ANDI

Not One More Child.

2011-11-10T17:21:00.001-08:00

Appeal, appeal, appeal - Justice for Andi.

2011-11-02T07:45:00.000-07:00

*DISCLAIMER* Sensitive subject matter, please be advised this blog should not be read by children due to brutal violence and language.*

Supreme Court of Arkansas Streaming Media Archive: www.courts.state.ar.us (please clip and copy into browser, Blogger won't let me link.)

CR 10-1068 Karl D. Roberts v. State of Arkansas, from Polk CircuitNovember 03, 2011 - 8:58 AM
Please click the ORAL ARGUEMENT tab on the left and the video should pop up. Each side has 20 minutes to present their side. The decision should be given within a couple of weeks and I will post it here.

No one ever believes they will be a crime victim. In fact, I was raised a pretty sheltered life. I was a tomboy who got dirty, rode my bicycle, brought my mother the biggest toads (much to her horror) I could find and played outside all the time. I never thought about bad things when I was a kid. There were some hard times, sure, of course, but there were more great, great times. Laughter and silly games with the neighbor kids after dark: kick the can, witches midnight hour and my family, thanks to my Grandma Brake on my moms side and the Petty family on my dads side we always had the best Christmas'. And I felt the importance of raising my girls with a sense of family and fun and laughter. Life really was pretty good.

May 15, 1999 evil knocked on the door and stole my oldest daughter, Andi. She was kidnapped out of the security of her own living room at the tender age of 12 years, one month, and 5 days. She was minding her own business, not bothering anyone, but was simply making some chicken tenders for her step-siblings, being selfless and making sure those little children had something to eat. Her step-momma was working and her daddy was down the hill not far from the house fishing. She waved bye to him when he left. He has since said that image is seared in his mind and it haunts him. I cannot imagine being one of the last persons to see her alive. It truly makes me very, very sad. He wasn't even that far from the house.

After forcing her into his vehicle, this predator drove her 10 miles away down an old logging road in an adjacent town and told her to get out of the vehicle. She was crying, he told her to, "Shut the fuck up." Then he forces her to disrobe in front of him. Next, he pushes her to the ground, the hard rocky terrain. If anyone has ever strolled down an old dirt road or stepped off into the Ozark forest they know that it is covered in rocks, tree branches, pine needles and debris. He didn't care, he pushed her down onto her back and brutally raped her. She cried, plead, fought, scratched and when he was finished he got off of her and through tears she asked him to take her home. He said no. She then told him, "If you take me back, I won't tell my daddy, I won't tell anyone. Please take me home." He again refused and put his hands around her neck and strangled her. It took several minutes for her to die in his hands. If you have a few minutes I would like you to imagine this scene and look at the clock for two to three minutes and imagine being a 12-year-old child being strangled. Hold your breath and see how long you can do it. I can only hold my breath for 24 seconds before I am pretty uncomfortable.

You may ask why after 12 years am I torturing myself writing this blog. You may ask why I am not letting my daughter rest in peace and moving forward with my life. The answer is this. After this predatory monster brutally raped and strangled my first born child and disposed of her clothing in the Buffalo River right outside of Cove, Arkansas he dragged her small nude body into the woods and left her there, face up, eyes open, tongue bitten nearly in half from her fight for her life and after all this he went to his parent's house and had a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, she was laying there alone and naked in the forest for three days and during those three days it stormed something awful, the cloud cover made the nights awfully dark, she was terrified of the dark. But, she was deceased you say. I don't care. She was afraid of the dark. Additionally, animal activity did what animals do to a decomposing body and part of her thighs and arms were...sorry I cannot even say. Then her killer assisted in the search for her. Unbelievable. So, when someone says I should let her rest in peace it is awfully difficult when I have an agency called the ACLU, ie, Karl Roberts vs. the State of Arkansas fighting to save his pathetic life, and tomorrow morning at 8:58 AM via live stream satellite, some 12 years after my daughter was brutally murdered, me and my family are faced with the seemingly never ending appeal process. This is where some defense attorney, some bleeding heart individual, is fighting for the life of a confessed child rapist and murderer, this pathetic creature who has been rotting on Death Row in an Arkansas prison longer than my daughter was even alive on this planet.

Don't get me wrong, I truly believe Andi is in the arms of the Lord in heaven. I have nno doubt. I also believe that as her mother I am her voice now. It is up to me, my job as a parent to create a legacy for her. To see to the unfinished business of her sweet little life. I do that by speaking out. I do that by being involved. I teach, train, help victims, love parents who have or are walking in the same shoes I have walked in. And tomorrow at 8:58 AM there is yet another hearing, another appeal, and I am asking those of you who are willing and able to watch via satellite, to log in and do so at:
Supreme Court of Arkansas Streaming Media Archive:

www.courts.state.ar.us

CR 10-1068 Karl D. Roberts v. State of Arkansas, from Polk Circuit November 03, 2011 - 8:58 AM
Please click the ORAL ARGUEMENT tab on the left and the video should pop up. A wonderful lady name Laura Shue for the State of Arkansas and someone on Roberts' latest defense team each have 20 minutes to present their side. The decision should be given within a couple of weeks and I will post it here.

To those of you who have made it this far into the blog post thank you for your support and thank you for never forgetting Andi.
All my love,
Rebecca
Andi's Mommy

Prosecutor: Body Found By Crews Searching For Girl

2011-08-01T11:11:00.002-07:00

Remains Not Identified As Search For Celina Cass Continues

CANAAN, Vt. -- A body has been found by a dam on the Connecticut River by teams searching for a missing 11-year-old girl.

Crews searched an area near the Canaan Hydro-Dam as investigators continued to look for clues in the disappearance of 11-year-old Celina Cass, who was last seen in her West Stewartstown, N.H., home on July 25.

Essex County state attorney Vincent Illuzzi said a female body was found near the dam, but no identification had been made.

At about 10:45 a.m. Monday, a dive team came up from the water, and shortly after, other investigators and Assistant Attorney General Jane Young went to the scene. The media were asked to leave the area.

Roads on the Canaan side of the river were closed off, blocking the view of the river.

Monday afternoon, several of Celina's relatives had gathered at her home and could be seen crying.

The FBI has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the location of Celina and the arrest and prosecution of a suspect.

A separate $5,000 reward from an anonymous citizen was announced for anyone who can provide information leading to her whereabouts.

Celina's family said they last saw her at her computer shortly before she went to bed the night of July 25. The next morning when they went to wake her up, she was gone.

Her disappearance led to a massive law enforcement effort involving more than 50 FBI agents and an equal number of officials from state and local police, search crews and dive teams. Investigators have said that they had received hundreds of tips but few solid leads.

Over the weekend, Celina's father, Adam Laro, pleaded for her safe return. Monday morning, her stepfather, Wendell Noyes, was taken by ambulance to Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital.

2011-08-01T11:11:00.001-07:00

Celina Cass

2011-08-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Authorities are examining "every facet" of missing 11-year-old Celina Cass' life, including computer records on the girl's home computer, the New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General tells FoxNews.com.

Celina, whom friends describe as sweet and reliable, was last seen by a family member Monday night at her home in Stewartstown, N.H., a small town near the Canadian border. She was reported missing Tuesday morning and those who know the child say it's unlikely she ran away.

Celina Cass, 11, was last seen Monday night inside her Stewartstown, N.H., home near the U.S.-Canada border.

July 28: Residents of Stewartstown, N.H., post missing posters for Celina Cass in Colebrook, N.H.
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Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young told FoxNews.com that the investigation is being treated as a missing person case.
"At this time, she is a missing child," Young said. "We're looking at all facets of her life."

FBI child abduction specialists as well as the New Hampshire and Vermont State Police and U.S. Border Patrol scoured fields, woods and the Connecticut River on Thursday for any sign of the girl, according to local reports.

Police have said that there's no indication Celina ran away or that someone took her, and there are no signs of a struggle.

Young said Thursday that authorities did not issue an Amber Alert because the case did not meet the criteria for one. Amber Alerts usually require a description of a vehicle or person the child was last with, Young said.

A flurry of activity was seen Thursday in and around the three-story house where Celina lives with her mother and stepfather. The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that state police detectives wrapped the driveway of the girl's home in yellow tape on Wednesday.

The FBI, meanwhile, said it had enlisted a four- to six-person "child abduction rapid deployment team" to pitch in. Young told FoxNews.com that the FBI had sent agents as far away as New York and Virginia to assist in the search. She also said law enforcement is canvassing "every house" in the neighborhood and "talking to everyone."

"She never went anywhere without her mom or sister," said family friend Rebecca Goodrum, 30, fighting back tears and holding a lit candle Wednesday night at a vigil held in a park in neighboring Canaan, Vt., about a half-mile from the girl's home.

"She is very shy," said Kayla Baglio, 18, who knows her, too. "If she doesn't know you, she'd look at her sister to see if it was OK to talk to you."

Celina's friend, 11-year-old Makayla Riendeau, described the girl as very athletic and a stickler about getting her school work done on time.

"She's a very good friend, and she never lets anybody down," Makayla said.

