Join search for Destiny

Time and again, Utahns have lent a hand in moments of personal crisis, natural disaster and missing persons cases. The disappearance of Destiny Norton provides yet another opportunity to serve.

In many respects, it may be more important to volunteer in this effort than ever before. Destiny is only 5 years old. When she disappeared from her back yard on Sunday, she was wearing just an adult-sized T-shirt. Her mother is eight months pregnant and is supposed to be on bed rest. The family has humble means. We could go on and on.

We are encouraged by the response to the family's recent plea for help, but the experience of other searches suggests that as time marches on, volunteer numbers tend to dwindle. Finding Destiny must remain a high priority.

Some press reports speculated that some Utahns may be soured on the notion of assisting in this search after the search for Lori Hacking turned out to be a cruel hoax perpetuated by her husband, Mark Hacking. As it turned out, she was murdered by her husband, who dumped her body into a trash receptacle. Her remains were later recovered in a landfill. This should not deter searchers and volunteers in Destiny's case. A community's willingness to help in such a circumstance should in no way be diminished by Mark Hacking's deception.

In fact, Lori Hacking's father, Eraldo Soares, has traveled from California to join the search for Destiny. Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart, has lent his support. Likewise for Kevin Bardsley and Toby Hawkins, the fathers of two Boy Scouts who went missing in the Uinta Mountains in recent years, who organized search efforts in Emigration Canyon. Bardsley's son Garrett, 12, has never been found. They, like no others, can fully empathize with the anguish of Destiny's parents, Rick and Rachael Norton.

Other press accounts suggest a class issue may be discouraging people from volunteering in this case. If that's the case, it's shameful. If anything, there is a societal expectation to help the people who need it most. In this case, it's a 5-year-old girl who needs to be returned to her family.