Jackass-type Youtube videos, one in which she goads her little brothers into shocking themselves on an electric fence (she calls watching them get hurt "fun").

She wrote that "killing people" was her hobby, posted disturbing pictures of herself with a mock gun to her head, and has even spent time in mental health facilities.  Her family history also leaves something to be desired, with her father in jail and her mother with a drug conviction (she lives with her grandparents).  But with lots of children with sadly similar histories, what pushed Alyssa over the edge?  And could this be your child?

After all, social networking profiles like Alyssa's are seen all over the Web.  There are "goth" kids who are depressed, who brag about self-harm (whether they engage or not), and who discuss death and despair almost obsessively.  Obviously, these kids don't commit murder.  And then there are pictures of Alyssa like these, which depict a seemingly cute teenage girl.  So, even with all of her problems, could parents, health workers, and teachers expected her murderous behavior?  What could have been done?

We might never know if this tragedy could have been averted or what could have been done to stop it, but we can say that, no, Alyssa probably couldn't be your child.  Alyssa had problems far beyond the norm, and tragically, some children will commit crimes that go beyond our comprehension.  Alyssa was, unfortunately, one of these children. 

The best thing to do for your child is to monitor her mental health, her actions, and what she's doing and saying online.  And by all means, you should take her difficulties extremely seriously.  It is important to address changes in behavior, drug use, depression, and anxiety and not write it off as "typical teenager" behavior.  The lesson of poor Elizabeth and her alleged murderer Alyssa is to take any threat (even a seemingly jokey "my hobby is killing people") as genuine.  It might just save a life.