At midday Wednesday, about a mile north of town, five officers with the U.S. Fish and Game Department searched the woods behind an apartment building. They carried bags and boxes, but it was unclear if they collected anything.

Plainclothes police officers wearing purple rubber gloves were also seen surrounding a red pickup that was parked across the street from the girl's home, photographing it and looking inside. When news cameras began shooting pictures of what was happening, troopers moved a cruiser and a New Hampshire State Police SUV in front of the scene, to block the cameras.

The girl's disappearance hung heavy over Stewartstown, a community of 800 residents with one blinking streetlight and a handful of stores. Friends posted fliers of the girl on trees, utility poles, storefronts and car windows, and stood along the street in front of her house, waving motorists down to hand them copies.

"It's creepy," said Shannon Towle, who owns Towle's Mini-Mart on Route 3. "Things like this don't happen here. I know that's kind of a tired phrase. I'm an overprotective mom as it is. Now it's going to be way worse."

After sunset on Wednesday, about 80 people -- many with candles in hand and tears in their eyes -- gathered for the nighttime vigil. A framed picture of the girl sat on a picnic table, surrounded by candles. Friends, classmates and even people who didn't know Celina were among those in the crowd, and young children sobbed as adults comforted them.

Goodrum, of nearby Beecher Falls, Vt., said she was praying that Celina, whom she's known since she was 2, is safe.

"She was beautiful," said Goodrum. "She was the light of everything."

Towle said her 13-year-old daughter, Echo Towle, asked her mother whether she thought Celina was still alive.

"How do I answer that question? And do I want to?" Towle said. "I don't want to think about it, but I pray every second that she is okay."

Beautiful

2011-03-22T07:16:00.001-07:00

Sweet baby girl.
Gone too soon.

Death Appeal Stalls in Court

2010-06-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Death Appeal Stalls In Court

Posted: Monday, June 28, 2010 10:28 am
By Jeff Arnold

TIMES RECORD • JARNOLD@SWTIMES.COM
Karl Douglas Roberts' appeal of his death sentence remains stalled in Polk County Circuit Court, 18 months after a judge rejected his claim he had ineffective counsel when he was tried and sentenced.
On May 23, 2000, a Polk County jury convicted Roberts, 42, of capital murder and sentenced him to die for the rape and strangulation of Andria Nichole Brewer, his 12-year-old niece, whom he murdered a year earlier.

Within two weeks of being condemned, Roberts announced he wouldn't appeal the sentence.
Although he waived his right to appeal, the Arkansas Supreme Court did a mandatory review of his case for any errors that could have led to a wrongful conviction, and upheld Roberts' death sentence in April 2003.
Then on Jan 6, 2004, only hours before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection, Roberts allowed his defense team to file a motion to stay his execution.
The motion was granted by U.S. District Judge George Howard and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The appeals journey through federal court and back to state court before returning to federal began.
The case moved forward in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Arkansas until the summer of 2005, but Howard became ill and the case lay dormant until the judge's death in 2007.
On April 21, 2007, the case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf, who stayed the federal proceedings in December 2007, until all claims in state court are exhausted.
Roberts' defense team filed a 245-page "Rule 37" petition in Polk County Circuit Court, claiming Roberts had ineffective counsel, couldn't receive a fair trial in Polk County and was incompetent to stand trial, among other arguments.
A Rule 37 petition argues a defendant had ineffective counsel at trial and/or sentencing.
Following a December 2008 hearing, Polk County Circuit Court Judge J.W. Looney issued a five-page letter in January 2009 ruling on Roberts' petition, rejecting each argument point-by-point.
The majority of the arguments raised by Roberts' federal public defender were previously rejected by the Arkansas Supreme Court, waived by Roberts or outside the scope of a Rule 37 petition, according to Looney's findings.
At the conclusion of the five-page letter, Looney requested Polk County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Williamson prepare an order based on his finding.
On Sept. 29, Looney sent a letter to the federal public defender and Williamson - and placed a copy of it in the case file - that read, "I just checked the file in this matter and note that an order was never entered although I provided a decision letter on January 5, 2009."
Until the order is entered, Roberts' defense team is prevented from appealing Looney's decision to the Arkansas Supreme Court, because it isn't official without the order.
Neither Looney nor Williamson responded to messages seeking comment.
Once an order is entered and Roberts' appeal moves forward, the Arkansas Supreme Court will either remand the case to Polk County Circuit Court for further action or affirm Looney's decision, which will return the case to federal court.
Roberts confessed to raping and strangling Brewer on May 17, 1999, two days after she went missing from her father's Hatfield home.
Initially, Roberts denied any knowledge of his niece's disappearance, but later led investigators to her broken body next to a remote logging road near Cove.
Roberts' trial began exactly one year after his confession.
His defense team didn't deny Roberts raped and strangled his niece, but attorneys argued he wasn't guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Roberts suffered brain damage when he was hit by a truck when he was 12 years old.
The defense provided experts who told jurors the injury left Roberts with no impulse control or the ability to understand consequences and reason. Prosecution experts acknowledged Roberts' brain damage, but said the injury did not explain his actions.
The jury rejected Roberts' defense and his plea for mercy, finding him guilty of capital murder and sentencing him to death.
In a letter he wrote after he was sentenced, to Brewer's mother, Rebecca DeMauro, Roberts simply stated "I have no excuse."

We will never forget...

2009-04-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

This next Friday Andi would have turned 22. Ten years ago her life was brutally stolen from her when she was kidnapped from her father's rural Arkansas home, raped and strangled. During this time of year I always struggle with these terrible facts. My heart will always have an empty space and there has not been one day since she was taken that I have not thought about her. A parent should never lose a child. It's not natural. So, as I have almost every year I am honoring her by placing her video on this blog dedicated to her memory.

I love you Andi. I miss you.

Mommy

Boca Raton database entrepreneur turns his attention from terrorists to pedophiles

2009-03-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

By JEFF OSTROWSKI

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, March 14, 2009

BOCA RATON — The details are too hideous to believe: An Alabama woman arranges to have her 7-year-old relative and another child raped by a pedophile.

She even drugs the children so they won't resist.

The woman, a former teacher, is caught only because a high-powered team of pedophile hunters based in Boca Raton discovers that she is distributing child pornography online. Police set up a sting that results in the arrests of the woman and the man whom she summoned to her home.

That January bust is just one of dozens throughout the country credited to data guru Hank Asher's latest venture, the cryptically named TLFO. Asher made hundreds of millions of dollars by founding two Boca Raton companies, Database Technologies and Seisint, and later selling his stakes in them.

Now Asher says he plans to spend half a billion dollars, including $200 million of his own cash, to build the world's most powerful computer, one that will string together 100,000 potent servers and will be housed in a 25,000-square-foot bunker at the birthplace of the personal computer in Boca Raton.

Asher is cagey about the business plan for all that horsepower, but he's eager to describe one of the computer's functions: Tracking down pedophiles who rape and sometimes kill infants, toddlers and children.

Because he does not want to alert his prey, Asher is vague about exactly how he unearths child predators. He says, though, that pedophiles have found a safe haven on the Web.

"At one point, we were gaining ground on these guys," he said. "In the last five years, this has gone epidemic, and it's because of the Internet. Now I'm going to make their best friend into their worst nightmare."

'A paycheck for the soul'

Asher is a 57-year-old motormouth who favors pink polo shirts, enjoys smoking the tires of his souped-up black Mercedes and imagines that God is a black woman.

He has proved he knows how to find criminals. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Seisint developed software that identified terrorists. His work also led to the arrests of the Beltway snipers who killed 10 people in the Washington area in 2002.

"The systems we made were for terrorists, but they work for pedophiles," he said.

Asher's story is an unlikely one. A self-described Indiana farm boy who dropped out of high school ("I wasn't exactly a dropout - I ran out," he said), he moved to Fort Lauderdale in the early 1970s and ran a successful firm that painted high-rise buildings.

His late-blooming skill with data made him truly wealthy. He owned 40 percent of Seisint in 2004, when it was sold to British publishing giant Reed Elsevier for $775 million and became part of LexisNexis.

"I really thought I'd wind up on a 200-foot yacht down in the South Pacific," Asher said. "But I decided to go back to work."

In 1993, he donated his database software to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The first time his creation helped rescue a child from a predator, Asher says, he felt like he was cashing "a paycheck for the soul."

Since then, he has immersed himself in the underworld of child predators. It's a subculture in which pedophiles trade not only ghastly images of children being raped but also instructional videos such as cartoons designed to teach young children that sex with adults is normal.

Asher says he wants to catch "the worst of the worst," men who rape infants, toddlers and young children.

He has assembled an impressive team of pedophile hunters, including former Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth, former Mississippi Attorney General Michael Moore, the recently retired sheriff of Collier County and a former Wyoming police officer who's an expert on pedophilia.

Running TLFO is Ken Hunter, a steely-eyed former chief postal inspector who has been tracking pedophiles for 40 years. A decade ago, the U.S. Postal Service had tightened the clamps on child porn.

"Along came the Internet, and everything went to hell," Hunter said. "It used to be a pedophile knew they were weird. Today there's so much of it out there that it seems normal."

