Book Review & No. 1 Recommended Reading: "Now They Lay Me Down to Rest"
At NITA, we have been incredibly fortunate to work and collaborate with the finest investigative and security professionals in the country. These professional relationships enhance every aspect of NITA’s corporate development and ability to better deliver superior content to our students.
This is our first book review and is number one on our recommended reading list.
If you are an investigator, security professional, law enforcement officer, or a person who wants to always learn more…this book is for you. Authored by a decorated and renowned criminal law enforcement investigator, this is a read that you won’t want to put down.
Thomas Aiken served for over 40 years as a police officer, dedicating his time to supervising all major criminal investigations. During his career with the New York State Police, he worked on over 100 homicides, 700 child abuse cases, kidnappings, rapes, burglaries, and bank robberies. As a NITA alum, he is an expert in his field with an eye for detail.
But recently, he has his eyes set on a new life goal – turning his book into a movie.
“Now They Lay Me Down to Rest” tells the emotional and heart-wrenching story of a little boy who was abused, beaten, and starved to death. It reveals the lies and corruption behind the professionals who are trusted to protect children. The murderer, the boy’s stepfather, was able to walk free for 22 years and went on to abuse six additional siblings – until Lieutenant Aiken came across the case.
“Out of all the cases that I was involved with, this case always stuck out to me and the team,” said Tom. “In 1994, the District Attorney came up to me and said, ‘Tom, we have to put this case to rest. It’s 22 years old. There’s no new evidence.’”
But that didn’t deter Tom. What stuck most with him and his wife, who is a co-author of the book, was that justice had not been found for the little boy. He had no one fighting in his corner, and everyone had dismissed the case as a lost cause. An unmarked grave was all the remembrance anyone had of this little boy.
With a newfound determination, Lieutenant Aiken and his team spent hours gathering non-stop evidence and statements. It took dedication and patience to go back 22 years later and fight for any new information, but with the help of forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, the team was able to put the pieces together. As the story goes on, more chilling details of other homicides unfold – creating an investigation story worthy of a movie.
Years later, Tom and his wife wrote “Now They Lay Me Down to Rest” to bring awareness to children who are abused and need someone to hear them. The couple wanted to educate police, doctors, teachers, or anyone in a position to help children with the perspective to hear their cries and offer them the courage to speak up.
The book is written from the perspective of Connie, Tom’s wife, and mother to their six children, as they reminisce on a 30-year career involving over 100 homicides and 700 horrid child abuse cases. The perspective allows readers to have a new sense of empathy for parents in these devastating situations.
“It’s narrated from my wife’s perspective because she was raising three boys and three girls all these years as we worked on horrendous homicides, child abuse, kidnapping, rapes and robberies coming through every week,” said Tom. “She would be up all night worried about her babies.”
From an extensive web of lies to shocking new details being unveiled, the story of the little boy who was abused and murdered is one that needs to be told. Lieutenant Aiken and his wife were driven to write this book to give a voice to the unheard and offer a new perspective to anyone who works with children.
“Now They Lay Me Down to Rest” is available on Amazon for purchase now.
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