Mary Byron

Mary Byron was a young woman with a bright future, good friends and a loving family. On December 6, 1993, her former boyfriend — who had been jailed for raping and assaulting her weeks earlier — posted bond and was released without Mary’s knowledge. He was secretly waiting for her in the parking lot as she left her job at a hair salon at a shopping mall. He shot her seven times; she died inside her car.

It was her 21st birthday.

There was an immediate outcry from the community. Mary’s parents, Pat and John Byron, were left wondering how this happened and how this could have been prevented. They turned their grief into action and began working with local officials in hopes of derailing this type of tragedy for other families.  The Jefferson County Judge Executive requested bids to develop a system that would notify crime victims electronically when their offenders were released from jail or prison.

Exactly one year after Mary's death, in collaboration with local officials, VINE was launched. Today, VINE makes more than 22 million notifications each year, serving victims and crime survivors and keeping communities safe.