Dear Source:
I am writing in response to this article because I am the first cousin of Blair Shannon, a cruise ship comedian who was murdered in St. Thomas on Jan. 19, 2006. We as a family are most dissatisfied with the progress of this case. It is disconcerting, to say the least, to read that there are "vexing problems" within your police department. As stated in the article, "Lewis said that there was room for improvement in many areas of the police department and that 'it failed to do a good job' in keeping the families of crime victims informed of progress in specific cases."
This is unacceptable! We are at a great disadvantage because we are far away from you. As far as I know, there has been very little communication between our family and the VIPD. Why is that?
Lewis states that he " had a relative who was a victim of a violent crime that was unsolved and he could relate to the anguish of those families." It is this family's hope and prayer that Blair's murder will not go unsolved.
We have been permanently scarred by this tragedy, which is only made worse by the fact that the VIPD has "vexing problems."
Still grieving, Yvonne Bouldin Brantley, along with the Shannon, Clingman, Avery and Bouldin families.
Yvonne Bouldin Brantley
Cincinnati, Ohio

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