Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Missing, Exploited and True Crime => Missing Found or Presumed Deceased => Topic started by: klaasend on June 26, 2008, 03:54:30 PM



Title: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on June 26, 2008, 03:54:30 PM
(http://www.foxnews.com/images/385639/2_61_062508_brookebennett.jpg)

Cops Searching for Girl, 12, Missing in Vermont
Thursday , June 26, 2008



ADVERTISEMENT
RANDOLPH, Vt. —

Vermont State Police are searching for a 12-year-old Braintree girl missing since she was dropped off at a Randolph convenience store Wednesday to meet a friend.

Police say Brooke Bennett was supposed to accompany the friend to visit a patient at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

But police say Brooke never arrived at the hospital and has not been seen since being dropped off.

The state police and New England canine teams and the search and rescue team are involved in the search for the girl.

Brooke was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering.

Anyone with information about Brooke's whereabouts are asked to call the state police at 802-234-9933.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 26, 2008, 04:13:53 PM
(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8558608_BG1.jpg)

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8558608

Massive Search Launched for Missing Child
 
Brooke Bennett
 
Brookfield, Vermont - June 25, 2008

Vermont State Police have launched a massive search for a young girl in central Vermont.

12-year-old Brooke Bennett, of Braintree, was last seen Wednesday morning when a family member dropped her off at the Cumberland Farms in Randolph. The family member left. A friend was supposed to come and pick Brooke up to bring her to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to visit the friend's relative. Bennett was not at the Cumberland Farms when the friend arrived.

Police say they are focusing their search in the Brookfield area. Several roads have been closed and a command center has been set up. Police have reportedly found some items of interest. However, they are not sure if those items are linked to Bennett's disappearance. K-9s and search and rescue teams from all across the region have been called in to assist in the search.

Bennett was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering.

If you have seen her or have any information-- call Vt. State Police at 802-234-9933.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 26, 2008, 04:18:30 PM
This looks like it could be her myspace site.  Set to private:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=354302841


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 01:58:49 AM
Oh no, not my space again!

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080626/NEWS/604791185

State police issue Amber Alert for missing 12-year-old
Updated 9:00 p.m.
June 26, 2008

By JOHN CURRAN
Associated Press Writer

BROOKFIELD, Vt. (AP) _ An Amber Alert was issued Thursday for a 12-year-old girl who disappeared after being dropped off at a convenience store where she told family members she was going to meet a girlfriend.

But police believe Brooke Bennett lied about meeting the girlfriend and may have been bound for a meeting with an unknown individual with whom she had communicated through MySpace.com, an online social networking site.

Bennett, of Braintree, was reported missing around 9 p.m. Wednesday, about 12 hours after her uncle and cousin dropped her off at a Cumberland Farms store in Randolph.

She told family members she was going to meet her friend and then go to visit a sick relative of the friend at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon, N.H., according to Vermont State Police Capt. David Covell.

"It is the family members' opinion that that was a ruse to the family to get to that location," said Covell. "There's been no interview conducted that supported that that was a legitimate meeting."

Surveillance camera footage from the Cumberland Farms store showed Brooke being dropped off by her uncle and cousin, according to Covell. The footage, which police would not release, showed Brooke walking away from the store by herself, headed toward the village of Randolph, they said.

She hasn't been seen since.

A family member searching for her Thursday in Brookfield — near her uncle's home, where she spent the night — found items belonging to her near Route 65 that were similar to what she had been wearing, prompting an intensive search by police and dogs in the area of the Floating Bridge. Police wouldn't say what the items were.

In the Amber Alert, police said they had no information about a suspect or any vehicle.

Police haven't identified the person she was communicating with, but Vermont State Police computer experts were analyzing the computer in a bid to learn more, authorities said. Police said they don't know if it was a woman or a man.

The girl established her first MySpace account under her father's supervision, but he later pulled the plug on it a couple of months ago after they learned about some of her activity on it, according to the father, James Bennett, 41, of Bethel.

"We told her when we set it up there that's things you're not gonna' do," he said. "We had a little respect problem after a month or so, so we shut it off. There was an issue, and we decided it was not appropriate for her to have it. We changed the password so she couldn't use it," he said.

She later set up an account from another computer, which Bennett said he didn't know until a week ago. The girl lives with her mother in Braintree, not with Bennett.

MySpace.com, the Web's most popular social networking site, has more than 110 million active users. It's a free site, but registration is required.

On Friday, Vermont State Police divers will begin searching Sunset Lake, which is close to the place where the girl's belongings were found. On Thursday, a New England K-9 Search and Rescue dog walked a floating bridge that spans it, under the guidance of handler Nancy Lyons.

Police cordoned off the road that leads to the west side of the lake, and search dogs looked in that vicinity, too, to no avail.

"The floating bridge is a common place for teens to hang out," said Orange County Sheriff Bill Bohnyak. "It's very common for local kids from Randolph, Braintree, Brookfield, Chelsea to come over to the floating bridge."

Capt. Ed Ledo of the Vermont State Police said the Amber Alert wasn't issued earlier because police needed more information. The alert was issued about 5:25 p.m. Thursday, nearly 18 hours after the girl was reported missing.

"Because someone's missing, you can't just put an Amber Alert out. There are certain criteria we're bound by," Ledo said.

About 14 detectives were currently working on the case, he said.

"I'm sitting here waiting for a phone call, hoping it's good news. This is a very difficult time," said James Bennett, her father.

The girl, who just finished seventh grade, is described as 4-foot-11 inches tall, 98 pounds, wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering. She has blue eyes, brown hair with purple highlights and has pierced ears "top and bottom," according to the Amber Alert.

At the Randolph convenience store, a flier with a black-and-white photo of Brooke was taped to the glass door in front, and clerks handed out copies of it to customers inside. A store manager there declined comment on the girl's disappearance.

"It is certainly our hope that Miss Bennett is out there and has just failed for whatever reason to contact family and friends," said Covell. "At this point, we're looking at all possibilities."

Amber Alerts, which are named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Texas girl slain in 1996, are a partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry to alert the public in the most serious child-abduction cases.

Anyone with information about Brooke's whereabouts is asked to call the state police at 802-234-9933.




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 02:16:30 AM
http://www.wptz.com/news/16716971/detail.html

Breaking News: Amber Alert Issued For Missing Girl
POSTED: 11:05 am EDT June 26, 2008
UPDATED: 7:11 pm EDT June 26, 2008

RANDOLPH, Vt. -- Vermont state police have uncovered new information in the case of a 12-year-old girl who vanished after being dropped off at a Cumberland Farms in Randolph on Wednesday morning and have issued Vermont's first-ever Amber Alert.

Brooke Bennett, of Braintree, Vt., was dropped off by a family member at the store at about 9 a.m. for what she said was a pre-arranged meeting with a friend, police said.