Erin Runnion, whose 5-year-old daughter was raped and killed in Southern California in 2002, was a recent guest of Asher's at the Boca bunker. She says Asher's work already is protecting children.

"It really is revolutionary," Runnion said. "There's no way you can tell by looking at somebody that they're a pedophile. But you can look on their hard drive and see that there's child porn."

Acronym for 'The Last One'

Asher is spending big money on real estate. In anticipation of hiring hundreds of employees, he leased 143,000 square feet late last year at the former IBM headquarters, now known as Boca Corporate Center. He took an option to lease an additional 500,000 square feet there.

If he exercises the option, he'll have the equivalent of a small shopping mall filled with computers and workers. He says he aims to hire 5,000 people at his company, TLFO.

The name is an acronym for "The Last One." (Asher, who drops F-bombs with aplomb, doesn't mention what the "F" stands for.)

After founding Database Technologies and Seisint, he says, he does not want to start another company after this one.

Asher has vowed not to charge police for helping catch child molesters, so hunting these predators won't cover the costs of real estate, servers and employees. He won't discuss his business plan, except to say that he may sell background checks to employers who hire workers who come in contact with children.

His reticence owes to the noncompeting agreement he signed with Reed Elsevier when he sold Seisint. His Web site, www.tlfo.com, counts down the hundredths of seconds until that noncompeting agreement ends this year.

"I'm sure there will be commercial applications," Asher said.

"I'm going for the gusto," he added. "I don't want to check out of this planet without building the world's most valuable company."

'You don't mess with kids'

In the meantime, Asher has courted the support of parents of slain and abused children.

Last month, he flew the parents of two dozen murdered, kidnapped or otherwise abused children to South Florida and put them up for a weekend at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Then he flew them to Washington to talk to lawmakers and federal officials.

The guest list was a who's who of heartbroken parents. John Walsh, the father of Adam Walsh and host of television's America's Most Wanted, was there. So were the parents of Jessica Lunsford and Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted as a teenager and forced to play the wife of a deranged bigamist.

An animated Asher led parents on a tour of his cavernous facility in Boca Raton. Workers had installed new carpet and renovated the bathrooms, but the furniture had not arrived, and construction of the server room was just beginning. He described how the floor of the bunker would be raised to guard against flooding and said he'll have a backup data center in Alpharetta, Ga.

He conducted the tour with the timing of a stand-up comic. He mimicked Moore's Mississippi accent and chided Butterworth for sweet-talking Boca Raton building officials after Asher had irritated them. But when the topic turned to predators, he grew serious.

"The rules are you don't mess with kids," Asher told his audience.

Ed Smart, Elizabeth's father, lauded Asher for investing in what he considers a forgotten cause.

"We so desperately wanted to see the Internet crimes being taken seriously," Smart said. "Crime against children does not get the attention it deserves."

Butterworth, who stepped down last year as head of the Florida Department of Children and Families, says he joined Asher's team in part because sexual abuse is rampant in foster care.

"The public does not realize how severe this problem is," Butterworth said.

He hopes TLFO can build a database that will let teachers, police officers and caseworkers see more information about children who are victims of sexual abuse. Now a police officer or teacher who suspects abuse has no way of knowing what others have learned about the child's problems

Missing: Amber DuBois

2009-02-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

The family of a missing 14-year old California girl launched an all-out search Sunday morning that extended into the local mountains.

Hundreds of volunteers combed through rugged terrain in search for Amber LeeAnne DuBois, television news station San Diego 6 reported. DuBois was reportedly last seen shortly after 7 a.m. on Feb. 13 while walking to her high school in Escondido, Calif.

The FBI is “providing investigative assistance” to Escondido police, an agency spokesman told the San Diego Union Tribune on Saturday.

Investigators said Amber — who was last seen wearing black clothing and a backpack — talked to a friend on her cell phone as she walked to class that morning. She has not been seen or heard from since, police said.

The teen's father, Maurice DuBois, said reports of a possible sighting of his daughter Saturday were considered unreliable. He said Amber is very structured, and not the type of girl to run away.

The family is hoping that the Tour of California bicycle race — which is expected to draw thousands of spectators to Escondido on Sunday — will heighten public awareness and help in finding Amber.

Local media outlets reported Friday that there may have been an attempted abduction in the same area where Amber was last seen.

The family's private investigator Bill Garcia told San Diego 6 that a woman was almost abducted by a man driving a white utility vehicle in Escondido two weeks before Amber was reported missing — though police have not yet determined a credible link between that case and Amber's disappearance.

Meanwhile, family members have set up a Web site with pictures and contact information for the missing girl, and are pushing for the search to go nationwide.

Missing Florida Girl: Haleigh Cummings

2009-02-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

With the media circus surrounding this Florida case of missing 5-year old Haleigh Cummings there are a few facts that remain steady and true.

*She is only 5-years-old.
*She's just a tiny little girl.
*She was taken from her bed while she was sleeping.
*She hasn't been seen since February 9th.
*Her parent's are very young and not media savvy, they are doing what they know to do to plead for their daughter's return.
*And the big one HALEIGH IS MISSING.

Please look at her image. There have been lead from Florida to Tennessee. This little girl needs to come home.

Surviving Parent...

2009-02-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

As you know I spent last week on Capitol Hill or "on the Hill," lobbying for funding for the Adam Walsh Bill. This bill was signed into federal law two years ago, a nice pretty photo op was given and then boom...no funding was ever given and the bill has pretty much sat there with no teeth to change a thing for America's children. So, our group The Surviving Parent's Coalition spent last week lobbying to Congress to change this and get the ball moving. Abductions are on the rise and Internet crimes against children are atrocious.

Last year I took some time off of my child advocacy work to regroup my focus and spend some time with my family. Now because our law makers are simply dragging their feet on something that is so extremely important to the children of this country it is time to get back out there and fight for what is right...and that is keeping these kids safe.

The past ten years of living without my daughter Andi have been difficult. Seeing her friends now off to college and getting married is another aspect of the unfairness of violent crime. I will never see her go to college or hold my grandchildren...but I can make sure someone else gets too.

Please email your Congressman and urge him to support the Adam Walsh Bill and allocate the funding that rightfully belongs to it.

Work, Work, Work

2009-02-15T18:19:00.001-08:00

I have spent the week with the most amazing people on the planet, parent's of children who have been abducted, sexually abused, and or murdered. Our group, the Surviving Parent's Coalition has some VERY, VERY, VERY heavy hitters on board with us and although I cannot tell you the details right now we are honestly becoming a 900 pound gorilla. It amazes me how strong our voices are even as young as the organization is. We have been here in FLorida for the past few days doing some work and are heading up to DC in the morning to do some important lobbying. If I didn't have to get up at 4 AM to make my plane I would put some pictures on my blog...but give me a few days and I will.

Until then...good night from Boca Raton...

Missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett found murdered

2008-07-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

Body of missing 12-year-old Vermont girl is found By LISA RATHKE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 12 minutes ago

RANDOLPH, Vt. - Instead of gathering at a vigil to offer prayers for the safe return of a missing 12-year-old girl, residents found themselves mourning the news that her body had been found.

Police unearthed Brooke Bennett's body Wednesday from a makeshift grave about a mile from her uncle's house, ending a weeklong search for the subject of Vermont's first Amber Alert.

"Brooke Marie, I love you so much," her mother, Cassandra Gagnon, said at the gathering later in the picturesque town of a little more than 5,000. "I just ask that justice be done for the person who took my baby away," she said, sobbing.

The girl's father, James Bennett, added, "I know Brooke knows that we love her and will always love her."

As state police announced the grim news Wednesday evening, they said Michael Jacques, the girl's 42-year-old uncle and a convicted sex offender, will face federal kidnapping charges.

Bennett, who had just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, disappeared on June 25 after being seen at a convenience store with Jacques.

Jacques (pronounced jakes) has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault against a different underage girl. He has pleaded not guilty. Jacques, who is married to the sister of Brooke's mother, has 1993 convictions for kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault.

After searching in and around his home across town for days, police said they found Brooke's body in a spot where the earth had been disturbed.

"The painful discovery of Brooke's body today is tragic and heartbreaking," State Police Director Col. James Baker said. He called the death "clearly suspicious" but declined to give details before a planned briefing Thursday morning.

In an affidavit unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, the FBI said an unidentified 14-year-old girl told investigators she was present on June 25 when Jacques tricked Bennett into thinking she was going to a party and took her to his Randolph home to be initiated into a sex ring.

The teenager said she was led to believe Bennett "would have sex with adult males" during the initiation. The 14-year-old said she herself had been having sex with Jacques since she was 9, as part of the sex ring.

The teen, who is related to Jacques, said she and Bennett watched television for a while before Jacques told her to leave and took his niece upstairs. The witness said she left the house with her boyfriend and didn't see Bennett again.

In another blow to the family, Bennett's former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, was formally charged Wednesday with obstructing justice in the case.

He entered no plea at the federal hearing and was denied bail pending another hearing on Monday. The 40-year-old Gagnon, who lives in Texas, was on a regular visit to Vermont when he was arrested.

According to the affidavit, Gagnon told police he accessed his former stepdaughter's MySpace page from a computer at his San Antonio home after getting login information from Jacques.

