The Parents of Miriam

[UMFan1981]

Just in case anyone needs reminding of the case, I have included a link to it. I hope we are allowed to link to this site
https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com...ents_of_Miriam

Out of the "Lost Loves" cases, I think this is the one I find the most intriguing and fascinating (and I must concede slightly disturbing) to date. I confess that the UM re-enactments of Miriam Parten re-living her traumatic memories scared me (the actress did a really good job conveying how frightening having those flashbacks must have been).

I know some people have suggested that Miriam may have had false memory syndrome, even though both psychiatrists interviewed on the program seemed convinced that her flashbacks were authentic. The thought has fleetingly crossed my mind that perhaps her imagination invented these parental figures in her childhood mind as a coping mechanism to get her through must have been an intensely traumatic period in her life (sort of like how sometimes a child develops an imaginary friend). I seriously doubt that, though -the memories sound a bit too elaborate for that type of scenario to be an explanation. The update also makes it clear that there are people out there who remember two people who fit those names and descriptions who lived in that area at around the same time and did take in a child and one even provided a photo of the woman they believe to be Pat McGuire. I know that many eyewitnesses are mistaken and that the possibility remains that they have their chronological timing confused as to when this couple took in a child-particularly since the events happened almost fifty years before the episode aired. But, again, I think the overwhelmingly likelihood is that these people were real people and that they did take Miriam in for a while

I am also intrigued that Miriam's mother admitted that her husband's emotional problems occurred but denies that she ever put her child into foster care. I wonder what the reasons are behind this? Was she perhaps too ashamed to admit that she had to give her child up for a while? Perhaps the whole experience of giving her away and then waging a court battle to get her back was so traumatic for her that she found that the best way to cope with it was to deny it ever happened. Or could it be that there was more to the story than she was letting on? Perhaps the two people in Miriam's flashbacks were trusted friends or neighbours whom she gave Miriam to so she could be looked after while she helped her husband recover from his illness. Perhaps something went wrong when she went to retrieve Miriam -the two carers thought Miriam's parents were not yet ready to take back her back and/or they wanted to keep her and that's why the whole thing ended up in court.

It's a shame that there are no court documents that seem to provide more insight to Miriam's courtroom memories. I also find it very sad that Miriam never found these two adults that she was looking for (presumably they are long deceased now, it's a sad possibility that Miriam also may be too since she'd be over 80). The two adult figures do sound like truly beautiful people who sincerely loved her and it's sad that Miriam never saw them again