I just finished reading about the arrest of Hugo Hernandez-Mendez in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson, and all I can feel is sorrow mixed with deep anger. This young woman had her whole life ahead of her. She was bright, loving, full of promise, and yet now her family is left mourning because the system that was supposed to protect us failed her once again.

Let me walk through this so we’re all clear. Dacara went missing on August 22, after telling her family she was going to get gas. She never came home. Can you imagine the fear her family felt that night? By the next day, when she still hadn’t returned, her loved ones reported her missing. A couple days later, her car was found in Hyattsville. Her purse was inside, but her phone and keys were missing. You don’t need to be a detective to know something was very wrong.

For days, her family prayed and hoped for answers. Then, on August 31, the Maryland State Police discovered a body off Route 50 in Anne Arundel County. Later, it was confirmed — it was Dacara. A family’s worst nightmare had come true.

Now, police say they traced her last movements on surveillance footage. She was seen voluntarily entering a black SUV in the early morning hours of August 23. That vehicle was linked to a home in Bowie. Inside that house, investigators now believe she was murdered in a bedroom. And the man they say is responsible — Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35 years old — has been charged with first- and second-degree murder.

Here’s the part that really makes my blood boil: Hernandez-Mendez wasn’t some unknown figure who just appeared out of nowhere. He had been arrested before. Earlier this year, in April, he was picked up by U.S. Park Police for DUI. He should have been flagged, he should have been dealt with. But instead, he was released before trial. He was also in this country illegally, and yet nothing was done to ensure he couldn’t hurt anyone else. Now here we are, and a beautiful young woman is gone.

How many times do we have to watch this same story play out before someone in power finally admits that the system is broken? How many families have to bury their children because of mistakes, loopholes, or plain negligence? It’s like no one in leadership takes responsibility until it’s too late. They speak words of comfort after the fact, but words don’t bring Dacara back.

And let’s talk about the spiritual side of this, because I cannot separate what happened here from what God must be feeling. We serve a God who is a protector, a God of justice, and I know His heart breaks even more than ours over this kind of evil. But I also know God is not pleased with the way our society has turned its back on Him. We live in a world where laws are bent for convenience, where accountability is tossed aside, and where human life is treated as disposable. That is not of God.

The Bible says in Isaiah 1:23, “Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.” Tell me that doesn’t sound like our government today — a system more concerned with politics and appearances than with real protection of its people.

This case is tragic not only because of how Dacara died, but because it could have been prevented. If Hernandez-Mendez had been properly handled when he was arrested earlier this year, Dacara might still be alive. That failure falls squarely on those entrusted with enforcing the law. And don’t get me wrong, I believe in law enforcement — there are good officers and dedicated leaders. But the system as a whole is failing, over and over.

I’m angry because Dacara deserved better. Her family deserved better. We as a community deserve better. And I’m heartbroken because this will not be the last time we hear a story like this if things don’t change.

As people of faith, we can’t just sit back. We have to hold leaders accountable. We have to demand better systems, better checks, better responsibility. And we have to stay on our knees in prayer, because without God guiding this nation, it will only get darker.

To Dacara’s family, my heart aches for you. I pray you find peace in the arms of the Lord, who promises in Psalm 34:18 that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May justice be served swiftly, and may this tragedy wake up those who have the power to prevent the next one.

Rest in peace, Dacara. You mattered.

—Gregg