Police said they have evidence that postings to the account were altered to make it appear that the 12-year-old had discussed a secret rendezvous shortly before she disappeared.

On that day, Jacques dropped Bennett off at a convenience store, and surveillance video shows they left in separate directions. She had told family members she was going to meet a friend and visit a hospitalized relative of the friend.

At the vigil for Bennett in Randolph — a site that still featured big banners reading "Come Home, Brooke, We Love You!!" — Gary Finch, Bennett's homeroom and math teacher last year, said she was an energetic and enthusiastic learner whom he loved having in class.

"She was always volunteering, always with a smile on her face. Smart, creative. It's a tragedy. It's unbelievable. It's hard to comprehend. I didn't think anything like this would happen to such a great kid," said Finch, one of about 300 people who attended.

Finch said that when school started last fall, Bennett was nervous about transferring from her small elementary school to the high school.

"She conquered that," he said. "She didn't conquer this."

___

Associated Press writer Wilson Ring in Burlington contributed to this report.

Cori Baker Case Updated.

2008-06-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

The suspect accused of killing a 13-year-old Tulsa girl last year wants the charges against him dropped.

19-year-old Marquis Bullock was the last known person to see Cori Baker alive. That was on November ninth. Investigators believe he picked Cori up from her school in east Tulsa and later killed her.

Cori's body wasn't found until her skeletal remains were discovered near a paintball field in Creek County on March 21st.

Medical examiners were not able to tell how Cori died because there weren't enough of her remains to determine the cause of death.

Bullock's attorney says police have never produced a murder weapon, there is no confession and none of Cori's blood was found in his car.

Prosecutors will be given a chance to respond before the judge makes a ruling.

Sketch released in case of 2 Okla. girls slain

2008-06-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sketch released in case of 2 Okla. girls slain
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS
Associated Press Writer

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation released this sketch Friday, June 13, 2008, of a "person of interest" investigators want to interview about the slayings of two girls along an eastern Oklahoma country road. a spokesperson said the man was seen standing near a white pickup truck around the time and place the youngsters were shot to death on Sunday afternoon.Authorities released a sketch Friday of a "person of interest" investigators want to interview about the slayings of two girls along an eastern Oklahoma country road.

The man, looking "a little suspicious," was seen standing near a white pickup truck around the time and place the youngsters were shot to death on Sunday afternoon, said Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

He was described as an American Indian, about 6 feet tall, with black hair and a pony tail. He was driving in a white Ford or Chevrolet single cab pickup with chrome stripping and an Oklahoma license tag.

"We just want to talk to him," she said. "We think he might have seen something to resolve the case."

Several witnesses have come forward, with some saying they saw the man as they drove along the road where the girls were found and others saying they heard gunshots.

"He was stopped on the road, standing outside of his pickup truck doing something," Brown said. "It looked a little suspicious."

Friends and relatives attended funeral services for the girls Friday.

Services for Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13, took place at the First Baptist Church in Dewar. The funeral for Skyla Whitaker, 11, was held at the First Baptist Church in Henryetta.

The Rev. Ron King said Taylor's funeral was "the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

"Do I have the words of comfort? No, I don't," King told mourners. "They were just babies. How do you make sense of this?"

Investigators say they have no explanation for why the girls were gunned down near the small town of Weleetka, a working-class community of 1,000 people, 70 miles south of Tulsa.

The girls, who were best friends, were shot a number of times in the head and chest with weapons of two different calibers, leading authorities to think two gunmen were involved.

Several motives have been explored, including a random thrill killing, attempted abduction, a case of mistaken identity and the possibility that the girls happened upon a crime in progress.

Time Taken Off

2008-06-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

For the few of you who read this blog or just drop in from time to time I just wanted to say I am back. There are times when it becomes so very difficult to be a child advocate espicially when you lose your child to abduction and murder. Last week I visited Andi's grave and it still even after 9 years it punches me in the stomach every time I see that huge headstone. It isn't fair and I miss her like crazy. I always wonder what she would be like and what would she be doing. It's still so sad to me. I wonder if the pain will ever receed?

That all being said it is important that you all know I am becoming active again. I am going to try to do my part and when I start to feel overwhelmed I will just back off. It is sometimes hard to gage when you are becoming overwhelmed. One day you seem to be doing fine and the next bam you are hit over the head.

I will be actively helping families and getting busy legislativly.

This image below is of me and Andi and Mel. It was twenty years ago, so please don't give me a hard time about the glasses and hair. *smile*

Outrageous Disgusting Oklahoma Law

2008-01-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

AP-OK--Porn Cases-Ruling 0132

Appeals court clarifies how child porn cases are tried

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ State prosecutors say a ruling from the
state Court of Criminal Appeals will affect every child pornography
case they prosecute.
The court says only one count can be filed when porn is found on
digital or magnetic storage devices such as a CD-ROM no matter how
many separate pornographic images or photographs are on the device.
The ruling comes in the case of James Cheyenne Brown who was
convicted of 100 counts of possessing child porn after hundreds of
pornographic images were found on nine disks in his possession.
The court dismissed 91 of the counts and cut Brown's prison
sentence from 50 to four-and-a-half years.
Prosecutors say they cannot appeal the ruling but legislators
could be asked to change the child pornography law.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Honoring Cori

2008-01-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

Cori Baker’s family last saw her on the morning of November 9th, 2007. After classes at her Tulsa OK area high school, Cori was picked up by her older sister’s boyfriend, an 18 year old named Marquis Milton Bullock never to be seen again. Marquis was arrested on Nov. 12th, and eventually sent the police on what can only be described as a wild goose chase to find Cori’s remains which have not yet been located.

Police believe that Marquis murdered Cori and is refusing to give the location of the childs body.

Cori is 13 years old, 5′5″ and 105 lbs. She has brown hair and blue eyes. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the recovery of Cori’s body. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 918-596-2677 or 911.

*A NOTE FROM REBECCA*
I asked Danny Baker, Cori's father, what his favorite memory of Cori was because I feel it is important for families to share those things when a loved one is missing. And also to let them realize that there are people who have compassion. Danny told me that on Christmas Eve. night when Cori was about 7 or 8 she ran into his room and jumped into bed with her father. He asked her what was wrong and in this frightened voice she said, "I heard a clatter on the roof." So sweet.

This case has baffled me. During the past few months I have worked closely with Cori's family. My heart goes out to them. I truly wish I had a magic wand to wave and make it all go away for them. God Bless you Danny and the rest of those who love and miss her.

I wish I could have known her. :(

Kidnapped Missouri Girl Found Dead in Sinkhole

2007-11-11T07:38:00.001-08:00

*A Note from Rebecca*
We fight to make a difference. People Magazine recognizes that effort. We fly out to receive an award in Los Angeles and in a small town in Missouri it happens again. A child kidnapped, raped and murdered. This time by a family member and his friend. We are fighting and trying to make it stop. And it is still happening. But, I promise we are trying.

God Bless little Rowan Ford and her family.

(AP) -- A law enforcement official says a 9-year-old southwest Missouri girl missing for a week has been found dead.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the body was found Friday in a sinkhole in eastern McDonald County. The source said the body of Rowan Ford was found on private land near Powell, about 10 miles south of her hometown of Stella, Mo.

The Newton County Sheriff's Department is holding a news conference at this hour at the sheriff's office in Neosho.

Rowan was reported missing Saturday after her mother, Colleen Spears, returned home from a night shift at a Wal-Mart in a nearby town and found the girl gone.

Rowan’s stepfather, David Spears, told investigators he last saw the girl asleep in her room around 10:45 p.m. Friday, before he left her alone and went out with friends.

People's Magazine: Hereos Among Us Awards

2007-11-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

The Rants From Sunnybrook Farm

2007-10-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

My other blog:
The Rants From Sunnybrook Farm

Andi Brewer

2007-08-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

May 15, 1999 my life changed forever. My beautiful 12 year-old daughter, Andria “Andi” Nichole Brewer was kidnapped from her father’s rural Arkansas home. After a three day state wide search for her that included hundreds of volunteers, state, local, and federal law enforcement her abductor confessed to the FBI that he had abducted Andi.

He had waited for her father to leave the house then he went to the door, told her that her grandparent’s were ill and that she needed to leave with him. He then drove her 10 miles away to the town of Cove, Arkansas down an old logging road where he raped and strangled her. We learned from his confession that she fought him and begged for her life. She promised not to tell that he had raped her if only he would take her home.

He didn’t. He strangled her to death.

After he murdered her he pulled her 400 yards further into the wooded area and covered her small nude body with scrub brush and disposed of her clothing into the raging Buffalo River. The murderer, Karl Roberts, was a relative by marriage, so none of us found it odd when he helped all of us search for Andi for the three days she was missing.

When we finally learned what had happened to Andi I wanted to die with her. There is no other way to explain the loss of a child other than to say that dying by slow torture would be better. I have never experienced such great pain emotionally or physically. Unless you have lost a child there is no way to for me to explain it in a way you may understand.

