I think it's pretty normal for someone who has been on LJ for four years to post about her personal trauma in her journal. I can think of several reasons why local media wouldn't take a story like this, such as local politics. Not living anywhere near the area, I have no clue if that's the case, here.

I'm not naive. I've seen, even helped investigate, online hoaxes perpetrated upon online communities. Enough to know that money isn't always the motivating factor in such cases. I'm just not seeing the same hallmarks here.

That said...I do believe there is some danger in making these posts public. What's to keep the people harassing her from finding them and using them to their advantage?

However, while the posts remain public, I'll be following the story with interest and offering what moral support I can.