On Sunday, March 31, 2019, I will present my program called “The Adventures of a True Crime Neophyte” to a community group in Tucson. I’ve given this program or a slightly revised one to writers’ groups and other local groups in Arizona and New Hampshire on numerous occasions. The program details my work on the book about the murder of Stacey Burns. It is about the process for the book, not the murder.

This blog (and one that preceded it) has dealt almost entirely with the murder, not with the book writing process. I’ve written well over five hundred  posts and received over a thousand comments in response. To my knowledge, nothing substantial has come of anything that has been written on this blog, nor has anything come of information I’ve been given and passed along to the authorities. I indeed was a true crime neophyte when I started, unschooled in investigative journalism and writing in that particular genre. I’ve learned a lot and am proud of what I tried to do.

Regrettably, I’ve decided that after the March 31st program, I will discontinue the portion of this blog dedicated to Murder in a Small Town: The Tragic Death of Stacey Burns. I began exploring the possibilities of this book in late spring of 2010 and began the work in earnest with a week of interviews in New Hampshire in the fall of that year. That is nine years. Unless something new comes to my attention, there seems little more to say.

Unfortunately, the vicious murder of Stacey Burns does not appear to be a high priority for those in a position to make a difference in its resolution. This blog has tried to make it a priority without any apparent success.

I appreciate the positive comments I’ve received over the years I’ve worked on this project. I also respect the criticism and negative comments. I’ll never begrudge anyone the right to an opinion.

I sincerely wish the family and friends of this exceptional woman the best of luck in finding any degree of justice for her.

I remain willing to share anything I’ve learned with anyone in authority, even if it might not be anything new or useful.

Duke