There was a little relief when Karl Roberts was found guilty of first degree capital murder and was given the death penalty. For a time that seemed to pacify my rage and hate for him, but soon enough he began to consume my thoughts again. I hated him. I wanted to blow his brains out. I wanted him to suffer long and slow. I even gave him a nickname “Spawn of Satan” and prayed to God that he was being raped and tortured in prison.

Hate and un-forgiveness consumed me. My thoughts were only on ways to kill Karl Roberts myself.

Then one morning I was watching Katie Couric on NBC when the story of Gary Ridgway , the Green River killer, was broadcast. Ridgway was sentenced for the murders of 48 women making him the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history. He was to receive 48 consecutive life terms for the murders of the women he killed. I watched with great interest as the crime victim’s families were each allotted 10 minutes to give a victim impact statement.

NBC showed clips from several statements: "I hope you rot in hell, you son of a bitch.” and “You are not God. It was not your right to decide who lived and who died.” Ridgway sat stoic and hard, eyes squinted seemingly full of hate.

It wasn’t until Bob Rule, father of 16-year-old Linda Rule, stood and faced the killer that something inside of me and Gary Ridgway broke. Bob Rule looked straight at the Green River killer and said.

"Mr. Ridgway, there are people here who hate you, I'm not one of them. I forgive you for what you've done. You've made it difficult to live up to what I believe, and that is what God says to do, and that is forgive, and he doesn't say to forgive just certain people, he says forgive all. So you are forgiven.”

Ridgway’s face softened and his lips began to tremble. Then he began to cry. At that precise moment, I realized that the only way I would be able to go on living was to stop hating. I had to do what Bob Rule had done and let it go, let it quit killing me, let Andi rest in peace.

I had been consumed with hate for the man who had murdered my daughter. My heart and soul had been filled with blackness and it nearly killed me. It had almost destroyed my family, too. I knew that if something didn’t change I would be in the graveyard, dead from a broken heart, next to my little daughter. What Bob Rule had done that day by taking back the power from the Green River killer was life changing for me.

It was then that I felt sorry for the other crime victims in the Ridgway case. I knew exactly what they had been feeling because I, too, had been in a courtroom and faced my own daughter’s killer. I remember seething with hate as I looked at him. I wanted to scream profanities at him. I remember feeling the anger as he sat there looking much as Ridgway had, stoic and hard.

But, now sometimes wish I had said the things in court that Mr. Rule had said. “I forgive you for what you’ve done.” I sometimes wish I had taken the power back then , when I gave my own victim impact statement.

But I didn’t and I’m okay with that.

Because now I have and I don’t hate anymore.

Surviving Parents Coalition

2007-06-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Parents Of Abducted And Sexually Assaulted Children Join Forces

KOTV - 6/21/2007 8:19 PM - Updated 6/22/2007 6:25 AM

Parents who've been through the worst pain imaginable join forces to protect children. Families who made national news after their child was kidnapped or murdered have created the Surviving Parents Coalition. These parents are members of a close-knit group that no parent ever wants to belong to. They have lost children to kidnappers, sexual predators and murderers all over the U.S., including Oklahoma. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports they will be featured in “People” magazine next week.

The names are familiar, Mark Lunsford, whose daughter Jessica was kidnapped from her Florida home. Her body was found three weeks later. Ed Smart, his 15-year-old daughter Elizabeth was kidnapped from their Utah home. She was found alive, but sexually abused, nine months later. Marc Klass, whose daughter Polly was kidnapped at age 12 from their home and murdered. Colleen Nick, her daughter Morgan was kidnapped from a ballgame in Alma, Arkansas and has never been found. Erin Runnion, the mother of Samantha who was kidnapped from home and found murdered, 70 miles away the next day. Magi and John Blish, parents of 16-year-old Molly who was kidnapped from her job as a lifeguard, her remains weren't found for three years. Linda Walker, whose daughter Dru Sjodin was kidnapped from a mall parking lot in North Dakota and found murdered five months later. Mika Moulton, the mother of Christopher Meyer, he was kidnapped when he was 10 and found buried in a shallow grave. Mary Kozakiewicz, mother of 13-year-old Alicia who disappeared from their Pennsylvania home. She was found alive, chained inside an online sexual predator's home. And Oklahoman Rebecca DeMauro, whose daughter Andi Brewer was also a victim.

"Nobody thinks it'll happen to them. Eight years ago I couldn't have believed I'd have a child kidnapped and murdered," said Andi’s mother Rebecca DeMauro.

These parents have individually created foundations to educate citizens and lobby for tougher laws. Now, they realize it will be more effective to do it as a group.

"If we can just make this a safer place for them to grow up, not see Internet porn, God forbid, be kidnapped, we want that to stop," DeMauro said.

These parents go to Washington DC on Monday to meet with members of Congress. They are pushing two bills next term, one, the TRAC ACT, tracks the actions of judges, prosecutors and police regarding crimes against children, the other, the War on Child Predators Act, gives better funding to fight child pornography.

TRAC ACT: Track and Report Abuse of Children

This law is a full-disclosure bill that will require states to track and publicly report the practices of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies regarding crimes against children. For example, the number of plea-bargains, sentence lengths, and verified locations of sex-offenders.

War on Child Predators Act – Child Pornography and the Internet Crimes Against Children

Funding and accountability measures for law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies empowered to investigate and prosecute crimes against children. This law will focus on child pornography, but the funds used for forensic labs, investigators and U.S. Attorneys all dedicated to crimes against children will significantly improve the number of perpetrators apprehended and the number of children rescued from sexual abuse and exploitation.

SURVIVING PARENTS COALITION

2007-06-22T06:40:00.001-07:00

Parents Of Abducted And Sexually Assaulted Children Join Forces

KOTV - 6/21/2007 8:19 PM - Updated 6/22/2007 6:25 AM

Parents who've been through the worst pain imaginable join forces to protect children. Families who made national news after their child was kidnapped or murdered have created the Surviving Parents Coalition. These parents are members of a close-knit group that no parent ever wants to belong to. They have lost children to kidnappers, sexual predators and murderers all over the U.S., including Oklahoma. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports they will be featured in “People” magazine next week.

The names are familiar, Mark Lunsford, whose daughter Jessica was kidnapped from her Florida home. Her body was found three weeks later. Ed Smart, his 15-year-old daughter Elizabeth was kidnapped from their Utah home. She was found alive, but sexually abused, nine months later. Marc Klass, whose daughter Polly was kidnapped at age 12 from their home and murdered. Colleen Nick, her daughter Morgan was kidnapped from a ballgame in Alma, Arkansas and has never been found. Erin Runnion, the mother of Samantha who was kidnapped from home and found murdered, 70 miles away the next day. Magi and John Blish, parents of 16-year-old Molly who was kidnapped from her job as a lifeguard, her remains weren't found for three years. Linda Walker, whose daughter Dru Sjodin was kidnapped from a mall parking lot in North Dakota and found murdered five months later. Mika Moulton, the mother of Christopher Meyer, he was kidnapped when he was 10 and found buried in a shallow grave. Mary Kozakiewicz, mother of 13-year-old Alicia who disappeared from their Pennsylvania home. She was found alive, chained inside an online sexual predator's home. And Oklahoman Rebecca DeMauro, whose daughter Andi Brewer was also a victim.

]"Nobody thinks it'll happen to them. Eight years ago I couldn't have believed I'd have a child kidnapped and murdered," said Andi’s mother Rebecca DeMauro.

These parents have individually created foundations to educate citizens and lobby for tougher laws. Now, they realize it will be more effective to do it as a group.

"If we can just make this a safer place for them to grow up, not see Internet porn, God forbid, be kidnapped, we want that to stop," DeMauro said.

These parents go to Washington DC on Monday to meet with members of Congress. They are pushing two bills next term, one, the TRAC ACT, tracks the actions of judges, prosecutors and police regarding crimes against children, the other, the War on Child Predators Act, gives better funding to fight child pornography.

TRAC ACT: Track and Report Abuse of Children

This law is a full-disclosure bill that will require states to track and publicly report the practices of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies regarding crimes against children. For example, the number of plea-bargains, sentence lengths, and verified locations of sex-offenders.

War on Child Predators Act – Child Pornography and the Internet Crimes Against Children

Funding and accountability measures for law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies empowered to investigate and prosecute crimes against children. This law will focus on child pornography, but the funds used for forensic labs, investigators and U.S. Attorneys all dedicated to crimes against children will significantly improve the number of perpetrators apprehended and the number of children rescued from sexual abuse and exploitation.

Morgan Nick

2007-06-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

A Message From Rebecca

Today is the 12th anniversary (I hate to use the word anniversary because that should be used to celebrate something good and this is far from good) of the abduction of my dear friend Colleen Nick's daughter Morgan. You can read her story below and just take a glance around you today (and everyday for that matter) to see if you recognize Morgan. Her family and community have never given up hope for her safe return and are praying diligently. Her mother says it best when she says, "LOVE ALWAYS HOPES." I agree. The photograph below has been age enhanced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children using images of her brother, sister and parents. This is most likely what Morgan looks like today.

