A lot of people have expressed gratitude and have thanked me for driving to Kim Parsell’s home to check on her. As mentioned in a previous post, I was concerned for a friend and had the opportunity to check on her. However, I didn’t make the trip alone.

As I was traveling to Kim’s house, I messaged Brian Layman who lives a little closer to her than I. I explained what was going on and that I was on my way to her home using an unconfirmed address I discovered. He stopped whatever he was doing and offered to ride down there with me. Within 15 minutes, he joined me at a Panera’s and we drove down together.

During the drive, I couldn’t help but discuss various scenarios we may run into. I told Brian to expect the worst and hope for the best. We also didn’t have a confirmed address but we needed to at least make an effort with one we had on file that matched the description of where she lived.

Although Brian shared the experience of that day with me, there is one aspect we don’t share. I didn’t see Kim at all during the whole ordeal, but Brian did. He walked into the room with the officer and saw her. That’s something Brian will never be able to forget, even if he tries. He’ll have to carry that image with him the rest of his life, alone.

So Brian, I personally thank you for dropping everything and making Kim Parsell your number one priority that day. You didn’t hesitate to join me for the ride and now I have someone who directly shared the experience with me which makes it a little easier to cope with.