{"id":32236,"date":"2026-04-04T22:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lelandhale.com\/wordpress\/?p=32236"},"modified":"2026-04-04T22:36:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:36:03","slug":"what-about-scotty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lelandhale.com\/wordpress\/what-about-scotty\/","title":{"rendered":"What About Scotty?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

He’s A Mess<\/strong>
Podcast Schedule<\/strong>: <\/strong><\/strong>Tuesday, Thursday<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have no doubt noticed that Neil Mackay’s child — Scotty — has sort of disappeared from our narrative. Not that he has been forgotten. In fact, he is anything but<\/em> forgotten. And now that the question has been posed, I can say this: At this point in our story, Scotty is a mess. Here\u2019s what psychiatrist Dr. Barry Mendelsohn<\/em> — someone who\u2019d examined him in the divorce matter, before his mother’s murder \u2013 here’s what he said of Scotty in the days and months after Muriel\u2019s death: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cA major area of anxiety [for Scotty] is in relation to the loss of [his] mother. He has a strong sense of loss and a magical expectation that his mother will return. He has a desire to join his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Barry Mendelsohn, psychiatrist<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
\"scotty\"
Dr. Barry Loeb Mendelsohn<\/strong><\/em>
“The Singing Shrink”<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

There\u2019s more, still courtesy of Dr. Mendelsohn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Mendelsohn] <\/strong>Scotty showed anxiety in his play with other children. Anxiety over dirty play \u2013 in dirt. Anxiety relating to death of mother\u2026 Some anxiety in his play. Playroom sessions \u2013 direct play. Would play games, drawing and sand tray technique. Done with little direction. It\u2019s a useful tool. Usually say, \u201cwhat would you like to do.\u201d It was a play activity he liked.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Mendelsohn]<\/strong> Played in a playroom with a castle. He knocked everything down, said, \u201cthings are bombed and on fire.\u201d Child of this age ascribes causation to self. Notoriety of this case \u2013 Scotty listens for his name on TV and feels a great deal of responsibility. Absence of father is seen as something, \u201cI did.\u201d Children of this age mirror what is going on around them. [Scotty shows] confusion in the object of relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Scotty is a] confused child. His play is disorganized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Mendelsohn]<\/strong> I was talking about Scotty\u2019s feeling of responsibilities. He verbalizes things that don\u2019t relate to his environment. Said, \u201cI don\u2019t hate my grandma.\u201d Grandma was a significant mothering figure. He has demonstrated closeness to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Mendelsohn]<\/strong> Statements by Scotty not always a reflection of the way Scotty feels. He\u2019s open to what people say to him. He\u2019s searching for stability. There are discrepancies in terms of his behavior. We\u2019re into the area of what people do to confuse small children. These [things he is saying] are feelings of Mackay. Mackay is egocentric \u2013 has clear ideas about people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scotty Wasn’t Always This Way<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

And then there was this. Said because Dr. Mendelsohn had seen Scotty previously. During the divorce \u2013 and before the murder. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t always been this way. I first met him in 1974 \u2013 his health was good. Initially his health was good \u2013 before his mother\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"scotty\"
Carolina and Alfred Willis<\/strong><\/em>
Neil S. Mackay’s sister<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Carolina Willis: Scotty’s Paternal Aunt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At one point during the custody matter, the presiding judge turned Scotty over to the care of his paternal aunt — his father Neil’s younger sister — and her husband, Alfred. She, too, experiences a troubled and traumatized Scotty. Her relationship with her brother Neil turns especially fraught once the judge singles her out for temporary custody: Neil gives her a “final paycheck” and kicks she and her husband out of their apartment (in his building). This, in turn, forces them to move to Eagle River — 20 minutes north of Anchorage — to take an apartment management position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Carolina]<\/strong> \u201cI told the one other tenant, the contractor, I said if I were on the other side of that wall listening to that child scream, I would report you — or report myself, or the individual on the other side of the wall — for child abuse.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Carolina]<\/strong> He got into a cafe in Eagle River that first Saturday night, after we moved his room in its entirety. He got on the floor like a little animal and screamed, “don’t touch me. Don’t come near me.” And he just laid there and screamed on the floor and that is — there is witnesses to that fact. My husband picked him up in his coat and carried him out. And l was sitting there crying, telling them we’ve never laid a hand on this child…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Carolina]<\/strong> And l had to tell them who he was. That’s another thing I have — I can only use the services of Mrs. Pfeil. This child’s picture is in the paper. The night that that paper came out, we had 4 phone calls. I take the phone off the hook… [And, no] I do not suggest his father beats him.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Eagle
Birchwood Apts.<\/strong><\/em>
Eagle River, AK<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Dr. Ralph Ackley, M.D. & Psychiatrist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ackley testified in custody proceedings on behalf of Neil S. Mackay, Scotty’s father. As part of this role, he interviewed both Carolina Willis and Dr. Barry Mendelsohn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Ackley] <\/strong>Mrs. Willis described seriously disturbed behavior on Scotty\u2019s part. He’s unable to sleep without someone there. He’s terrified if he’s left alone. Scotty said \u2013 “I want to be with my daddy.” He asked a lot about his mother. Dr. Mendelsohn confirmed his night terrors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children Don’t Understand Death<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Numerous studies have examined the extent to which children understand the concept — and reality — of death. The simple answer is that, before the age of six — they don’t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Book: Kill Brother, Kill Sister<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kill Brother, Kill Sister<\/strong><\/em> is available at Amazon<\/a>, Barnes & Noble<\/a> and other fine bookstores (paperback and ebook).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright Leland E. Hale (2026<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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