*NOTE*I want to apologize to my friend Colleen for placing the composite image at the bottom of this page. I strongly feel that the composite drawing should be as far away from Morgan as possible. But, I also realize that this man has answers to questions over a decade old, so I placed it on here for that reason only. If you see him call the police.*

At 10:45 p.m. on June 9, 1995 in Alma, Arkansas, 6-year-old Morgan Nick was abducted from a little league ball game by an unidentified man. She was attending the game with her mother and had joined some friends to catch lightning bugs. Morgan was last seen standing near her mother's car where she had stopped to empty sand from her shoes.

Witnesses observed a man watching the youngster as she was playing with other children at the park. The witness also saw a red Ford pickup with a white camper parked nearby that disappeared at about the same time as Morgan. The camper is possibly damaged at the right rear, and was described as four or five inches too short for the truck, which has a short wheel base and paint dulled by age. The truck is believed to have Arkansas license plates.

The man was described as white, 6 feet tall, with a medium to solid build, a mustache and a 1-inch beard. At the time, he was believed to be 23-38 years old.

At the time of her disappearance, Morgan was approximately 4 feet tall, about 55 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Morgan had 5 visible silver caps on her molars. She was last seen wearing a green Girl Scout t-shirt, blue denim shorts and white tennis shoes.

A massive investigation has turned up thousands of leads, but still no solid clues to the whereabouts of Morgan Nick or her abductor. The FBI and local communities have offered a $60,000 reward for the recovery of Morgan Chauntel Nick and the identification, arrest and conviction of subject or subjects responsible for her abduction.

The search continues to move forward. There have been numerous possible sightings of Morgan across the United States. Morgan's parents believe that Morgan is still alive and hope that with continued media coverage, someone will be able to provide them with information that could bring their daughter home.
DETAILED INFORMATION
Missing: 06/09/95
Missing From: Alma, AR
Age Now: 18 years old
Age at Disappearance: 6 years old
Birth: 09/12/88

Race: White
Weight: 55lbs
Eyes: Blue
Sex: Female
Height: 4'0"
Hair: Blonde

CONTACT INFORMATION
Alma Police Dept.
Fayetteville St.
Alma, Arkansas 72921
479-632-3333
Morgan Nick Foundation
PO Box 1033
Alma, Arkansas 72921
479-632-6382
1-877-543-4673
National Center for
Missing Children
800-THE-LOST
800-843-5678

Kelsey Smith

2007-06-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

*A Note from Rebecca*
Please pray for this family. This is a terrible way to lose a child. *Wipes tears* It gets me every time. I hate it.

Missing Overland Park girl found dead in south KC

A body found this afternoon in south Kansas City is that of Kelsey Smith, police said.

Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said at a 4 p.m. news conference that investigators had found a body about 1:30 p.m. in south Kansas City.

Although positive identification had not been made, Douglass said, “We have reason to believe we have found Kelsey Smith.”

Smith had been missing since Saturday evening, when she didn’t return from an errand to a Target store at 97th Street and Quivira Road.

Her body was found as more than 200 law enforcement officers searched a 900-acre area in south Kansas City. The search there came after police discovered that Kelsey’s cell phone signaled a tower in that vicinity Saturday night.

The body has not yet been positively identified.

Shortly before 2 p.m., two Overland Park police detectives came to the Target where family and volunteers have gathered and asked to talk with the family. The detectives left to talk with Smith’s parents at their home.

A family spokesman was expected to make a statement soon.

Volunteers who have been handing out fliers and canvassing the neighborhoods near the Target at 97th Street and Quivira Road had heard about the body being discovered but said they would keep searching because the body has not been positively identified and clues may be still out there.

At a noon news conference, police said Kelsey Smith’s cell phone signaled the tower at 8 p.m. Saturday. Kelsey’s car was last seen at 7:10 p.m. leaving the Target in Overland Park, which is about 20 miles from the search location.

Overland Park police said an analysis of cell phone data showed that the phone passed through telephone cells located on Interstate 35 to Interstate 435, then east to U.S. 71 south, and from there to an area in the vicinity of Longview Lake park.
*A Note From Rebecca*
This rips me up...every time. Please pray for Kelsey's family.

According to a police department news release: Cell phone signals, known as “pings,” occur when a phone is in use, either receiving a call or message, or sending a call or message. Family and friends were attempting to contact Kelsey on Saturday night.

FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza said about 240 officers are involved in the search, which began just before 11 a.m.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, searchers moved into a wooded area, combing it for clues to Smith’s whereabouts. The site was near a residential development to the west of Byars Road.

The officers are from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration; police departments from Overland Park, Kansas City, Grandview and Lenexa; and police academy students from Johnson County Regional Police Academy, Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City.

Missing: Kelsey Smith

2007-06-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

Kelsey is 18 years old. She's 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 120 lbs., and she has brown hair and brown eyes. When she was last seen, Kelsey was wearing a pink tank top, black cotton shorts, and tennis shoes. She was driving an ‘87 gray Buick Regal with a Nebraska temp plate ("30 Day 458") on the front. This car was recovered at Oak Park Mall (Google map) - its original plate read WOZ 965.

Surveillance video from the Target store (see this page) shows Kelsey leaving before she disappeared. Approximately two hours later, her car was abandoned outside of Macy's across the street. Her purse and wallet were left in the car, but Kelsey is still missing. There is evidence that Kelsey may have been abducted, Her family and friends are desperate to see her again and have offered a $30,000 reward for information that leads to Kelsey's safe return. The police want to know where she was in the two hour span between leaving Target and the discovery of her car across the street at Macy's.

Police are currently searching for a "person of interest" based on a surveillance tape from Target (additional info and photo). He is a white male, 6 feet tall and 175 pounds, perhaps 20-years-old, with dark hair and a goatee. He was dressed in a white t-shirt, black shorts and black Converse tennis shoes. Other surveillance video from Target appears to show someone forcing Kelsey into her car.

And, police want help identifying a truck seen in the Target lot where Kelsey Smith was apparently abducted. The dark, older model mid-1970s Chevy truck with no license plate information was observed entering the same parking aisle as Smith's car on Saturday. The same truck was later seen leaving the Target parking lot at 9:29 p.m., ten minutes after Smith's car was left in the Macy's parking lot.

PLEASE, please let the police know any information you might have. The slightest detail may turn out to be critical to helping Kelsey return home. If you were at the Target store, or at Oak Park Mall any time late on Saturday 6/2/07 - and can think of *anything at all* that would help the investigation, please call the TIPS hotline with *any* information at 816-474-8477, or the Overland Park Police at 913-895-6300.

HOW CAN I HELP? Help by printing copies of this flyer and putting it anywhere that people will see it -in front of your home, on telephone poles, in front of your work, in your break room, ANYWHERE. The more people that are aware of Kelsey, the better the chances we find her!

A NOTE FROM KELSEY'S PARENTS
If you were involved in Kelsey's disappearance, please consider that we who love her want her to return home safely. Please find a way to help her return to her family and friends. It's the right thing to do.

If you have something to communicate with us via the internet, please send an email message to one of these 2 email addresses:

info@findkelsey.com or
anonymous@findkelsey.com

Comments on Madeleine McCann from Rebecca

2007-05-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Each time a little child goes missing my heart breaks all over again. I am praying and hoping that little Madeleine is being placed back into the arms of her parents as I write this. The loss of a child to abduction is so very hard that words cannot begin to express the range of emotions that happens to a parent.

My family and friends are praying for Madeleine and her family. One thing we can never do is give up hope. Without hope all else is lost. We must keep hope alive for Madeleine.

God Bless those who have contributed to the fund for her safe return:

REWARD CONTRIBUTORS
JK Rowling
Sir Philip Green
Richard Branson
Bill Kenwright
Eggert Magnusson
John Madejski
Jacqueline Gold
Simon Cowell
Wayne Rooney
Michael Vaughan
Sir Tom Hunter
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou
John Hargreaves
David Beckham

Missing UK Girl

2007-05-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

Portugal: Missing UK girl abducted
POSTED: 8:55 a.m. EDT, May 5, 2007

LISBON, Portugal (Reuters) -- A British girl who disappeared from her bed in a Portuguese beach resort while her parents dined nearby was kidnapped, police said on Saturday.

Police believe three-year-old Madeleine McCann is still alive and have a drawing of a suspect based on evidence from witnesses, said Guilhermino Encarnacao, head of the judicial police in the Faro area of the Algarve.

He would give no further information about the suspect other than saying there was "all the evidence to show it was a kidnapping" and other possibilities had been ruled out.

He said up to 150 officers were searching for the girl, who was reported missing on Thursday. Friends of the McCann family had insisted she was abducted because there was evidence of a forced entry into the villa where the family was staying.

Madeleine McCann's parents, who were on holiday in the Algarve with friends, made an emotional appeal late on Friday for their daughter to be let go.

"Words cannot describe the anguish and despair that we are feeling," Gerry McCann said in a televised statement from the Algarve resort, flanked by his wife Kate.

"Please, if you have Madeleine, let her come home to her Mummy, Daddy, brother and sister."

The McCanns had put her to bed and were dining 50 meters (yards) away with friends when she vanished on Thursday night from the apartment where they were staying.

She was with her twin brother and sister, who were asleep when the parents returned and found her missing.