Police learned Thursday afternoon that the girl may have made up the story about meeting her friend at the Randolph convenience store. Investigators are concentrating on someone Bennett met online via the Web site Myspace.com.

Before she dissapeared, Bennett said she was going to visit her friend's sick relative at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, but she never showed up at the hospital and has not been seen since, police said.

According to police, an item of clothing similar to what Bennet was last seen wearing was found along Route 65 in Brookfield. Police also have surveillance video of the girl from the Randolph store.

Police have no suspects at this time and haven't identified the person she met on myspace.com. Forensic experts are checking Bennett's computer for further evidence, police said.

State police and K-9 teams, as well as the state police search and rescue team, have been activated and are involved in the search, police said.

Police are focusing their search in the Brookfield area near where the clothing item was found. Several area roads have been shut down and a command center has been established in Brookfield. The state police mobile crime scene command post is on scene there. A dive team is scheduled to search nearby Sunset Lake Friday, police said.

Bennett is 5' 3'' and weighs 98 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering, police said. Both of her ears are pierced on the top and bottom, police said. She has a freckle in the front of her neck and a bug bite above her left eyebrow. She has shoulder length brown hair with purple highlights and blue eyes, police said.

If anyone has seen Bennett or has any information pertaining to her disappearance, call state police at 802-234-9933.

Official State Police Press Release:

On 6/25/08 at approximately 9:00 p.m. the Vermont State Police dispatch in Rockingham received a report of a missing 12-year-old girl who went missing in the Randolph area. Her identity is that of Brooke Bennett of Braintree, VT. A family member reported Ms. Bennett was last seen around 9:00 A.M. on 6/25/08 at the Randolph Vermont Cumberland Farms Store. Ms. Bennett was dropped off at this location by her uncle and a cousin for the reported purpose of meeting a female friend to visit the friend's sick relative who was in the hospital.

It was reported that Ms. Bennett has not been heard from or seen since. Upon receiving this information, Troopers from the Royalton Barracks attempted to locate Ms. Bennett by interviewing family members. Further information was consequently obtained regarding the circumstances under which she was last seen and friends were identified that she may have visited or have spoken to. Those interviewed advised that they had not seen Ms. Bennett and consequently a GBC and missing person's bulletin was issued.

During the early morning hours of 6/26/08, items of clothing were located off of VT RT 65 in Brookfield, VT. One item was similar to what Ms. Bennett was last seen wearing. Members of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, uniform Troopers from the Royalton Barracks and Detectives from throughout the State responded to the area. The Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team was called in to process the area that the clothing was located. The items have been sent to the Vermont Forensic Laboratory for examination.

Members of the Vermont State Police Search and Rescue Team, Vermont State Police K-9 Unit and members of the New England K-9 responded to the area and searched the immediate and surrounding area, with negative results.

Flyers have been distributed by the Randolph Police Department in the Randolph area in which Ms. Bennett was last seen. Detectives are conducting interviews of Ms. Bennett's family and friends and are also conducting a neighborhood canvas. Through investigation it was learned that Ms. Bennett was communicating with an unknown individual on-line. Members of the Computer Crime Unit are currently examining the computer used by Ms. Bennett in an attempt to isolate and identify whom she was speaking with on-line prior to being reported missing.

The Vermont State Police anticipate bringing in the Vermont State Police Dive Team members to check Sunset Lake, which is located in the vicinity of where the items of clothing were found.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Vermont State Police Royalton Barracks 802-234-9933 or their local law enforcement agency. Ms. Bennett is described as being 4'11 inches tall, weighs approximately 98 pounds, has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering.
*******************************
This is very frightening!   :pale: :smt022


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 02:39:42 AM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8558608&nav=menu183_5_3_1

Police Issue Amber Alert for Missing Child

Brookfield, Vermont - June 25, 2008

   (http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j120/Bearlyhere/8558608_BG3.jpg)  (http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j120/Bearlyhere/8558608_BG4.jpg)  (http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j120/Bearlyhere/8558608_BG5.jpg)

Vermont State Police have issued an Amber Alert for a missing Braintree girl.

12-year-old Brooke Bennett was last seen Wednesday morning in Randolph.

"Obviously I'm upset. You just want her home. We want her back," Brooke's father, James Bennett, said tearfully.

James Bennett sat with his wife, Janet, as they tried their best to be strong. Pictures of Brooke are scattered throughout the home. Brooke lives with her mom in Braintree. The 12-year-old celebrates her birthday next month and her dad says she is already a typical teen.

"Of course, she is becoming a teen so she is interested in spending time with friends and doing sports. You know we are all for that. But we are not all for this," said James Bennett.

<snip>

Brooke's mother, Casandra Gatnon, issued a heartfelt plea to her daughter on Thursday night. "I love you Brooke. I'm not mad. I just want you home," she said through tears.

Police K-9 teams searched the area near the floating bridge on Sunset Pond in Brookfield after family members found clothing in the area similar to what Brooke was last seen wearing. Missing signs have been hung at businesses throughout the area.

"If anybody has seen her or heard from her or talked to somebody that saw her, please call. Call us, call the state police, help us find her," pleaded James Bennett.

Brooke's 17-year-old sister, Savannah, issued her own plea. "I just want you home, Brooke, and if you can hear me, if you're watching, just call me and let us know you're safe."

Police will be sending dive teams to the floating bridge Friday to continue to look for clues. Relatives of the missing girl found some of her personal belongings near the bridge. Police say it's a popular hang out spot for teens.

James Bennett said there had been some tension a month ago regarding Brooke's MySpace page. He actually helped her set up the page originally, but then had taken it down due to some inappropriate language. But he said overall she is really a good kid and had no reason to run away.

Brooke was missing for a day and a half before police issued the Amber Alert. That's because there are certain regulations that authorities have to follow in order to issue the alert. There has to be evidence of an abduction. And police believe that they do now have that evidence, though they will not comment on what exactly that evidence is, so that is why they issued the alert late Thursday afternoon.

This is the first Amber Alert Vermont has issued since it joined the program four years ago.

Brooke is 12-year-old. She is 5'3", 98 pounds, has brown hair with purple highlights and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering.

If you have seen her or have any information-- call Vt. State Police at 802-234-9933.

Adam Sullivan and Bianca Slota - WCAX News



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 02:58:50 AM
Link to Video of Press Conference

http://www.fox44.net/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=2632708&at1=News&h1=Bonus: 

Missing Girl Press Conference


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 03:10:35 AM
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=56901

America's Most Wanted


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 03:39:34 AM
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=270831610

Another My Space.  This may be the one Dad didn't know about.

        ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 03:45:09 AM
This looks like the one she is using.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=358797754

From the page:

"i wanna leave stupid vermont and go to texas already!!! sorry to all my friends but i need to get away!?"


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 27, 2008, 06:12:46 AM
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1103599

MySpace linked to Vermont girl’s disappearance

By Associated Press
Friday, June 27, 2008 - Added 2h ago

<snip>

Police haven’t identified the person she was communicating with, but Vermont State Police computer experts were analyzing the computer in a bid to learn more, authorities said.

