Strange Light Falls on Dead Vet's Dog

'It made me wonder if Justin was there,' writes '20/20' reporter
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 25, 2011 4:10 AM CST
Strange Light Falls on Dead Vet's Dog
Tired from a long trip, Hero the dog sits with her new Newport, NH, family, Skip and Rhonda Rollins, parents of fallen soldier Justin Rollins.   (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

A strange, almost, er, heavenly, light that fell on a dead veteran's dog during 20/20 filming has given a photographer paws for reflection, she reveals in an unusual note on ABC News.com. The beam of light that briefly bathed Hero the mutt during a "simple" shoot at the New Hampshire home of fallen soldier Justin Rollins "made me wonder about life after death," writes Kimberly Launier. She was filming Rollins' parents playing with their son's dog, who was rescued from the Iraq war zone. Sometimes mom Rhonda Rollins would pet Hero's face and ask, "Justin, are you in there?"

At one point, Hero walked a short distance on his own into the family yard, and "the clouds broke and a light began to solidify in a beam directly down on Hero—a kind of vertical halo," writes Launier. The dog "turned to look at me, and it was all I could do to hold the camera steady and not drop it in astonishment," adds Launier. "It was an unforgettable moment, and made me wonder if in fact Justin was in there. Then the light vanished." What do you think? Check a photo of the light beam here. (More Justin Rollins stories.)

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