Victim impact statement of Sandra Boss

Statement to the court

This statement will be brief. It is very difficult for me to think and write about the abduction of Reigh because the experience was so profoundly traumatic and the memories are so painful.

While Reigh was gone, I faced a mother's worst nightmare -- the possibility of losing a child without a trace. The emerging horrors about her abductor's nefarious past only heightened my concerns that she might come to harm.

Since Reigh's recovery and return, I have struggled to distance us both from the events of that terrifying week, to regain the normalcy of our lives, and to restore a sense of trust and well-being in Reigh. Restoration -- emotional, physical, financial, and professional -- is a slow process at best after any trauma. The media attention to this case, and the resultant sustained loss of privacy, has made our situation unusually complicated.

The long term effects of the abduction are yet to be known, but anxiety about Reigh's safety and protection, which neither court orders nor my every precaution were able to provide in July 2008, will certainly be the most lasting. Inevitably, this crime will force us to expend substantial effort and resources for many years to come as we balance concerns over Reigh's safety with her growing need for independence.