The girl established her first MySpace account under her father’s supervision, but he later pulled the plug on it a couple of months ago after they learned about some of her activity on it, according to the father, James Bennett, 41, of Bethel.

“We told her when we set it up there that’s things you’re not gonna do,” he said. “We had a little respect problem after a month or so, so we shut it off. There was an issue, and we decided it was not appropriate for her to have it. We changed the password so she couldn’t use it,” he said.

She later set up an account from another computer, which Bennett said he didn’t know until a week ago.





Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 27, 2008, 01:33:56 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,372726,00.html

(http://www.foxnews.com/images/root_images/062708_brooke10.jpg)

(http://www.foxnews.com/images/386106/3_63_bennett_brooke_dad.jpg)

(http://www.foxnews.com/images/386106/2_63_bennett_brooke_myspace1.jpg)

(http://www.foxnews.com/images/386106/3_64_bennett_brooke_myspace2.jpg)


Divers Search Lake for Missing 12-Year-Old Vermont Girl Who Apparently Went to Meet MySpace Friend
Friday , June 27, 2008


Police divers in Vermont searched a lake Friday for a missing 12-year-old girl, who lied to her family about where she was going and instead apparently went to see someone she met on MySpace.

Several items of Brooke Bennett's clothing were found Thursday by a family member near Sunset Lake, which dive teams were investigating Friday morning near a location known as the Floating Bridge.

Police haven't identified any suspects in the child's disappearance, which prompted Vermont's first-ever Amber Alert.

Col. James Baker, director of Vermont State Police, said Friday that investigators aren't ruling out the possibility that Brooke may now be out of state.

Vermont state troopers told reporters that there had been sightings of Brooke and numerous phone tips had come in. They urged anyone who might have seen the girl to call state police.

The Braintree, Vt., girl was reported missing around 9 p.m. Wednesday after her uncle dropped her off at a convenience store about 12 hours earlier in Randolph, where she'd said she was going to meet a girlfriend to visit the friend's sick relative in the hospital.

But police believe that Brooke fibbed and may have been bound for a meeting with an unknown person whom she'd been communicating with on the social networking site MySpace.com.

Her dad asked for anyone with information about Brooke to come forward.

"Obviously, I'm upset," said James Bennett, choking back tears. "We just want her home. ... Help us find her."

Authorities haven't identified the person she was communicating with, but state police computer experts were analyzing the computer in a bid to learn more. They don't know if it was a woman or a man.

The girl established her first MySpace account under her father's supervision, but he later pulled the plug on it a couple of months ago after they learned about some of her activity on it, according to Bennett, 41, of Bethel, Vt.

"We told her when we set it up there that's things you're not gonna' do," he said. "We had a little respect problem after a month or so, so we shut it off. There was an issue, and we decided it was not appropriate for her to have it. We changed the password so she couldn't use it," he said.

She later set up an account from another computer, which Bennett said he didn't know until a week ago. The girl lives with her mother in Braintree, not with Bennett.

Brooke told family members that she was going to see a friend's sick relative at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon, N.H., according to Vermont State Police Capt. David Covell.

"It is the family members' opinion that that was a ruse to the family to get to that location," said Covell. "There's been no interview conducted that supported that that was a legitimate meeting."

Surveillance camera footage from the Cumberland Farms store showed Brooke being dropped off by her uncle and cousin, according to Covell.

The footage, which police would not release, showed Brooke walking away from the store by herself, headed toward the village of Randolph, they said.

A family member searching for her Thursday in Brookfield — near her uncle's home, where she spent the night — found items belonging to her near Route 65 that were similar to what she had been wearing, prompting an intensive search by police and dogs in the area of the Floating Bridge, a popular hangout among local teens.

In the Amber Alert, police said they had no information about a suspect or any vehicle.

On Thursday, New England K-9 units searched the area around the bridge. Nothing of significance was found.

The girl, who just finished seventh grade, is described as 4-foot-11 inches tall, 98 pounds, wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering. She has blue eyes, brown hair with purple highlights and has pierced ears "top and bottom," according to the Amber Alert.

At the Randolph convenience store, a flier with a black-and-white photo of Brooke was taped to the glass door in front, and clerks handed out copies of it to customers inside. A store manager there declined comment on the girl's disappearance.

"It is certainly our hope that Miss Bennett is out there and has just failed for whatever reason to contact family and friends," said Covell. "At this point, we're looking at all possibilities."

Amber Alerts, which are named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Texas girl slain in 1996, are a partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry to alert the public in the most serious child-abduction cases.

MySpace.com, the Web's most popular social networking site, has more than 110 million active users. It's a free site, but registration is required.

Anyone with information about Brooke's whereabouts is asked to call the state police at 802-234-9933.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 27, 2008, 06:28:53 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,372726,00.html

Vermont Police Release Surveillance Tape in Case of Missing 12-Year-Old Girl, FBI Joins Search

(snipped)

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/062708_lastglimpse.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Red on June 27, 2008, 10:30:15 PM
Vermont AMBER ALERT Issued for Missing 12 Year Old Brooke Bennett … Missing Since 6/25/08, MySpace Connection

http://missingexploited.com/2008/06/27/vermont-amber-alert-issued-for-missing-12-year-old-brooke-bennett-missing-since-62508-myspace-connection/

Has once again an internet encounter on MySpace caused another missing persons case or worse?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 27, 2008, 10:41:27 PM
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/NEWS/80627017

From today's media briefing regarding Brooke Bennett:

Date of Press Conference: June 27, 2008 @ 10:30AM

Press Conference Statement of: James Baker, Director, Vermont State Police



Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you all for coming. Your patience throughout this investigation is greatly appreciated and it has not gone unnoticed. When it comes to a missing child, I can assure you, as Director of the Vermont State Police, that getting information to the media to relay to the public are crucial. You are as much a part of this investigation as the investigators working the case. With that said, I will update you on where the investigation is at:



As of late yesterday afternoon, the FBI assigned two agents to work on this investigation full- time. In addition, the FBI is sending a five person team made up of agentswho specialize in child abduction cases to assist in the investigation. In addition to a large number of Troopers and Detectives, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Randolph Police Department, the Attorney General’s Office, the Orange County State’s Attorney’s Office, the New England K-9 Team, Border Patrol, Vermont State Police K-9 and the Vermont State Police Dive Team and the Vermont Forensic Laboratory are also a part of this investigation.


With information of Brooke communicating with an individual through MySpace, members of the Internet Crimes against Children (I.C.A.C.) have been working on the computer forensics portion of the investigation throughout the night. The results of their findings is not yet complete, therefore I am unable to comment on that at this time.


Yesterday morning items of clothing were recovered off of Rt. 65 in Brookfield in the vicinity of the floating bridge. After further development in the investigation, the State Police was reasonably assured that one of the items belonged to Brooke. As a result, Vermont’s first Amber Alert was issued at approximately 5:25 PM. Detectives have been following up on leads generated by the Amber Alert throughout the night.


