Protect Yourself From Predators
Author: Danny R. Smith

A top headline news story coming out of Idaho this past week
involves the death of Idaho resident Sue Newby. Her husband,
Mark Newby committed suicide when the police were closing in on
him while investigating the suspicious death. Ada County
Sheriff's deputies had reason to believe the death was not, as
reported by Mr. Newby, an accident, in part due to evidence of
an affair and a motive of financial gain.

The Idaho Statesman (www.idahostatesman.com) reported:

`On April 2, Sue Newby told a friend she planned to take a
horse ride with her husband and confront him about a suspected
affair.

On April 4, she was dead in the bottom of Rocky Canyon north of
Eagle. What happened that day may never be known. Mark D. Newby,
46, killed himself with a gunshot to his head late Wednesday,
say Ada County sheriff's deputies who discovered the body when
they arrived at his home with a search warrant as they
investigated Sue Newby's death.'

Friends and family of Sue were suspicious of the death from the
onset, as were several horse enthusiasts who said the details of
the "accident" didn't make sense. They rightfully encouraged law
enforcement to dig deeply into this case, and to the credit of
the investigators, they did. They quickly developed sufficient
probable cause to obtain a search warrant for Newby's residence.


The point of my writing though is not to dwell on the
circumstances which led to Sue Newby's tragic death, but to
offer some occasionally overlooked advice for women in
potentially vulnerable situations.

In this case Sue Newby told friends she planned to confront her
husband about a suspected affair while the two of them were
horseback riding in a remote area; this was not a good idea. She
should have confronted him at home or in a public place with
just enough privacy for a conversation, not an otherwise
unattended act of violence or murder.

In my 21 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Department, I had the misfortune to see worse-case endings
similar to this in many cases. The common denominator was often
that the victim placed herself in a vulnerable situation. Linda
Sobek was a model who was murdered in 1995 by photographer
Charles Rathbun at a remote photo shoot. Rathbun had attempted
to rape Sobek before murdering her and reporting her death as an
accident. This is one of the more notorious cases of which I am
reminded, but there are many others that come to mind. And
although these two cases are markedly different, there remains a
common denominator of vulnerability.

What should be known to all women, young ladies and even boys
is that predators come in all sizes, shapes, social-economical
and ethnic classes; they represent all professions (yes, even
law enforcement), religious sectors (remember the Catholic
priest scandals?) and recreational groups (scouting groups, team
sports, etc.). Their prey most often have the common denominator
of vulnerability in a variety of ways too many and complex to
discuss in this article. The real point is this: Since predators
fit so neatly into society before and often after striking out
at their prey, it is imperative that we do not allow ourselves
or our loved ones to become prey.

The following are a few suggestions in protecting ones self:

If your daughter or girlfriend (or you) is planning to meet
someone with whom she has established an internet relationship,
a very common occurrence these days, encourage (actually,
insist!) her to meet him in a safe and neutral environment. (I
say neutral because it is equally important she not reveal her
residence to someone she knows nothing about.) Have an exit
strategy in the event things do not go as planned, and always
tell someone trustworthy where you plan to be and when you
expect to be finished.

If your son, daughter, friend or sibling is involved in sports
or other recreational activities, don't assume the "adult" in
the situation is trustworthy. Never allow him or her to be alone
with the "coach" and remember there is safety in numbers.

If you or your best friend is having trouble in a current
relationship and plan to break it off or confront the
significant other, do so in the manner previously described for
meeting someone for the first time. Also, as in that case, have
a simple yet effective exit strategy and be prepared to
implement it at the first sign of trouble.

Finally, seriously consider having background checks of
strangers you are considering dating or allowing access to your
children or loved ones. Remember, these are very different times
than generations past when everyone in a community knew everyone
else, and seldom did their social circles extend beyond that
community. Technology has shrunk our world, and for all of its
good, there are plenty of underlying evils.


About The Author: Danny R. Smith, founder and owner of DRS
Investigations, LLC in Idaho, is a former homicide detective
from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
http://www.drsinvestigations.com