Somer Renee Thompson #1 10/19/09 - 10/29/09

[trimmonthelake]

I have a thought that is hard to put into words. But we have all referred to the perp as a "he."  We have seen that females have been known to do these things. The Sandra Cantu case comes to mind and there is a female juvenile that is a POI in the Elizabeth Olten's murder. Could that be why no one saw anything, because it is a female and would not be suspicious to most people? Everyone is trying to remember a male. Just throwing it out there, because there was just too many people in the area not to have seen something.   

I certainly have not discounted that a female may be involved.

I haven't either,NRCG.

[Brandi]

http://jacksonville.com/community/my_clay_sun/2009-10-26/story/large_crowd_expected_for_somer_thompsons_funeral

@Angelakimball123
Submitted by jvillenole on Tue. 10/27/2009 at 3:03 am

I grew up in that community, and walked from Grove Park Elementary to my house on Grove Park Drive the entire time I was in elementary school. Further, Orange Park junior High School is right up the road on Gano Avenue, and I walked that as well. In fact, OP Jr. High is closer to Somer's house than Grove Park Elementary. My best friend lived six houses down from where Somer lived on Horton Avenue. I lived in that neighborhood, and walked to school for eight years before busing to OPHS. I rode my bike around every street, played in every corner of the woods, and grew up in that neighborhood. What people not familiar with the neighborhood don't realize is that there is very heavy traffic on Gano Ave during that time of the day, not just because of Grove Park Elementary, but also because of OP Jr. high. It is absolutely not off the "beaten path." There are crossing guards (my sister was one for 10 years) at Grove Park drive and Gano, which is about 50 yards from the house which was searched, and the OPAA (Orange Park Athletic Association) ball fields where I played baseball as a kid. There are literally hundreds of kids walking during that time of the day, as well as steady car traffic. Knowing what I know about where I grew up, something just doesn't sit right about the whole situation. Again, I think when it is all said and done, we will all be shocked.

I am behind a bit today ... been out all day, but I wonder if this is a friend of twocents!

twocents lives 6 doors down from Somer's house

[Brandi]

I am still stuck on the vacant house and whoever " Kyle " was.
But, in the Sandra Cantu and Jessica Lunsford case, none of those perp were on anyone's radar. And we were shocked. 

I agree Kat, and I was not encouraged by the Sheriffs comments this morning on the today show about it will be a long, drawn out process or words to that effect. What I did admire very much, was his concern for the community and did not mince words they have a dangerous child murderer on the loose.

Yeah, sounds like the sheriff wants an air-tight case, and I am sure they are watching their "suspects."

Rick Beseler says he's focused on tracking down the child killer responsible, and this case is very solveable.

"We will have a positive outcome, and the person or person's responsible will be brought to justice".

His investigators are going through undreds of tips that keep coming into the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

But Sheriff Beseler warns that with hundreds of pieces of evidence, it could take awhile to crack this case.

He also said:

Beseler said while investigators were fortunate to have found Somer’s body quickly, patience will be needed.
“I don’t want people to think that just because we don’t have a suspect in custody after a week that means this case is not going to be solved,” he said. “We have got a tremendous amount of evidence. We have a tremendous amount of leads.”

Analysis of evidence sent to forensics labs has not been finished and will take time, Beseler said.

[Brandi]

screw the anthony's ... if they want to mourn someone they should mourn caylee and not casey... and i feel they had no right being there... i hope they didn't stick around to speak with somer's family one on one...
just curious if le maybe in conjunction with the media maybe set up surveilance of the funeral attendees... you always see on shows how the offender visits the search or the funeral afterward kind of like an f u to police like hahah i'm right here and you don't even know it...

I haven't read the article yet, but my first reaction to hearing that the Anthonys were there is: How dare they?!?!

They don't belong there in any stretch of my imagination.

[no rose colored glasses]

screw the anthony's ... if they want to mourn someone they should mourn caylee and not casey... and i feel they had no right being there... i hope they didn't stick around to speak with somer's family one on one...
just curious if le maybe in conjunction with the media maybe set up surveilance of the funeral attendees... you always see on shows how the offender visits the search or the funeral afterward kind of like an f u to police like hahah i'm right here and you don't even know it...