In an effort to not compromise the case, I cannot discuss at this time the items that were found that are believed to belong to Brooke.



The last known sighting of Brooke was inside the Randolph Village Laundromat around 9:45 AM. We are asking the public if you were in the area of the Cumberland Farms or the Randolph Village Laundromat, between the hours of 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM to please call the State Police or your local law enforcement agency. Regardless of whether you feel you don’t have any information to offer, we would still like to speak with you.



I can’t emphasis enough that we need the public’s help. Please, if you think you may have ANY information pertaining to the disappearance of Brooke Bennett, I ask that you immediately call the State Police or your local law enforcement agencies.




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 27, 2008, 10:41:53 PM
Missing Poster:

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/BrookePoster.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 28, 2008, 08:52:49 AM
Inside the Frantic Search for a Missing Vt. Girl
Friday, June 27, 2008

This is a rush transcript from "On the Record ," June 26, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Father Pfleger has told church leaders he will no longer speak about candidates by name, though he insists he will still talk about politics.

And there's breaking news in Vermont tonight--an intense search. 12-year-old Brooke Bennett is missing. Could Brooke have been communicating with someone online who knows where she is?

Now, here's what we know. Yesterday morning at 9:00 a.m. Brooke is dropped off at a convenience store in Randolph, Vermont. And--that's it. She has not been seen since.

Earlier police in Vermont spoke about the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During the early morning hours of today, a family member of Miss Bennett located some items off Vermont route 65 in the Brookfield, Vermont, area. One of these items was similar to an item that Ms. Bennett was last seen wearing.

Members of the Orange County sheriff's department, troopers from the Royalton office, state police detectives from throughout the state came to the scene to search the area for Miss Bennett and, also, process the scene where the items were found.

Members of the Vermont state police search and rescue team also responded to the area and searched the immediate and surrounding area in an attempt to find Miss Bennett. So far those results have been negative.

Through this investigation it was learned that Miss Bennett was communicating with an unknown individual online. Members of the Vermont state police computers crime unit are currently examining the computer used by Miss Bennett in an attempt to isolate and identify when she was speaking with the person online prior to her being reported missing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us live from Randolph, Vermont is a Julia Dunn, reporter with WFFF. Welcome, Julia, and are you standing near the convenience store where she was last seen?

JULIA DUNN, WFFF: Yes, it's actually right behind me, the Cumberland Farms in Randolph. That's where she was last seen around 9:00 yesterday morning, when her uncle dropped her off. She was supposed to be meeting up with a friend, and they were going to visit a friend at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. That was almost 40 hours ago.

Watch Greta's interview

VAN SUSTEREN: Is there any surveillance tape at all at that convenience store?

DUNN: Yes, there actually is a surveillance tape. It hasn't been released yet, but the police said at the press conference this afternoon that the surveillance tape shows her being dropped off at the Cumberland Farms, and soon after she left on foot, heading towards downtown. But she was alone. She wasn't with a friend.

VAN SUSTEREN: How far is downtown from there?

DUNN: It's actually not too far. It's probably less than half-a- mile. Right where I'm standing right now is actually pretty close to downtown. So it wouldn't have been a far walk.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you know where the items were found that may be hers? It hasn't been confirmed, but how far that is from where you are?

DUNN: The items that actually family members found this morning -- cops haven't said exactly where they were. But they were off to the side of the road, off of Route 65, which is in the Brookfield area is where they were found. It was where they were doing a lot of searching today.

They haven't confirmed what the items exactly were, but it was something that was similar to what she was wearing. And one of the items has been confirmed as belonging to her.

But, again, the cops aren't being specific on exactly what that item of clothing was, whether it was damaged or stained. That still hasn't been released to the public.

VAN SUSTEREN: Any idea who she was communicating with online?

DUNN: The police have no idea at this time. The Vermont state police computer crimes unit is actually analyzing Miss Bennett's computer, which she was using at her house to communicate with this unidentified person through MySpace.

She had a profile on MySpace. She's 12 years old. She's going to be 13 in two weeks, but she lied about her age on MySpace, as we learned tonight, saying that she was 14.

Police are hoping that scanning her computer is going to shed some light on some clues as to who the person was she was communicating with. But they were -- the messages were talking about a possible meet-up in the area.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, there's some story about how she was supposed to meet a friend to go visit someone in the hospital. That's completely concocted. It wasn't like she went to meet the person and missed the person. That was always just a fictional story?

DUNN: Yes. Police are really reconsidering the whole story that came out to be gin with, that she is being dropped off to meet a friend, to go to the hospital to visit a relative of her friend's that was in the hospital. They've completely, pretty much debunked that story. And police and, actually, a family member said it was probably a ruse just to get the girl down to that location so she could meet up and do whatever she was going off to do.

VAN SUSTEREN: It's a terrible story. I hope this one has a good ending. Julia, thank you.

DUNN: Thank you.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,372842,00.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 28, 2008, 09:53:49 AM
This has the video tape of Brooke in the store.  Click on the photo below:

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/th_C2C7BD6C_WCAX_200806271758016923_36.jpg) (http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/?action=view&current=C2C7BD6C_WCAX_200806271758016923_36.flv)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: pdh3 on June 28, 2008, 12:48:37 PM
It will be a miracle if this child is found alive and well. This one leaves you with a very sick feeling.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 28, 2008, 02:21:30 PM
It will be a miracle if this child is found alive and well. This one leaves you with a very sick feeling.

I agree.  I don't think LE is telling us everything. I have a bad feeling about this one as well.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on June 28, 2008, 02:59:56 PM
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/Blondeonahd/In%20the%20News/brooke.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 28, 2008, 04:37:28 PM
<snip>

Suspects
Male


Age    Height    Weight

Hair Unknown    Eyes Unknown

Unknown

http://amberalert.com/


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 28, 2008, 04:48:21 PM
Investigation continues for Brooke Bennett
4:13 p.m. Update
June 28, 2008
 


RANDOLPH, Vt. (AP) — Fliers went up around Vermont and state lottery tickets included a notice of Vermont’s first-ever AMBER Alert as the search for a missing 12-year-old girl entered its third day Saturday. Her father said he was staying close to the phone, hoping for good news.

Brooke Bennett of Braintree was last seen Wednesday in Randolph, where her uncle dropped her off after she said she wanted to meet a friend and go visit the friend’s sick relative at a hospital.

Police have since raised doubts that such a rendezvous was planned and have been focusing their investigation on contacts the girl is believed to have made through the MySpace social networking Web site.

Vermont State Police said they searched again Saturday in and around the rural village of Brookfield, about eight miles from Randolph, where they said items of the girl’s clothing were found. The search turned up no new leads, said Sgt. Tara Thomas, state police spokeswoman.

