This week's news has triggered fresh grief but also new hope for her relatives, who say they are grateful for the new attention Ashley's case has been given.

WSJ: In Cleveland, Another Family Holds Out Hope

But it's also clearly conditional: People tend to cooperate with relatives and frequently encountered acquaintances, not indiscriminately.

WSJ: Have We Evolved to Be Nasty or Nice? | Mind & Matter

The Queen also met privately with relatives and survivors of the Enniskillen bomb, but while there has been reconciliation there has not been justice.

BBC: Remembering the Enniskillen dead

"I have a lot of relatives in the Dominican Republic today cheering for the Dominican Republic, but also cheering for me as a cousin, as their family member, " Meulens said.

NPR: Dominicans Beat Netherlands 4-1, Reach WBC Final

Our servicemen and women make up less than 1 percent of Americans, but also more than 1 million military spouses and 2 million children and millions more parents and relatives -- all of whom have shared the strains of deployment and sacrificed on behalf of the country that we love.

WHITEHOUSE: Remarks by the President on Veterans Day

But beyond that, I think there's also the experience of many people here in Mexico with relatives in the United States who experienced very rough times, who have experienced discrimination.

NPR: Obama Win Changes Perceptions Abroad