I haven't read the article yet, but my first reaction to hearing that the Anthonys were there is: How dare they?!?!

They don't belong there in any stretch of my imagination.

Brandi when I heard that and saw them I lost it, in my book they don't belong anywhere 

[klaasend]

The hearse carrying the body of Somer Thompson, 7, passes by as balloons are released by mourners attending her funeral service, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, in Orange Park, Fla. Somer Thompson was murdered last week. (Phil Coale/The Associated Press / October 27, 2009)

Funeral held for slain 7-year-old Somer Thompson

By Ron Word

Associated Press Writer

4:57 PM EDT, October 27, 2009

ORANGE PARK, Fla.

Mourners said farewell Tuesday to a 7-year-old Florida girl whose body was found in a Georgia landfill after she vanished on her way home from school, and they honored her favorite color by releasing hundreds of purple balloons into the sky.

Purple flowers adorned Somer Thompson's wooden casket and filled the floral displays around First Baptist Church of Orange Park. Her family wore purple ribbons on their clothing.

Pastor David Tarkington called her "a community hugger," who even hugged the crossing guard on the way to school each day.

"Somer was able to love greatly. She was also greatly loved," Tarkington said.

The north Florida girl disappeared a week ago Monday while walking home from school. Her body was discovered two days later in a landfill in southern Georgia.

Somer's parents, Diena and Samuel Thompson, who are estranged, sat across the aisle from each other during the funeral.

In an interview with the Associated Press outside an Orange Park restaurant, Samuel Thompson said he was devastated by his daughter's death.

"My little girl is in heaven now. She doesn't have to deal with this wicked world we live in," he said.

Thompson said he agrees that his daughter was a hugger.

"She could squeeze you and make you feel like there was no greater love in the world," he said.

The pastor said Somer loved to dance, play dress up, draw and color.

"She had a creative mind and was very imaginative," he said. "She loved people and she loved animals."

Anna Braddy, two lived two houses away from the Thompsons, said outside the service that Somer loved to swim in her pool and play with other children, including her 9-year-old daughter, Kayla.

"She was the little sister to all the kids in the neighborhood," Braddy said. "It has affected the whole community."

Nikki Morris, a 37-year-old mother of four from Middleburg, Fla., said she hoped the funeral would bring some closure for the community.

She said she was especially touched by Somer's death, because she has an 8-year-old daughter. Morris said the incident makes her watch over her children.

"We keep them close and tell them we love them. I watch them a lot closer. They don't like it, but they understand it," she said.

Afterward, a motorcade accompanied Somer's body to Jacksonville Memory Gardens for a private graveside services for her family and friends.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office has investigated about 1,700 leads, but have not named any suspects or people of interest.

[Heart]

Somer Thompson Evidence Taking Priority At FDLE

By
Jeff Hess
@ October 27, 2009 4:45 PM Permalink |

The investigation into Somer Thompson murder is getting high priority in labs at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
FDLE's Dominick Pape says they are moving the evidence up the line as much as possible but their evidence labs are very busy.
"We work those cases as best as we can, prioritize them of course, and then get the results back as fast as possible but we do have back logs," Pape explained.
When they get a big case like Somer Thompson's murder, they will assign a scientist to focus only on that case to speed up the process. Even when they speed it up, they have to be sure not to ruin evidence in their haste.
"So we have to be very sensitive on which disciplines we think we have the best chance on getting some evidence from that item," Pape said.
He says TV makes people think reviewing the evidence is a lot easier than it is, but stresses it just takes time to do the work.
"This is not CSI. I wish it was, I wish I could get DNA back in a hour, I wish I could get this back in a hour, but it's not," Pape said.
He said they are in close contact with the sheriff about the investigation, sometimes updating him hourly on their progress.
http://wokv.com/localnews/2009/10/somer-thompson-evidence-taking.html

[Brandi]

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/local/102709_somer_investigation

Search for Somer’s killer continues

Updated: Tuesday, 27 Oct 2009, 5:56 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 27 Oct 2009, 5:56 PM EDT

ORANGE PARK, Fla. - On Tuesday Clay County deputies spent their morning at the funeral for 7-year-old Somer Thompson blocking of streets but others were out quietly following up on 1,500 leads.