State police and the FBI were conducting forensic evaluations both of the found items, which they declined to describe, and of the computer the girl had been using.

Authorities said they were following up on more than 150 leads in the investigation, including some generated by the AMBER Alert.

AMBER Alerts are a national program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice designed to “to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child,” according to a program Web site.

Authorities were asking for anyone with information to call the Vermont State Police barracks in Bethel at 802-234-9933.

Meanwhile Saturday, James Bennett, Brooke’s father, said he was feeling both anxious and frustrated. A constable in Bethel, where he lives, Bennett said he would like to be participating in the searches for his daughter but at been advised by state police not to.

“They’ve advised me to stay here and answer the phone and be where they can reach me if they need to,” said Bennett, 41. “I really don’t know what to think. I’m hoping it’s something where she decided she had to take off and she’s going to call and tell me she’s OK. But I’m well aware it could be something much worse.”

Bennett said his daughter had weathered a difficult transition this past school year from the small elementary school in Braintree to seventh grade at the much larger Randolph Union High School. “She had some issues, but she ended up with passing grades. She turned it around all right.”

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080628/NEWS/474070131


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 28, 2008, 04:57:02 PM
Residents shaken by missing child

June 28, 2008

Sarah Hinkley
Times Argus Staff

RANDOLPH — The reality of Brooke Bennett's disappearance really hit Jennifer Emmons when detectives stopped by the Randolph Village Laundromat to ask questions.

The North Main Street business is one of the last locations that witnesses saw Bennett, 12, sometime between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, state police reported on Friday.

"It's not my kid, but I still feel for these parents," said Emmons whose son was in Bennett's seventh-grade class at Randolph High School. "My mother always said, 'there's got to be two of you.'"

Standing in front of a flier of Bennett with "Missing" written across the top, Emmons said the search for the girl, who has not been seen since she was dropped off in Randolph Wednesday, has been the talk of the town. She and other parents had been talking, fighting disbelief and admitting that there is no such thing as being too smothering.

"A sense of, wow, I can't believe it happened in Randolph," said Emmons, the mother of three, including two girls.

The laundry is located just over the bridge, toward Randolph village, from the Cumberland Farms where Bennett, of Braintree, was dropped off by her uncle around 9 a.m. Wednesday.

There is video surveillance of Bennett and her uncle entering the convenience store, making a purchase and exiting in opposite directions. Police reported that witnesses have said Bennett was seen near the laundry and at the Dunkin' Donuts on the other end of the village during the morning.

"You think you're grown up and you realize you're not," said Kayla Striebe, 13, of Northfield about being 12 years old. "Last night when we were watching the news, my parents just kept saying, over and over, 'Don't talk to strangers.'"

Vermont State Police Col. James Baker reported on Friday afternoon that the disappearance of Bennett is a "MySpace case." Police have reason to believe her disappearance involves someone with whom Bennett was communicating with on the Internet social networking site. When an Amber Alert was put out by the state police around 5:25 p.m. on Thursday, it was posted on the top of MySpace addresses, notifying those in Vermont accessing MySpace.

"My kids are not allowed on MySpace," said Emmons. "My kids are not allowed on the Internet without me there."

"We never thought of this stuff when I was growing up. Of course, we didn't have Internet," said Brenda Traegde of Royalton, who was talking with Emmons about the case.

From Bethel to Randolph and throughout central Vermont, talk of the young girl having vanished was on the tongues of everyone, even those without children. Most asked how anyone could be capable of an abduction, though no one is clear on what has happened to Bennett.

Those closest to Bennett's age are especially leery about her disappearance and the information that has surfaced in the last couple of days, including the fact some of her clothing was found on Route 65 in Brookfield.

"Right now it makes you feel like pretty much everyone around here you can't trust," said Emma Brooks, 14, of Hartford. "You don't really think that Vermont is where this type of thing happens."

She and several other teens, including Striebe, were hanging out in the gazebo of the park in Randolph Village early Friday afternoon. They were in town for a theater production at the Chandler Music Hall, located next to the Randolph Village Laundromat.

During a break in their activities, a number of youth were hanging out on the steps in front with two Randolph Police officers in their midst.

"It makes you more aware that you can't trust anybody," said Molly Clark, 14, of Northfield.

The group admitted they are making a point of traveling in packs, even the block walk from the music hall.

State Police Col. Baker stated during a morning press conference that his hope is that the community would not be scared, but instead focus on caution and trust that the police are doing their jobs. There are 30 detectives interviewing witnesses and following up on leads, Baker said.

Investigators from the FBI have been brought in for the case, including five who specialize in investigating missing children. Several federal agents are also working with the state's chapter of the Internet Crimes Against Children – or ICAC – task force in Burlington to look through Bennett's computer for information.

"It's sad for society to come to this, for our children to become prey to people that aren't necessarily right in the head," said Mark Ramsey, of Randolph. "Hopefully she turns up okay."

He was standing outside the Super Suds Laundromat, just over a block from the one where Bennett was spotted.

"It's bound to start happening in more rural towns," said Ramsey. "It's happening all over the United States."

Fliers with Bennett's photo were posted in the windows of businesses throughout downtown and life seemed to bustle as usual, but with the occasional mention of the missing girl. Rumors – discredited by police Friday afternoon – of her body being found in Sunset Lake were flying around in the shops and restaurants.

"We are gravely concerned about the wellbeing of Brooke Bennett," said Baker. "This case is very much centered around and about social networking online."

And as long as there is access to the World Wide Web, children everywhere are vulnerable.

"I feel like it could happen in any town, at any time," said Matt Caron, 15, of South Royalton, one of the theater group.

Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@timesargus.com.




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 28, 2008, 05:25:44 PM

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8565435_BG1.jpg)
Brooke Bennett

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8558608_BG4.jpg)
James Bennett, Brooke's Dad

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8558608_BG5.jpg)
Casandra Gatnon, Brooke's Mom

(http://btimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BT&Date=20080628&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=806280358&Ref=AR&Title=1&maxw=200&maxh=230)  (http://btimg.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=BT&Dato=20080626&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=611238361&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=350&Maxh=400)
Police Dive Team                  Searcher and Dog on Floating Bridge


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 28, 2008, 05:40:37 PM
FBI sends Agents to look for Brooke Bennett

Friday, June 27, 2008 Written By OS9USER At 4:54:00 PM

                        (http://bp3.blogger.com/_wSc2FCWyrHY/SGVpD7CxLDI/AAAAAAAAD74/Y0c5dkoFeWY/s200/FBI-Card%282%29.jpg)

The search of Sunset Lake is complete and nothing was found. LE thinks Brooke may have been taken out of state.

It is reported that the item believed to be Brooke's found in Brookfield is a sneaker. Police have also called off the ground search for today and will decide where to continue searching tomorrow.

However, The FBI has been called in to help. Here is an official press release from FBI Headquarters ...

