Two mothers whose daughters were allegedly killed by the same man met for the first time this week — joining hands in a moment of unity as they tried to cope with a pain both said they will never forget.
Sitting at a table in the South Baltimore offices of You Are Never Alone, an outreach organization for prostitutes, Joyce Heinonen, the mother of Emma O’Hearn, 25, and Annette Mills, the mother of Antiona Mills, 15, shared the grief of losing a child, possibly at the hands of a serial predator.
“You have a beautiful daughter,” Heinonen said, taking Mills’ hand and breaking into tears. “She was so beautiful.”
Mills encouraged her.
“We’re going to be strong,” she said. “We’re going to be OK. You gotta stay strong. Keep praying.”
O’Hearn was beaten into a coma in 2003 and died in early 2004. Mills was found strangled in 2004.
“Why did it happen?” Heinonen then asked, breaking down into tears.
“I don’t know why,” Mills replied. “God works in mysterious ways.”
The grieving mothers shared memories of their daughters as prosecutors prepare to try Gwynn Oak resident William Brown, 41, for both slayings.
Police said Brown’s DNA was found on both O’Hearn and Mills. Brown is also charged in the attack of another woman, who was raped and beaten but survived. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Still, with trial months away, the meeting between Mills and Heinonen offered an opportunity to work through the pain, regret and even remorse.
“I hate myself today,” Heinonen said, telling Mills she was in jail on drug charges the day her daughter was attacked.
“You shouldn’t,” Mills replied. “We always think we could have done something more to prevent it, but the truth is as long as there are monsters out there, we can only do so much to protect our children.”
Recently, Mills has been volunteering at YANA as a way to help other woman cope with the pain of addiction, sexual abuse and violence.
“My daughter wasn’t a prostitute, but she had problems of her own,” Mills said. “She liked to be out on the streets. … But that doesn’t matter. No one deserves to die that way.”
The meeting between Mills and Heinonen was arranged by Sidney Ford, executive director of YANA.
The organization recently relocated from Lombard Street to Hezekiah House at 901 Hollins St., where workers provide food and counseling services for prostitutes once a week from 10 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays.
Ford said she hopes bringing Mills and Heinonen together will allow both to draw strength from each other.
“There is no black or white in this, no ‘good girl’ or ‘prostitute,’ just two grieving mothers, remembering their daughters with love.”
