The following is a preliminary memo sent by Lori Evans of Yoknapatawpha County's Child Protective Services unit. Information regarding Tull's current location has been omitted for safety reasons.

TO: Det. Armstrong FROM: L. Evans, YCCSS   RE: Initial report: Dylan Tull   Det. Armstrong,   At your request, I'm writing to give you some preliminary information with regards to Dylan Tull and his mother, Bonnie Tull. A full report with follow-up information will follow this memo.   I met briefly with Mrs. Tull on July 28, and also met with Dylan at that time. I had a follow-up meeting with Dylan at his grandmother's house in XXXXXXXXX on Friday, Aug. 1. During these meetings my immediate goals were to establish the circumstances of the boy's interaction with the victim, Purity Knight, and also to ascertain whether the boy and/or his mother needed immediate counseling and whether the boy was being criminally neglected.   1. Circumstances of interaction with victim   From my conversations with the Tulls I have been able to construct the following timeline of events.   Dylan first interacted with the victim on the morning of Saturday, May 31, while exploring in the woods. Mrs. Tull confirmed that she had worked until 2 a.m. that morning and slept until about noon. Dylan has his own keys and has been independently running errands and going places for the past several months, so his leaving the house on his own is not unusual behavior for him. When he encountered the victim, Dylan said they talked and the victim asked Dylan to come back with pens and paper.   Dylan visited the victim a second time on the morning of Monday, June 2. Mrs. Tull was working the breakfast shift that day. He did bring the requested items, and the victim wrote a note and asked Dylan to deliver it to the police. The victim also asked Dylan to bring food on his next visit. On his way back from the site, Dylan encountered a man who said he would deliver the note for Dylan. Dylan gave the note to the stranger and returned home without incident.   Dylan visited the site a third and final time on Wednesday, June 4. As with the previous visit, Mrs. Tull was working that morning. Dylan brought the victim an apple and an orange. He also brought with him a new tape recorder, which he had bought with allowance money at the Salvation Army and fixed by himself. He talked with the victim and made an audio tape.   On Thursday, June 5, Dylan went to his grandmother's house and did not see the victim alive again. He revisited the site on Monday, June 9, on the morning, and was spotted on the scene by Mr. Archer.   Dylan learned that the victim had indeed died when he tried to convince a friend, Luke Hawthorne, to visit the site the following week. Luke told Dylan the woods were haunted by "the dead girl." Dylan did not confide his knowledge of the victim with Luke or anyone and made no further attempts to visit the site.   2. Assessment of need for counseling   Bonnie Tull has been attending sporadic counseling sessions through the MHD. In our conversation she said "I know I need help, it's just a matter of having time to get it;" this incident seems to have spurred her to take further action. My initial impression was that she is depressive and would benefit from more intensive therapy, possibly accompanied by medication. She could also benefit from basic counseling on parenting strategies and stress management. As a follow-up, I plan to contact Mrs. Tull's counselor at the MHD and obtain further details as well as contact several agencies that might be able to help Mrs. Tull.   Dylan Tull has never been referred for counseling, although a number of his teachers referred to him as "quiet." After speaking with him for several hours, my impression was that he is extremely withdrawn and has some anti-social tendencies. Both traits are most likely a product of his somewhat isolated environment and the independence which has been necessary for him to survive. Dylan is very intelligent and imaginative and does not exhibit signs of chronic depression or anxiety, although in discussing his relationship with the victim he became agitated and upset on several occasions. Aside from some short-term post-trauma counseling I believe Dylan does not need further therapy, unless he and his mother were to undertake some sessions together to learn more about each other and how they can better interact.   3. Assessment of possible criminal neglect   I do not believe Bonnie Tull has criminally neglected Dylan, and Dylan should neither be relocated to his father's residence in Florida nor be placed into foster care. Dylan's grandmother frequently steps in whenever Bonnie feels most unable to assume the responsibilities of motherhood, and I believe this arrangement is satisfactory for the present. However, a reconsideration of Mrs. Tull's custody of Dylan may be appropriate in the event that she fails to seek the counseling outlined above.   A full report will follow within the week.   [signed] Lori