Police with sniffer dogs are searching the resort village with a population of about 1,000. They have also alerted all airports in Portugal and neighboring

Wireless Amber Alert

2007-05-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t already signed up for the wireless Amber Alert, please do. It works.

https://www.wirelessamberalerts.org/index.jsp

Wireless Amber Alerts in action

Submitted by Jason Meserve on Tue, 05/01/2007 - 10:02am.

I've written and talked about the Wireless Amber Alerts service before, but now I've seen it in action. Last night, Massachusetts State Police issued an Amber Alert for a missing 12-year-old boy and since one or both of the Zip Codes I subscribed (for lack of a better word) to fell in the alert area, I got a text message at 10:21 PM describing the child, who he was potentially with and the vehicle they may be traveling in. After the boy was found (thankfully), the system sent out a cancellation message at midnight.

Needless to say, everyone should sign-up for this. It's completely free, even if you don't have a text messaging plan as part of your wireless service.

In Memory of Andi

2007-03-27T20:18:00.001-07:00

HURT

2007-03-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

I am having a really, really hard time. It has been almost 8 years and for some reason I can't breathe when I think about Andi. Don't get me wrong...my life is good, but my heart just does not seem to be mending like I feel it should. I don't think one can ever recover from the loss of a child.

I am making a video of Andi for a presentation I am doing in April. I will post it one here in a few days for you all to see. So far it is so powerful. I can't wait for you all to see it.

God my heart hurts. I am posting this song on here...it is so much how I feel right now. I know this blog is supposed to be all about child advocacy, but this is how a parent who has lost a child feels inside when this happens. You can say, "You are just depressed," or "It will all be okay." But, no it won't. Ever.

COUEY GETS WHAT HE DESERVES

2007-03-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Jurors on Wednesday recommended the death penalty for John Evander Couey, who was found guilty last week of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford.
The majority of the jury -- 10 in favor of death, 2 against it -- rendered the decision about 5:30 p.m. ET. In Florida, the vote does not have to be unanimous to recommend the death penalty.
Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Richard Howard will make the final decision on Couey's sentence, but judges typically follow a jury's recommendation. (Watch the jury announce its sentence )
As the sentence was read, Couey, 48, sat in the courtroom, fiddled with his tie, and interlaced his fingers.
"This is justice for Jessie, but not just Jessie," said Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, who cried and hugged supporters after Couey was escorted from the courtroom.
"I'm sure there's other victims out there that they didn't get justice," Lunsford continued. "You crossed paths with Couey and he hurt you, today is justice for you regardless of who you are, whether you're a stranger or a relative."
Asked if the recommended sentence brings him closer to healing, he said, "I'm still not too sure about closure."
She clutched a stuffed toy dolphin
Jessica Marie Lunsford was abducted from her Homosassa Springs, Florida, home February 23, 2005. Her body was found nearly a month later, buried within sight of her own home and behind the house where Couey was staying with a relative.
She was found wrapped in garbage bags, holding a stuffed toy dolphin, her hands bound with stereo wire.
Investigators said Couey abducted Lunsford from her bedroom. Jessica died from asphyxiation after being sexually assaulted, according to a medical examiner's report.
Police arrested Couey in Georgia in March 2005 during the search for Jessica.
His confession helped lead investigators to the girl's body, but a judge ruled the confession was inadmissible in court because he had asked for a lawyer the day before he told police he committed the crime.
Evidence at the trial included Jessica's fingerprints in a closet in Couey's trailer and DNA from Jessica's blood and Couey's semen on a mattress in his bedroom.
Although Wednesday's decision may have seemed quick, "we did have to discuss it," juror Thais Prado, 20, said.
"It was something -- of course it's not an easy decision ... it is a person's life. It didn't seem like it was quick, going through it," said juror Marvin Gunn, 38.
Prado said much of the testimony and evidence was emotionally trying.
"Pictures of the victim, once she was recovered, what was used on her body to tie her -- those are pictures that are very alive in my mind, images that are going to be very hard to forget, if I ever do."
"Jessie was taken from her home, that's the hard part," said alternate juror Osvaldo Pradere, 47, who said he has two small children. "Unfortunately in our society, kids aren't even safe in their own homes, in their own bed."
He said he would hold his children closer now after serving in the case. "Honestly, it will change my life forever."
Jurors noted Couey's lack of remorse or reaction, but said they focused mostly on the evidence presented.
Fueled by anger
Mark Lunsford appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" recently and was asked if he hated Couey.
"Yeah, definitely. Most definitely," Lunsford said. "But that's what fuels me ... that's where I get my energy to do what I do. It's the anger."
Wednesday, Lunsford said he felt "relief, but still angry."
The death penalty, he said, "Will never compare to the misery that [convicted killers] caused their victims, never."
Lunsford has led a push for stricter sex offender laws since his daughter's 2005 death.
Gov. Jeb Bush signed the Jessica Lunsford Act into Florida law. The legislation calls for prison sentences of 25 years to life for sex offenses against children under age 12, better registration of convicted sex offenders and a Global Positioning System notification mechanism to track down probation violators.
Lunsford read a statement outside the courthouse the day the verdict was handed down, asking that his daughter's death serve as a wake-up call to legislators across the country.
"We have gone through hell and come out the other side with a mission: Before the next family loses a child to America's failed system, we're going to hold lawmakers accountable for allowing this open season on our children," he said.
"We are coming to Washington. We are bringing with us a dedicated plan for a federally funded, federally strategized and nationally waged war on child predators. We will force them to listen."

Jessica Lunsford

2007-03-14T02:49:00.000-07:00

Man convicted of killing Jessica Lunsford faces sentencing today

MIAMI (AP) - A Florida jury reconvenes today to consider the fate of a sex offender convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford. John Couey was convicted of first-degree murder, sexual battery on a child, kidnapping and burglary last Wednesday. The jury will deliberate whether he should face life in prison or the death penalty. Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, has said in interviews that he's "all for the death penalty." A psychologist for the defense testified during the trial that Couey has signs of mental illness and mental retardation. Those are mitigating circumstances that could spare him the death penalty. A judge will ultimately decide Couey's sentence, taking the jury's recommendation into consideration.
Photo Copyright Getty Images

A Message from Rebecca

2007-03-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

In an effort to keep this blog with a human touch and not all just news stories copied from the AP wire I will do my best to comment on things.

I spent some time on the phone yesterday with Jessica Lunsford's father Mark, as well as other parent's who have lost children to abduction and or murder. First of all I must say that I just want to give Mark a hug. I can tell you from personal experience what he is going through is something a parent should NEVER have to endure. To sit in an open courtroom and hear all the things a predatory monster did to your child is torture. So, if you want to send an email or some encouragement to Mark please visit The Jessica Lunsford Foundation website and send your thoughts and prayers his way. Trust me...he needs it.

To the other parent's I visited with yesterday. I am so proud of all of you. Together with our War Against Predators we will change this nation. I am so happy that we are uniting with one voice. There is strength in numbers and each and every one of us have a powerful story and message to share. Let's do this thing.

And just a personal message to my daughter, Andi (don't mean to sound weird here):

Andi...I will never give up. I will fight for your memory and legacy forever. I love you.

JESSICA LUNSFORD

2007-03-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

Ex-Con Guilty in Fla. Girl's Slaying
Thursday, March 08, 2007
By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer

MIAMI — A sex offender was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and raping a 9-year-old girl and burying her alive in a case that led to a crackdown around the country on people convicted of sex crimes. Jurors deliberated about four hours before returning the verdict against John Evander Couey in the slaying of Jessica Lunsford, who was snatched from her bedroom in February 2005 about 150 yards from the trailer where Couey had been living.
Her body was found in a shallow hole, encased in two black plastic trash bags. She had suffocated and was found clutching a purple stuffed dolphin.

Couey, 48, was found guilty of first-degree murder, sexual battery on a child, kidnapping and burglary. The jury next must decide whether he should get death by injection or life in prison.
Couey stood staring straight ahead and swaying slightly as the verdicts were read. Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, who has helped push efforts for tougher monitoring of sex offenders, showed no emotion.

Outside the courtroom, Mark Lunsford said that he believed all along "that justice would prevail" in his daughter's murder but that the case wasn't complete until a sentence is imposed.
"This is only the first part. We've still got the second part," he said.
Circuit Judge Richard Howard will ultimately decide whether Couey should be sentenced to death. He is not required to follow the jury's recommendation, but judges give the recommendation great legal weight.

Couey admitted to investigators shortly after his arrest that he committed the crime, but the confession was thrown out because he did not have a lawyer present as he had requested.
"I felt confident that we had an overwhelming amount of facts we could present to the jury," said Brad King, chief prosecutor in the case, outside the courthouse after the verdict.
The evidence at trial included DNA from Jessica's blood and Couey's semen on a mattress in his bedroom, as well as Jessica's fingerprints in a closet in the trailer.
Jail guards and investigators testified that Couey repeatedly admitted details of the slaying after his arrest and that he insisted he had not meant to kill the third-grader but panicked as police searched for her.

Couey had a record as a sex offender. In 1991, he was arrested on a charge of fondling a child. In 1978, he was accused of grabbing a girl in her bedroom, placing his hand over her mouth and kissing her.

