ANSWER: When she’s a stripper.
Christine Dempsey’s article, “Remains Linked to Dead Stripper,” seems odd paired with David Owens’ report (also at courant.com) on the victim of a house fire: “Woman Identified in Fatal Berlin Fire.” The headlines imply that both identities were previously unknown, but now one victim can be identified by name. Dempsey’s report makes it sound as if the remains have yet to be identified, or that the person is not worth bothering to identify.
The “stripper”? Her name was Shamaia Smith. She was 22. She had family. She was a person. Given that her body was absolutely desecrated and the man who owned the land where her remains were found had been nabbed at the airport while attempting to leave the country, it’s fair to assume that she had been murdered.
