“The sound of rain needs no translation.” – Alan Watts
As the rain fell lightly onto the grass just off my patio, I began to put on paper the life-changing events I had experienced over the past five years. A curious young man and Imet at just the right time to begin an adventure that would give us an education we
never thought possible. As a teacher of nearly thirty years, routines were becoming just that “routine”. Lesson plan, lecture, experiment, and conclude, just like the shampoo bottle directions wash, rinse, and repeat. Not that I wasn’t enjoying my job as a high school forensic science teacher, but a change was badly needed to push me toward the end of my career. I had prided myself on being creative in my classroom to keep the interest of my students at a high level, but my creativity was waning a bit.
Then Evan sparked a conversation that would send our lives into a spiral of excitement, intrigue, and determination.
What started as a general interest in cold cases became a mission we could not walk away from. We looked high and low for a cold case that had not been researched like the famous ones you see everyday on TV and social media. In a moment that felt almost beyond our understanding, Evan and I landed on the same case at almost the exact same time. Alana “Laney” Gwinner and her case had been hovering in “injustice purgatory” for twenty-five years. Her strange disappearance from a local bowling alley and the ultimate discovery of her lifeless body in the Ohio River thirty-one days later had stumped the authorities for all this time. How does that happen?
The fact that we both landed on the same case at the same time gave me the feeling that a higher power was now at work. Once we began to dive into all the information we could find on her case, we knew that this process was going to be special. It was not going to be like any other experience we had in our lives. What started as just research into the untimely death of a beautiful young woman quickly became an education we never expected.
We spoke to Laney’s friends and family who enlightened us on what type of person she was—her dreams, her goals, and even some of her downfalls. One thing we learned is that she was loved immensely. The heartbreak of losing such a person was felt deep by those who knew her even after nearly three decades had passed. The emotions spilled over to Evan and me and weren’t going to let go.
We spent the next few years digging deep into the weeds of a cold case learning about so many aspects of the investigative process but also learning about ourselves. Laney took me on a journey that not only revitalized my teaching for the next seven years but also took me on a new faith voyage that was needed. I believe a higher power brought Evan and Laney into my life at a time when I may have been wondering aimlessly.
I did not know Laney, but I do know she had an effect on me that led to motivating my students to do more. Laney told us there were more stories like hers to investigate. She became the reason for starting a program at William Mason High School called Cold Case MHS that attempts to shine light on information about cold cases that have fallen into the dark.
This isn’t a book about an unsolved crime with all its gory details for entertainment, it is a passion put on paper about motivating young minds to make a positive difference in society. It is a book about the story of a woman who was taken from us way too early yet her legacy has had a tremendous impact on those who never got to met her.
Read The Laney Gwinner Effect: How One Cold Case Motivated a High School to Make a Difference today and discovery how Laney’s story created a movement by the students of Mason High School.
Get the paperback here - The Laney Gwinner Effect