Sheriff Rick Beseler says they are focused and determined to find the monster who took Somer’s life. “The person who did this should worry. We are going to get him.”

On Tuesday more interviews were done in the community. Questions being asked to those who think they saw something and to those who say they didn’t.

Sheriff Beseler says they are still waiting on lab results from the dumpster, the landfill and a house on Gano Street. That evidence could take days even months.

The reward for an arrest in this case now up to $35,000.00.

[Heart]

Amber Alert's record shows it can make a crucial a difference

By Dong-Phuong Nguyen, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Oct 27, 2009 08:13 PM


TAMPA — Since its inception almost a decade ago, Florida's state-wide Amber Alert program has saved children in at least 45 missing or abduction cases, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement official said Tuesday.

The results underscore the need for both specialized training and support of the program, law enforcement officials said during the first day of a three-day symposium exploring the programs' strengths and weaknesses.

"If just one child is saved, that's enough for me," said Donna Hodges, an FDLE researcher and training specialist involved in the Florida endeavor. "It has made a difference."

The U.S. Department of Justice is hosting the National Amber Alert Training Symposium at the Hyatt in downtown Tampa, drawing about 350 advocates from all over the world. About 45 family members of abducted children who either returned home safely, remain missing, or were murdered, joined the gathering.

Ed Smart, whose daughter Elizabeth was taken from her bedroom in Utah in 2002 and found alive nine months later, said that before his daughter's abduction, he had never even heard of the Amber Alert.

more...
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/amber-alerts-record-shows-it-can-make-a-crucial-a-difference/1047419

[Brandi]

http://www.news4jax.com/video/21441431/index.html

Uncut video: Sheriff talks about the Somer case

[theboyzmom]

screw the anthony's ... if they want to mourn someone they should mourn caylee and not casey... and i feel they had no right being there... i hope they didn't stick around to speak with somer's family one on one...
just curious if le maybe in conjunction with the media maybe set up surveilance of the funeral attendees... you always see on shows how the offender visits the search or the funeral afterward kind of like an f u to police like hahah i'm right here and you don't even know it...

I haven't read the article yet, but my first reaction to hearing that the Anthonys were there is: How dare they?!?!

They don't belong there in any stretch of my imagination.

Brandi when I heard that and saw them I lost it, in my book they don't belong anywhere 

WTH - why would those idiots show up?

[Brandi]

screw the anthony's ... if they want to mourn someone they should mourn caylee and not casey... and i feel they had no right being there... i hope they didn't stick around to speak with somer's family one on one...
just curious if le maybe in conjunction with the media maybe set up surveilance of the funeral attendees... you always see on shows how the offender visits the search or the funeral afterward kind of like an f u to police like hahah i'm right here and you don't even know it...

I haven't read the article yet, but my first reaction to hearing that the Anthonys were there is: How dare they?!?!

They don't belong there in any stretch of my imagination.

Brandi when I heard that and saw them I lost it, in my book they don't belong anywhere 

WTH - why would those idiots show up?

Well, they did!

[joesamas mama]

screw the anthony's ... if they want to mourn someone they should mourn caylee and not casey... and i feel they had no right being there... i hope they didn't stick around to speak with somer's family one on one...
just curious if le maybe in conjunction with the media maybe set up surveilance of the funeral attendees... you always see on shows how the offender visits the search or the funeral afterward kind of like an f u to police like hahah i'm right here and you don't even know it...

I haven't read the article yet, but my first reaction to hearing that the Anthonys were there is: How dare they?!?!

They don't belong there in any stretch of my imagination.

Brandi when I heard that and saw them I lost it, in my book they don't belong anywhere 

WTH - why would those idiots show up?

