A few years ago, I had an opportunity to listen to a family tell their story. It was part of their healing process. Another family member was responsible for the deaths of her children and others in a drunken car accident. More recently, the sister a friend of mine had her son kidnapped, and then killed by his father who then killed himself.
You and Parker both are right, when the news story and buzz ends, we tend to forget the lives of those left behind. How they cope and how heavy a burden they carry when trying to move on.
What is consistent, is the guilt. “I should have, if I only did/didn’t..” Then there’s the resentment and blame.
Your story is true to that, and again like Parker says, too well written. That certainly isn’t a bad thing.