Until the last several months before her life imploded, she used every trick in the book to dodge incarceration - her last best hope of getting enforced treatment. decided the severely psychotic have the same rights and privileges as any other citizen.īecause Amy was a lawyer, and quite a good one, she knew how and when to invoke her rights. The courts, the police, social service agencies, psychiatrists - they all dodge responsibility with impunity because Ronald Reagan & Co. As a direct result, Amy had as much chance to defeat her insanity as Roy Miller’s boys. The same ill-conceived laws that shut the doors of scores of mental hospitals while "freeing" patients to live on their own are still on the books. "In The Best of Families" was meant to be a cautionary tale, urging politicians and the public to re-examine mental health "reforms" that President Reagan ushered into existence after he moved into the White House. His elder son overdosed on aspirin while his younger son raped and murdered Roy's wife of 30 years. Despite his money, connections and political clout, Miller was unable to prevent schizophrenia from destroying his family. The book was about the family of Ronald Reagan's personal lawyer Roy Miller - a high-octane partner at the blue chip firm of Gibson, Dunne & Crutcher. "In The Best of Families" came out the same week that Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were butchered in Brentwood. Shortly after that long ago James Taylor concert, I published a book about mental illness. Like her brave husband Mike, I had to stand by helplessly and watch her unravel. She booked into and out of rehabs literally from coast to coast, including Pennsylvania and Utah - all to no positive end. Medication never had an opportunity to help because her fevered brain told her not to take it. Whatever its name, it gripped my little girl's psyche and wouldn't let go. One shrink called it bipolar psychosis another, schizoaffective disorder. 30 and with each passing day, we became more and more worried.Īmy had fallen victim to mental illness at least five years ago. Her husband Mike filed a Missing Person report with the Orange County Sheriff on Dec. She had been missing since Christmas eve. Her body had been found in an abandoned rental car in an upscale neighborhood of Hermosillo, Mexico, four hours south of the Arizona border. Last week, word came to me that my precious Amy had died, probably at the hands of another.
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While I pursued O.J., Amy pursued a BA that would eventually lead to a degree at Loyola Law and a license to practice law in California.
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In my role as journalist, I was in the employ of both CNN and TV Guide at the time. It was a grand and memorable night but sobering career priorities took over first thing the following morning. I just can't remember who to send it to." I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you " Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone Taylor was already on stage when I arrived, but had just begun one of our mutual favorites. She had proudly made a show of buying tickets with her own money - a Father's Day gift she knew I'd love because the folky balladeer was my musical hero as well as hers. I didn't learn the details of the famous slo-mo freeway chase until later because I was late for my first father/daughter date since Amy began her freshman year at UC San Diego. Simpson made his famous Blazer ride down the 405 in 1994, I was headed in the same direction to meet up with my middle daughter Amy for a James Taylor concert.