FBI CARD Team Assists in Search for Missing Vermont Child

The FBI has dispatched five FBI agents from its Child Abduction
Rapid Deployment (CARD) team to assist the Vermont State Police and our Albany Division in the search for missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Additionally, two special agents from our Behavior Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia are en route to help.

“We will do everything we can to assist our partners at the Vermont State Police to help find Brooke, and bring those responsible to justice,” said Kenneth W. Kaiser, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Division.

CARD teams consist of four to six FBI agents trained in kidnapping and child abduction investigations who can quickly augment FBI resources as well as assist local and state police efforts, when requested.

Their expertise, combined with the unyielding efforts of local and state officers, often help generate leads and help put an extra set of eyes on the facts of the case.

The FBI can also provide technical support with electronic communications, aerial surveillance, polygraph examinations, evidence collection and behavioral analysis.

Brooke has shoulder length brown hair with purple highlights and blue eyes. She is 5'3" tall and weighs 98 lbs. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering. Brooke's ears are pierced on top and bottom. She has a freckle in the front of her neck and a bug bite above her left eyebrow.

If anyone has any information about Brooke please call Vermont State Police at (802) 234-9933


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 28, 2008, 05:46:02 PM
Missing Girl's Father: 'We Love You'

 4:18 pm EDT June 28, 2008
BROOKFIELD, Vt. -- Federal and Vermont authorities have received more than 150 leads in the case of a girl missing since Wednesday.

Vermont State Police issued the state's first Amber Alert on Wednesday after Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree, Vt., disappeared after her uncle dropped her off at the Cumberland Farms in Randolph.

"We love you. We want you home. Call us. We'll come get you," said Brooke's father, James Bennett. "Bring my daughter back. Bring her back."

Authorities searched on Saturday an area where a sneaker that investigators said they believe belongs to Bennett was discovered. Forensic investigators continue to review the sneaker and other items found.

NewsChannel 5's Jackie Bender reported the most frustrating part for Brooke's family on Saturday was when police called off the Sunset Lake search.

"It's frustrating because there really isn't anything I can do except hope somebody calls with some information," James Bennett said.

State police also said investigators are reviewing video footage from cameras located in the area. Some video includes footage captured from a surveillance camera in a Randolph convenience store that police said shows Bennett entering the store.

"It's frustrating because there really isn't anything I can do except hope somebody calls with some information."

The video from about 9 a.m. Wednesday shows Bennett in a pink sweater, with her uncle at the checkout of the Cumberland Farms in Randolph. Police said he bought cigarettes and coffee, and the two walked out of the store and parted ways (More).

Brooke Bennett has brown hair with purple streaks and blue eyes. She's 5 feet 3 tall and weighs just under 100 pounds. Police said she was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers.

If you have information regarding this investigation, contact the Vermont State Police crime information tip line by dialing 802-234-9933.

http://www.wptz.com/news/16736894/detail.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on June 28, 2008, 06:42:01 PM
NEW INFORMATION: Vermont Issues First Amber Alert

Posted: June 26, 2008 10:30 AM

Updated: June 27, 2008 10:21 AM
   Fox44 Links
   Bonus: Missing Girl Press Conference

The first Amber Alert used in the state of Vermont was activated Thursday afternoon in the case of a missing 12-year old girl.  Brooke Bennett was last seen Wednesday morning at a convenience store in Randolph.   

An uncle and cousin dropped the girl off for a pre-arranged meeting with a friend.  Bennett told her family she was going to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center to visit the friend's relative.  Police now suspect that was a lie.

Fox 44 News has learned the Vermont State Police Computer Crime Unit is examining Bennett's computer to determine the identity of the person she was communicating with via the internet.

Right now, State Police along with K-9 teams and the State Police Search and Rescue Team are searching for the Braintree, Vermont girl.  Items of clothing belonging to Bennett have been found.  The clothes have been sent to the Vermont Forensic Labratory for testing.

Vermont State Police describe the search as active and aggressive.   Bennett is 5' 03" and weighs 98 pounds.  She has brown hair with purple highlights and blue eyes.  She was wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering.  If anyone has seen her or has any information , call the Vermont State Police at (802) 234-9933.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on June 28, 2008, 06:49:09 PM
BROOKFIELD, Vt. -- Federal and Vermont authorities have received more than 150 leads in the case of a girl missing since Wednesday.

Vermont State Police issued the state's first Amber Alert on Wednesday after Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree, Vt., disappeared after her uncle dropped her off at the Cumberland Farms in Randolph.

"We love you. We want you home. Call us. We'll come get you," said Brooke's father, James Bennett. "Bring my daughter back. Bring her back."

Authorities searched on Saturday an area where a sneaker that investigators said they believe belongs to Bennett was discovered. Forensic investigators continue to review the sneaker and other items found.

NewsChannel 5's Jackie Bender reported the most frustrating part for Brooke's family on Saturday was when police called off the Sunset Lake search.

"It's frustrating because there really isn't anything I can do except hope somebody calls with some information," James Bennett said.

State police also said investigators are reviewing video footage from cameras located in the area. Some video includes footage captured from a surveillance camera in a Randolph convenience store that police said shows Bennett entering the store.

"It's frustrating because there really isn't anything I can do except hope somebody calls with some information."
- James Bennett,
Missing Girl's Father
The video from about 9 a.m. Wednesday shows Bennett in a pink sweater, with her uncle at the checkout of the Cumberland Farms in Randolph. Police said he bought cigarettes and coffee, and the two walked out of the store and parted ways (More).

Brooke Bennett has brown hair with purple streaks and blue eyes. She's 5 feet 3 tall and weighs just under 100 pounds. Police said she was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers.

If you have information regarding this investigation, contact the Vermont State Police crime information tip line by dialing 802-234-9933.

http://www.wptz.com/news/16736894/detail.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 28, 2008, 08:49:44 PM
I posted above the article about the missing sneaker having been found. It certainly doesn't sound good.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on June 28, 2008, 09:26:03 PM
I know I saw it after I already posted it  ::MonkeyNoNo::

I pray that she's  OK and just ran a way for a few days.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 29, 2008, 01:22:12 AM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8574397&nav=4QcS

Rumors Hard On Missing Girl's Family

Randolph, Vermont - June 28, 2008

Another day of searching on Saturday, and still no sign of missing 12-year-old, Brooke Bennett. Brooke's family is holding out hope that their daughter will be found safe and alive, but the rumors around town are making the search difficult to bear.

Missing poster signs hang in the windows of storefronts in downtown Randolph, where Brooke Bennett was last seen on Wednesday morning. On many, people have added the words, 'still missing.' That's because there have been rumors that the young girl was found dead yesterday in Sunset Lake in Brookfield.

"There was an issue yesterday in South Royalton that they were taking posters down," said Brooke's father, Jim Bennett. "She wasn't found dead. The rumors aren't true."

