I’ve always wondered what can drive a mother to harm her children. Does she feel like she has no other choice? Is it a mental issue, substance abuse or something else? This story is about Amanda Stott-Smith who threw her children from a bridge at one o’clock in the morning in 2009. Her daughter, Trinity, was seven years old and son, Eldon, was just four years old. Trinity survived the harrowing experience but Eldon’s life was tragically lost.

According to the FBI, there are around 450 children murdered by a parent each year. This number completely astounded me! How can so many parents, who’s sole job is to protect, nurture and love their kids, end the life’s of their children? It’s also shown that in many of the incidents the parents are going through a divorce and are often involved in custody battles. Having been raised through a divorce and custody battles myself I do understand how easy it is to get caught up in the need to win that they set aside what is truly important: the well being and safety of the child. I think it’s so important for parents to realize and take into account the damage that can be done to young lives witnessing their parents contempt for one another.

The book delves deeply into Amanda’s earlier life, her tumultuous marriage to Jason Smith and eventually her spiral into committing murder. Read and let me know what you think!

If you are interested in purchasing To the Bridge: