Sarcastic AND Cynical, What A Combination.

I just read a "breaking news" story out of Edmonton, involving the disappearance of Liana White, a pregnant woman whose husband Michael White is "desperate to find".

Way too reminiscent of the Laci and Scott Peterson case, I'm thinking.

Or maybe (hopefully), Liana is more a case of "the runaway bride" like the recent disappearance of Jennifer Wilbanks of Atlanta.

Either way, a woman is missing, and almost everyone will have a theory. Some will be legitimate, others will be more "fanciful", alien invaders took her back to their home planet, she's trapped, dazed and confused, at West Edmonton Mall.

I just hope Michael White hasn't murdered his wife and unborn child. This country doesn't need another statistic to add to the huge, grotesque numbers of women who are murdered by their partners in "domestic disputes."

One fact in this case is both puzzling and troubling. The police say that Liana's wallet was missing, her identification and shoes were scattered around the parking lot and her cellphone was found in the grass 15 metres away from her Bronco. Then they say "there were no signs of a struggle." Does the fact that her things were found scattered not indicate a struggle?

Maybe Liana got tired of being a wife and mother (the couple has a toddler daughter) and abandoned both her husband and child. Most women who choose to "disappear" take their children, but maybe Liana's an exception.

Unfortunately, though, the "rule" seems to be that if a woman who has always been responsible, mature, loving and reliable goes missing, the husband/partner/boyfriend is guilty of murder.

I really hope I'm wrong.