The rumor wasn't just spread by word of mouth. On the social networking Web site, Facebook, people were writing on a special "Find Brook(e) Bennett" page that the 12-year-old was dead.

Companies from across the northeast are helping Brooke's family with their efforts to get more posters out, especially in the South Royalton area where the others were taken down. Spaulding Printing Press, in Bethel, donated 100 missing person flyers this morning. The Molly Bish Foundation in Massachusetts, is donating more than 100 pins with Brooke's picture on them. They will be distributed throughout the Randolph area on Sunday.

As for the investigation, the Vermont State Police did not talk to the media on Saturday. In a statement, they said they are working with the FBI to analyze Brooke's computer and her clothing that was found hear Sunset Lake on Thursday morning.

"It's frustrating not knowing what's going on. There are certain aspects of the investigation that they have to keep to themselves so they don't compromise the investigation, and I understand that. But it's still frustrating," Jim Bennett said.

As for the evidence the police are reviewing, they say that process will take some time, so no new information is expected for a few days.

Matt Henson - WCAX News




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Peaches on June 29, 2008, 04:08:01 AM
This is a worrisome situation.  I am glad the FBI is on the case.  I'm afraid for this young girl.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 29, 2008, 08:35:13 AM
This looks like the one she is using.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=358797754

From the page:

"i wanna leave stupid vermont and go to texas already!!! sorry to all my friends but i need to get away!?"

The sign up date for this myspace seems to be the cut off date from the one she set up with her father until he changed the password.

This account was logged in yesterday.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 29, 2008, 08:52:27 AM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8567911&nav=menu183_2

Police Analyze Missing Girl's Online Chats

Burlington, Vermont - June 27, 2008

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8567911_BG1.jpg) 

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8567911_BG4.jpg)

As police search for a missing 12-year-old from Brookfield, they are focusing on her internet communications as potentially critical evidence that could help find her.

Specially trained investigators are already analyzing computers that they suspect Brooke Bennett may have used in recent months for online chatting that could have been with her pals-- or with a predator.

"Well here is a hard drive taken out of its casing," computer investigator Mike Touchette says, demonstrating. "This is what the police are looking at."

Touchette is one of a dozen specially trained Vermont law enforcement officers who analyze computer hard drives. The hard drive is a computer's filing cabinet, storing the addresses of every computer it has communicated with. Brooke Bennett has been talking with a lot of other people, apparently through the social networking website called MySpace.

"What they're hoping to find is info that would lead to... give us information about any unusual associations she's had with people, that will help them lead to finding her," explains Touchette.

Touchette says in a best case scenario, the police detectives could find her contacts in just a few hours, but that is unlikely.

"In a case like this you're probably talking several weeks for a true, full forensic analysis," Touchette estimates. "The volume of data that were dealing with is just huge. So what we do is we try and pinpoint specifics that are truly important to the case."

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has assigned half a dozen computer experts to work with a similar number of Vermont detectives, and what they are looking for are the leads that could identify possible predators.

"Internet history, social networking sites she has been looking at, or blogging at, or using with some regularity," explains Touchette.

Touchette says some internet predators have become so good at hiding their identities that it could take months to track them down. In fact, he is working on an international case that has already taken nearly two years. But in this case, he is optimistic and he thinks that the police probably have all the best possible resources, especially now with the FBI task force involved.

As for MySpace, they have to cooperate. The feds will get a subpoena if necessary.

Brian Joyce - WCAX News

*******************************************
Don't friends tell each other everything any more?

                 :smt009

 

 
 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on June 29, 2008, 03:15:01 PM
So, why isn't the Dad talking with the Mom or the Uncle?  Why hasn't there been a statement from the Uncle?  And my kids wonder why I don't let them have myspace pages.  Since myspace pages are so  interrelated, I wonder what her friends know based on comments that we can't see because her pages are private. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: San on June 29, 2008, 03:58:07 PM
So, why isn't the Dad talking with the Mom or the Uncle?  Why hasn't there been a statement from the Uncle?  And my kids wonder why I don't let them have myspace pages.  Since myspace pages are so  interrelated, I wonder what her friends know based on comments that we can't see because her pages are private. 

I would say her friends know more.  They are going to get the information from Myspace whether they like it or not.  I would never let my child have an account there end of story.  Too many nuts in this world and they know how to manipulate.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 29, 2008, 06:23:16 PM
I know I saw it after I already posted it  ::MonkeyNoNo::

I pray that she's  OK and just ran a way for a few days.

Me too very scary. The hours are passing......... :cry:


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 29, 2008, 06:24:42 PM
Search continues for missing girl, 12

 June 29, 2008
BETHEL, Vt.—Additional state troopers and FBI agents were brought Sunday onto the case of a 12-year-old girl who disappeared Wednesday, but authorities reported no major breaks in the investigation.

Brooke Bennett of Braintree was last seen in Randolph on Wednesday after her uncle dropped her off at a convenience store.

She had told family members she planned to meet a friend and visit the friend's relative in a hospital. But police have said they doubt the girl had such a plan. Instead, they believe she may have been to meet someone she had contacted through the MySpace social networking Web site.

State Police Sgt. Tara Thomas said investigators had planned to do aerial searches on Sunday, but that weather factors, including a low cloud cover, prevented that. She said she expected searching from the air would begin early this week.

Police on Friday issued Vermont's first-ever AMBER Alert, which is essentially a missing-person report blasted to media and even to cell phone customers who have signed up to receive such messages. Thomas said Sunday authorities had received more than 150 tips in response to that notification.

"Then it's a matter of getting on the phone, tracking down those leads, seeing what information they might provide," she said. She could not say whether any of the tips received so far had led investigators to hope they might soon resolve the case.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/06/29/search_continues_for_missing_girl_12/


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on June 29, 2008, 07:24:17 PM
You would think Myspace would volunteer whatever they can to help...as each hour passes, I would think the chances of finding her alive diminish.  Even if the person she was communicating with was very clever, there would still be other comments, messages and such that would perhaps give a clue? 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 07:34:35 AM
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/30/vermont.missing.girl.ap/index.html?eref=rss_latest

Uncle of missing Vermont girl arrested on sex charges

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Vermont State Police said Sunday the uncle of a missing 12-year-old girl -- one of the last people to see her before she vanished -- has been arrested on unrelated sex charges.

Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, who dropped off Brooke Bennett at a convenience store Wednesday and was seen leaving it in a different direction on a surveillance camera video, was charged with aggravated sexual assault against a minor. The alleged victim wasn't Bennett, who remained missing Sunday, despite an intensive search by state police, the FBI and other agencies.

Jacques, who is married to Bennett's mother's sister, is listed on Vermont's sex offender registry. He was convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping in 1993.

The arrest came as the result of information uncovered by investigators assigned to the disappearance.

Jacques was being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, pending an arraignment Monday. If convicted, he could get 10 years to life in prison.