Well, they did!

Thanks Brandi and on this note I am going to bed. My stomach hurts reading about poor Somer and her family and now the Crapthony's think they have a reason to be there.

Earlier, I saw the picture of Mark Lunsford at the funeral, it broke my heart. He knows the heartache of losing a child that was snatched from the dark.

 Seeing this picture of G and C makes my head spin and want to chuck up. G and C are still making money off of Caylee and going on cruises and in my mind KNOW KC is the reason but still are taking up for her. CLUE to G and C, YOU TWO ARE NOT WANTED OR NEEDED.

JMO JSM, sorry for the rant. Back to lurking now. 

[Fanny Mae]

screw the anthony's ... if they want to mourn someone they should mourn caylee and not casey... and i feel they had no right being there... i hope they didn't stick around to speak with somer's family one on one...
just curious if le maybe in conjunction with the media maybe set up surveilance of the funeral attendees... you always see on shows how the offender visits the search or the funeral afterward kind of like an f u to police like hahah i'm right here and you don't even know it...

I haven't read the article yet, but my first reaction to hearing that the Anthonys were there is: How dare they?!?!

They don't belong there in any stretch of my imagination.

Brandi when I heard that and saw them I lost it, in my book they don't belong anywhere 

WTH - why would those idiots show up?

Well, they did!

Thanks Brandi and on this note I am going to bed. My stomach hurts reading about poor Somer and her family and now the Crapthony's think they have a reason to be there.

Earlier, I saw the picture of Mark Lunsford at the funeral, it broke my heart. He knows the heartache of losing a child that was snatched from the dark.

 Seeing this picture of G and C makes my head spin and want to chuck up. G and C are still making money off of Caylee and going on cruises and in my mind KNOW KC is the reason but still are taking up for her. CLUE to G and C, YOU TWO ARE NOT WANTED OR NEEDED.

JMO JSM, sorry for the rant. Back to lurking now. 

Spindy looks like the hag that she is. 

[theboyzmom]

screw the anthony's ... if they want to mourn someone they should mourn caylee and not casey... and i feel they had no right being there... i hope they didn't stick around to speak with somer's family one on one...
just curious if le maybe in conjunction with the media maybe set up surveilance of the funeral attendees... you always see on shows how the offender visits the search or the funeral afterward kind of like an f u to police like hahah i'm right here and you don't even know it...

I haven't read the article yet, but my first reaction to hearing that the Anthonys were there is: How dare they?!?!

They don't belong there in any stretch of my imagination.

Brandi when I heard that and saw them I lost it, in my book they don't belong anywhere 

WTH - why would those idiots show up?

Well, they did!

Thanks Brandi and on this note I am going to bed. My stomach hurts reading about poor Somer and her family and now the Crapthony's think they have a reason to be there.

Earlier, I saw the picture of Mark Lunsford at the funeral, it broke my heart. He knows the heartache of losing a child that was snatched from the dark.

 Seeing this picture of G and C makes my head spin and want to chuck up. G and C are still making money off of Caylee and going on cruises and in my mind KNOW KC is the reason but still are taking up for her. CLUE to G and C, YOU TWO ARE NOT WANTED OR NEEDED.

JMO JSM, sorry for the rant. Back to lurking now. 

Amen. These people should be spending time with a psychiatrist not running around pretending to be grieving grandparents. They are NOT grieving - except that their public image was tarnished - but the money being made seems to sooth the pain.

[Heart]

O/T
Sex offender questioned over teenager's death after internet date (UK News)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/6448959/Sex-offender-questioned-over-teenagers-death-after-internet-date.html

[klaasend]

I'm actually surprised George isn't wearing his hiked up shorts with black socks or something. 

[mymonkey]

What beautiful children...Somers brother and sister are very beautiful children and so was Somer.



The Anthonys are media hoes thats why they were there...they are so greedy.

[Brandi]

A couple touching images of today's events:

[Brandi]

http://www.news4jax.com/video/21442529/index.html

A good video to watch.