“So I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately, and even now, it’s still hard to fully grasp what has happened. I often have dreams of us, dreams that are so vivid, when I awake, it takes me a moment to realize the reality.”
So reads a comment dated Aug. 30 on former VCU student Taylor Behl’s MySpace profile, which remains active a year after her murder. Behl’s own words, scribed in her online diary, are also still accessible at LiveJournal.com. The last entry is dated April 21, 2005, months before she moved into Gladding Residence Center to begin her freshman year at VCU.
As it played a role in the events leading up to her disappearance, the Internet appears to maintain a prominent role in Behl’s afterlife. An expansive collection of Web sites, blogs and message boards scrutinize her disappearance and murder, and others memorialize the 17-year-old, who would have turned 19 this October.
There is, for example, an entry highlighting the facts of Behl’s case on Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia,” which has grown increasingly popular among students. The entry provides many references and links to other Behl-related material. Among them:
A scanned copy of the search warrant for the apartment of Benjamin Fawley, Behl’s indicted killer.
A Taylor Behl archive that William Drummond maintains, which features photo collages of Behl, an extensive chronology of developments in her case, a condolences message board and a photo gallery named “Fawley’s Fickle Faces.”
Behl’s eulogy, “A Homily for Taylor Behl.”
Behl’s entry on FindAGrave.com, which contains 180 notes and clip art, the most recent dated Sept. 6. On the Web site’s frequently asked questions page, its creators say they aim “to create a comprehensive ‘virtual cemetery’ where loved ones can visit graves, leave flowers, etc. when they cannot do so in real life due to geography, finances and other circumstances.”
Sept 4
Behl’s MySpace page records this date as the last time Behl logged on. 6:45 p.m.- Behl calls her father to tell him she’s arrived safely at VCU. 7-9:45 p.m.- Behl and former boyfriend have dinner at The Village Caf