The human experience is often filled with moments of joy and pain, life and death. For the family of Cherish Perrywinkle, these opposing forces were brought together in a wrenching way. Cherish was a 8-year-old girl who was abducted, raped and murdered by Donald Smith on June 21, 2013, in Florida. The autopsy report, which was released after his conviction, revealed the devastating injuries that she had sustained.
This article will explore the tragic end of Cherish Perrywinkle’s life and the implications of the autopsy report. More specifically, it will focus on the grief that her mother, Rayne Perrywinkle, has experienced since her daughter’s death.
Before diving into the details of the autopsy report and its implications, it is important to set the scene for what happened. It was the evening of June 21, 2013, and Rayne Perrywinkle was shopping with her daughter Cherish and her two other daughters at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. Cherish was wearing a pink dress, which caught the eye of Donald Smith, who was nearby. He offered to buy them clothes from a Walmart store, and the mother accepted the offer. Rayne Perrywinkle thought that Smith was a good Samaritan, but little did she know, he was a convicted child abuser and a sex offender.
Smith took the family to Walmart, where he bought them clothes and shoes. However, he eventually separated Cherish from her family and left with her. Rayne Perrywinkle immediately called the police, who initiated a search for the missing girl. Unfortunately, it was too late. Smith had sexually assaulted and strangled Cherish, then dumped her body in a creek in a nearby forest.
At the time of the trial, Smith was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery. The autopsy report reveals the gruesome nature of his crimes. It shows that Cherish had been strangled with such force that it broke the hyoid bone in her neck. There was also evidence of sexual assault and severe blunt force trauma to her head.
Rayne Perrywinkle’s reaction to the autopsy report was one of overwhelming grief. She has struggled to come to terms with her daughter’s tragic end, and has spoken out about the need for stricter laws to protect children from sexual predators like Donald Smith. The pain of losing her youngest child has also taken a toll on her mental health. In an interview with WJCT News, she said that she suffers from PTSD, anxiety and depression as a result of Cherish’s death.
The trauma of losing a child to violence is a uniquely devastating experience. Rayne Perrywinkle’s reaction to the autopsy report is an example of how the pain of such a loss is intensified by the brutal circumstances of the crime. It is a reminder that behind every tragic news story, there are real people who are left to grapple with the emotional fallout of violence.
Beyond the personal toll of the tragedy, there are broader implications of the case. It has raised important questions about the effectiveness of laws that are meant to keep children safe from sexual predators. In Donald Smith’s case, there were multiple red flags that should have prevented him from being able to harm Cherish. He was a registered sex offender, with a history of child abuse. However, these warning signs were not enough to prevent him from finding a victim.
In the wake of Cherish’s death, Florida lawmakers passed a bill that would allow judges to impose life sentences for certain sex crimes against children. The Cherish Perrywinkle Act, as it is known, is a step in the right direction towards protecting vulnerable children from predators.
Cherish Perrywinkle’s story is a reminder that the world can be a dangerous place, and that the people we trust can sometimes be our greatest threats. It is also a reminder of the courage of mothers like Rayne Perrywinkle, who bear the unimaginable pain of losing a child, while seeking justice for them.
Ultimately, Cherish Perrywinkle’s death was a senseless tragedy. However, it has sparked important conversations about child safety and the need for better protection of our most vulnerable citizens. As a society, we have a responsibility to learn from her story and work towards preventing similar tragedies from occurring in the future. In doing so, we can honor the memory of a little girl whose life was cut short far too soon.
