This has been a wretched week in Randolph and environs for all those who were under the illusion that here in rural, enlightened Vermont, our children are safe.

First came the ultimate horror for any parent. A young girl, 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, simply disappeared, dropped off by a relative at a convenience store. She was spotted a little later on Randolph's Main Street. Then nothing. Nothing but deeply worrying reports of one or more dangerous contacts on the Internet social network MySpace, a space where other young girls have been tempted into wrong choices, and have come to grief.

The next day came the mysterious discovery of "items" of clothing in Brookfield, followed by a team of divers plumbing the depths of Sunset Lake, both developments triggering feelings of foreboding and dread. People everywhere were hoping against hope. A theory was developed in the Herald offices that Brooke had found an on-line friend, and they had decided to swim in the lake, and then maybe had gone camping at nearby Allis State Park. Maybe Brooke would be walking out of the woods any minute now ... having had a little adventure ... safe and sound.

The reality turned far more ominous and complicated Monday, with the arrest of her uncle, Michael Stephen Jacques, the man who had left her off at the store and who, as it turned out, was the person who had "discovered" the items of clothing in Brookfield. The charges against Jacques widened the horror we had all been experiencing. Involving not Brooke but another young girl who was also related to Jacques, the court documents related a tale of unspeakable cruelty, a story which seemed to crawl out of some perverted underworld, a world which had nothing in common with the decent, quiet rural world most of us inhabit and take for granted.

And not only was there this demonstrated cruel treatment—for a full five years—to one youngster, there were dark hints that even more shadowy threats were lurking all around. More men might be involved. More girls might have been victimized, the threat of murder explicitly hanging over their heads. Media outlets spoke openly of a "sex ring," even though law enforcement officials cautioned that, at least as of yesterday, there was no concrete evidence that the insidious "Breckenridge Program" ever existed, except as a mirage to trap a terrified youngster.

The ugly virus spread even farther the next day, with the announcement of the arrest a second man—this time Brooke’s former stepfather, Raymond A. Gagnon, with whom she had lived for years with her mother in Alabama. Gagnon had supposedly come to Vermont to offer support to Brooke’s family, and he spent time with her father, but the FBI nabbed him and charged him with obstructing the investigation into Brooke’s disappearance. For good measure, state authorities said they might charge him with sexual abuse as well, this time involving a minor in Royalton.

In short, horrors seem to grow in every corner this week, and we will need a thorough investigation of how social service agencies and law enforcement can redouble their efforts to track down such abuse and stamp it out. We will need a way to reassure young girls that they are not growing up in a hostile and depraved world, and that healthy relationships are possible.

Meanwhile, Brooke Bennett is still missing. She should remain the focus of our concern. We continue to hope against hope.