In small communities pin drops can cause ripples.

True tragedies can halt life.

And crank up the rumor mill.

Our community was irrevocably damaged in the early morning hours Wednesday when two adults and one teen were murdered.

That’s the only fact we know and the only one worth standing by.

By all accounts, Jerri and John Wood and Matt Whittington were good people. They lived clean lives and had many friends.

They didn’t deserve to die.

Fifteen-year-old Connor Wood has been charged in connection with all three murders. The teen has implicated Whittington, saying his friend was part of a murder plot.

But unfortunately, Matt isn’t around for questioning.

Investigators are working around the clock to find the missing pieces, but until their work is done, the rest of us must simply wait.

Walk out the door and you’ll hear a new rumor about the case. Some may be true, others aren’t.

Regardless, young lives are involved, and everyone’s reputation deserves a little patience.

The world we live in today isn’t always a fun or fair one. But let’s not make it any worse than it is.