But authorities had not known that Couey was living near the Lunsford home even though he was required to tell them he had moved.
Jessica's killing prompted Florida and a number of other states to pass new laws cracking down on sex offenders and improve tracking of them through databases and satellite positioning devices.

Sentencing is to begin Tuesday. A psychologist testified for the defense that Couey has signs of mental illness and mental retardation, mitigating circumstances that could help spare him the death penalty.

Couey spent much of the trial drawing with colored pencils.
The trial was moved from Citrus County in central Florida to Miami because of intense local media coverage.

AMBER ALERT

2007-03-03T14:09:00.001-08:00

National and State AMBER Alert Information
National Coordination.

On April 30, 2003, President George W. Bush signed the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003 into law.
Building on the steps already taken by the Bush Administration to support AMBER Alert programs, this Act codified the national coordination of state and local AMBER Alert programs, including the development of guidance for issuance and dissemination of AMBER Alerts and the appointment of a national AMBER Alert Coordinator.
In anticipation of the passage of this national legislation, on October 2, 2002, Attorney General John Ashcroft appointed the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs to serve as national AMBER Alert coordinator.
For more information about the national coordination of the AMBER Plan, visit the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Program's AMBER Plan web site.

State Legislation.

In the fall of 2001 the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) launched a campaign to encourage the development of AMBER Alert plans across the country. The success of the program has led to the creation of more than 100 known plans nationwide. NCMEC’s goal is to offer technical assistance and training, in concert with the U.S. Department of Justice, to all AMBER Alert plans throughout the country.
The Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) has developed a legal database of AMBER Alert statutes. This database is operated and maintained by FVTC. Please direct any questions or feedback to FVTC.
Search the AMBER Alert Legal Database.

A Message from Erin Runnion

2007-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Fellow Survivors,

This letter is intended for parents who share the horror of having a child abducted and sexually assaulted. For many of us, this nightmare ended with the discovery that our baby was murdered. For far too many, we simply do not yet know what happened or where our child is…they are still missing. Whatever the details of our child’s experience, we share a passion that is undeniably powerful…especially when we work together.

Tomorrow, barring further delays, Mark Lunsford will be going to his first day of the murder trial of his daughter, Jessica. He would like to ensure that this last onslaught of national media attention be put to the best use possible – further laws to protect our children and greater awareness of the prevalence of these crimes. Over the years we have all talked about working together and have done so here and there, but never like this.

The trial is expected to end within the month and Mark would like for us to join together to announce a Parents Coalition to wage “War on Child Predators.” We, the parents, have become the face of both tragedy and protection for millions of Americans. It is time for us to take control of the debate over child safety. Before one more child goes missing, and one more parent is thrust into the whirlwind of national media under those circumstances, we believe it is time to form a united front and demand national action.

The National Association for the Protection of Children (http://www.protect.org/) is working with legislators to draft and introduce two bills before the verdict in the Jessica Lunsford trial. The first law is a full disclosure bill to ensure that we make Prosecutors and Judges accountable for plea-bargaining and lenient sentences for crimes against children. The second law will fund the fight against the growing multi-billion dollar child pornography industry. Attached is a one page summary of Protect’s proposal to you for the parents coalition. In short, Protect will continue to lobby hard for these bills all year and their efforts will be expedited with the pressure from the media’s coverage of our coalition. The folks at Protect do not intend to promote this coalition as their own, but rather would like us to use this opportunity to join forces and fight for these important measures.

Mark is inviting us to join him after the verdict, when every media outlet in America is tuned in, to announce our parent’s coalition “War on Child Predators.” After reading the summary please let me know:
1) If you will sign on as a member of the parent coalition;
2) If you would like to attend the press-conference (probably the third week of March – yes, that soon!)
3) If you would need financial assistance in order to make it to Florida or DC and
4) If you are wiling to speak to the media and/or legislators.

You may join the coalition by signing on even if you don’t think you’ll be available to go to Florida at the end of the month. The extent to which you participate is entirely up to you, but the impact will be the result of our collective representation of the reality of these crimes.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this proposal. This could be a historic step for the cause of child protection.
Warmest regards,
Erin

Erin Runnion
Samantha’s Mother and Founding Director
The Joyful Child Foundation - In Memory of Samantha Runnion
PO Box 12680
Westminster, CA 92685
http://www.thejoyfulchild.org/

"BE BRAVE"

VICTIMOLOGY SEMINAR

2007-03-03T13:45:00.001-08:00

If Law Enforcement or Crime Victims are Intrerested in this Seminar Please Email Us at:

Andi's Safe Place

LAW ENFORCEMENT and CRIME VICTIMS
VICTIMOLOGY SEMINAR

Training for Those Who Protect and Serve
FRIDAY
APRIL 27, 2007
0800 - 1700

Meinders School of Business
Oklahoma City University
2501 N. Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Training Includes:

An Overview of Victimology
Victims' Services
Criminal Investigations
Incorporating Victimology into Criminal Investigations
Speak-out Session With Crime Victims
Q&A Session with a Panel Including Police, Victims, Advocates, and Academics

Registration will end April 6, 2007
This seminar is limited to the first 150 registrants.

Please Mail Registration Information to:

Beth Green
Department of Criminal Justice
Oklahoma City University
2501 N. Blackwelder
OKC, OK 73106
This seminar is open to anyone, but will be geared toward Law Enforcement.

ALL ABOUT ANDI

2007-03-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

May 15, 1999 my life changed forever. My beautiful 12 year-old daughter, Andria “Andi” Nichole Brewer was kidnapped from her father’s rural Arkansas home. After a three day state wide search for her that included hundreds of volunteers, state, local, and federal law enforcement her abductor confessed to the FBI that he had abducted Andi. He had waited for her father to leave the house then he went to the door, told her that her grandparent’s were ill and that she needed to leave with him. He then drove her 10 miles away to the town of Cove, Arkansas down an old logging road where he raped and strangled her. We learned from his confession that she fought him and begged for her life. She promised not to tell that he had raped her if only he would take her home. He didn’t. He strangled her to death. After he murdered her he pulled her 400 yards further into the wooded area and covered her small nude body with scrub brush and disposed of her clothing into the raging Buffalo River.

The murderer, Karl Roberts, was a relative by marriage, so none of us found it odd when he helped all of us search for Andi for the three days she was missing. When we finally learned what had happened to Andi I wanted to die with her. There is no other way to explain the loss of a child other than to say that dying by slow torture would be better. I have never experienced such great pain emotionally or physically. Unless you have lost a child there is no way to for me to explain it in a way you may understand. There was a little relief when Karl Roberts was found guilty of first degree capital murder and was given the death penalty. For a time that seemed to pacify my rage and hate for him, but soon enough he began to consume my thoughts again. I hated him. I wanted to blow his brains out. I wanted him to suffer long and slow. I even gave him a nickname “Spawn of Satan” and prayed to God that he was being raped and tortured in prison.

Hate and un-forgiveness consumed me. My thoughts were only on ways to kill Karl Roberts myself. Then one morning I was watching Katie Couric on NBC when the story of Gary Ridgway , the Green River killer, was broadcast. Ridgway was sentenced for the murders of 48 women making him the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history. He was to receive 48 consecutive life terms for the murders of the women he killed. I watched with great interest as the crime victim’s families were each allotted 10 minutes to give a victim impact statement. NBC showed clips from several statements: "I hope you rot in hell, you son of a bitch.” and “You are not God. It was not your right to decide who lived and who died.” Ridgway sat stoic and hard, eyes squinted seemingly full of hate.

It wasn’t until Bob Rule, father of 16-year-old Linda Rule, stood and faced the killer that something inside of me and Gary Ridgway broke. Bob Rule looked straight at the Green River killer and said."Mr. Ridgway, there are people here who hate you, I'm not one of them. I forgive you for what you've done. You've made it difficult to live up to what I believe, and that is what God says to do, and that is forgive, and he doesn't say to forgive just certain people, he says forgive all. So you are forgiven.”Ridgway’s face softened and his lips began to tremble. Then he began to cry. At that precise moment, I realized that the only way I would be able to go on living was to stop hating. I had to do what Bob Rule had done and let it go, let it quit killing me, let Andi rest in peace.

I had been consumed with hate for the man who had murdered my daughter. My heart and soul had been filled with blackness and it nearly killed me. It had almost destroyed my family, too. I knew that if something didn’t change I would be in the graveyard, dead from a broken heart, next to my little daughter. What Bob Rule had done that day by taking back the power from the Green River killer was life changing for me. It was then that I felt sorry for the other crime victims in the Ridgway case. I knew exactly what they had been feeling because I, too, had been in a courtroom and faced my own daughter’s killer. I remember seething with hate as I looked at him. I wanted to scream profanities at him. I remember feeling the anger as he sat there looking much as Ridgway had, stoic and hard. But, now sometimes wish I had said the things in court that Mr. Rule had said. “I forgive you for what you’ve done.” I sometimes wish I had taken the power back then , when I gave my own victim impact statement.

But I didn’t and I’m okay with that. Because now I have and I don’t hate anymore