Congratulations to Lawrence native and filmmaker Melanie Perkins, who recently won an Emmy in her directorial debut in the "Outstanding Investigative Journalism — Long Form" category. That's a bit like hitting a home run in your first time at bat in the Major Leagues.
But the celebration is bittersweet, because the topic of Perkins' documentary, her childhood friend Angelo "Andy" Puglisi, is still missing, 32 years after he disappeared from the Higgins Memorial Swimming Pool in Lawrence.
Perkins, who also produced and wrote the feature-length documentary titled "Have You Seen Andy," spent seven years investigating her friend's disappearance. She learned things other investigators had not — that five known pedophiles were at the Higgins pool when Andy disappeared.
The movie was aired first on HBO's Cinemax Reel Life series in the summer of 2007, and will be released this coming week on DVD. When she received her award in New York City at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner Center, Perkins kept the focus where it belongs. "This is for Andy," she said, holding up the Emmy statue.
While the case is still open in the Essex County District Attorney's office, Perkins says she hopes her film will prompt renewed energy in investigating it.
That is the most important thing Perkins has done: While Andy has been gone for decades, her persistent work has insured that he is not forgotten.