Police said Jacques and a cousin of Brooke's dropped the girl at Cumberland Farms in Randolph about 9 a.m. Wednesday. On the video, which was released Friday, Jacques and Brooke are seen in the store, where Jacques makes a purchase with Brooke at his side. They walk out together, then part ways. She was seen about 45 minutes later inside a coin laundry, police said.

Her grandmother reported Bennett missing 12 hours later, and on Thursday an Amber Alert -- the first in Vermont history -- was issued for Brooke.

Police have said they believe Brooke may have been headed to meet someone with whom she had been communicating online. On Friday, Vermont State Police director Col. James Baker said the investigation centered on contacts Brooke made on the MySpace.com social networking site.

No suspects have been named in her disappearance.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Red on June 30, 2008, 07:53:58 AM
Front Page post:

Michael Jacques, Uncle of Missing Brooke Bennett Arrested for Sexually Assaulting a Minor

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2008/06/30/michael-jacques-uncle-of-missing-brooke-bennett-arrested-for-sexually-assaulting-a-minor/

The case of missing 12 year old Brooke Bennett just got a little for strange, bizarre and complicated. 42 year old Michael Jacques, the uncle of Brooke Bennett, who left her off at a convenience store in Randolph, VT has been arrested in a separate case of sexual assault against a minor. Police are claiming that the sexual assault charge does not involve his niece, Brooke Bennett.

According to the AP, Michael Jacques is listed on Vermont sex offender registry. He was convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping in 1993.

Sexual Offense Conviction(s) Date of Conviction
AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT 07-12-1993
KIDNAPPING 07-12-1993

more ...


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:01:27 AM
http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/NEWS01/806300390

Uncle of missing Vermont 12-year-old arrested
Police: Sexual assault charges are unrelated to missing girl
June 30, 2008

Times Argus Staff

BETHEL — The mysterious disappearance of a 12-year-old Braintree girl took an unexpected twist Sunday when the Vermont State Police arrested her uncle and charged him with aggravated sexual assault in an unrelated case.

Police said they arrested Michael Jacques, age 42, of Randolph, as a result of the on-going investigation into the disappearance of Brooke Bennett, who is still "considered missing at this time," police said.

A statement from State Police Sgt. Tara Thomas said the arrest of Jacques for aggravated sexual assault "is not a result of Jacques sexually assaulting Brooke Bennett." Thomas said Jacques was placed under arrest for sexual assault he committed against another minor in the Randolph area.

According to police, the details that lead to Jacques' arrest were uncovered by investigators assigned to investigate the disappearance of Bennett, who disappeared Wednesday. Authorities reported no major breaks in the investigation on Sunday but did announce they would hold a press conference in Bethel Monday afternoon to update details in the case.

Jacques, who lives in Randolph Center, is also a convicted sex offender whose profile and photo are listed on the Vermont Sex Offender Registry based on a conviction in 1993 of aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping. However he is listed as "no longer supervised for sexual crime" by the Department of Corrections and is listed as "compliant" under treatment status.

In order to stay focused on locating Brooke Bennett, personnel from the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations (CUSI) have been called to further investigate the sexual assault for which Jacques was arrested, police said.

Jacques was lodged at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vermont, where he is reportedly being held on $100,000 bail.

Jacques is scheduled to appear in Vermont District Court in Chelsea on Monday at 1 p.m. to answer to the charges of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, a crime that carries a sentence of 10 years-to-life in prison and a fine of $50,000.


Bennett was last seen in Randolph on Wednesday after her uncle dropped her off at a convenience store. She had told family members she planned to meet a friend and visit the friend's relative in a hospital. But police have said they doubt the girl had such a plan. Instead, they believe she may have been to meet someone she had contacted through the MySpace social networking Web site.

Thomas said investigators had planned to do aerial searches on Sunday, but that weather factors, including a low cloud cover, prevented that. She said she expected searching from the air would begin early this week. Police had been searching in the Brookfield area where family members found articles of her clothing.

Police on Friday issued Vermont's first-ever AMBER Alert, which is essentially a missing-person report extensively sent to media and even to cell phone customers who have signed up to receive such messages. Thomas said Sunday authorities had received more than 150 tips in response to that notification.

"Then it's a matter of getting on the phone, tracking down those leads, seeing what information they might provide," she said. She could not say whether any of the tips received so far had led investigators to hope they might soon resolve the case.
 



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:27:40 AM
http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vtsp/press/press_062908a_royalton.html

VERMONT STATE POLICE

STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE

PRESS CONFERENCE
UPDATE ON MISSING BROOKE BENNETT


For Release: June 29, 2008

Contact: Sgt. Tara Thomas, Vermont State Police – Public Information Officer (802-234-9933)

The Vermont State Police will have a press conference to update the media in reference to the investigation over the weekend into the disappearance of 12 year-old Brooke Bennett of Braintree, VT.  Brooke has been missing since June 25th, 2008 where she was last seen in Randolph, VT.     

SPEAKERS:  Colonel James Baker, Director, Vermont State Police / Major Thomas L’Esperance, Commander, Criminal Division / Captain Ed Ledo, Chief Criminal Investigator /   Captain David Covell, Troop “D” Commander

WHAT:  Investigation update

WHEN: Monday, June 30th, 2008, Afternoon, time to be announced 

WHERE: Whitcomb High School, Pleasant Street - VT Rt. 12, Bethel, VT



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:48:27 AM
http://170.222.137.2:8080/sor/servlet/SOR?id=X000005393

VERMONT SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY
INFORMATION

State of Vermont | Vermont Department of Public Safety | Division of Criminal Justice Services
Registry Detail

(http://170.222.137.2:8080/sor/images/X000005393.jpeg)

Registrant Information
 
 Name: JACQUES,MICHAEL STEPHEN 
 Date of Birth: 03-18-1966 
 City: RANDOLPH CENTER 
 Sex: M 
 Race: W 
 Height: 5 feet 08 inches 
 Weight: 150 lbs 
 Eye Color: BLU 
 Hair Color: BRO

Treatment Status:  COMPLIANT
Wanted: NO

Reason For Internet Posting
    Conviction For Aggravated Sexual Assault

Department Of Corrections 
    Supervising Office & Phone#
        No longer supervised for sexual crime

Conviction Information 
 Sexual Offense Conviction(s)                Date of Conviction
    AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT          07-12-1993
    KIDNAPPING                                    07-12-1993
 
Vermont Sex Offender Registry Home Page
Department of Public Safety Home | State of Vermont Home Page | Email Webmaster
Copyright 2004 The Vermont Department of Public Safety - All rights reserved -
Database as of: Jun 28 2008 at 01:00 am

 

 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:58:33 AM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8576141

Police Arrest Missing Girl's Uncle

<snip>

Two days ago, WCAX asked Brooke's father, Jim Bennett, whether he believed a family member was involved with Brooke's disappearance. He said, "I guess there's some question about the uncle, but I don't personally know him that well, so I can't say."

Jacques will be arraigned in Orange County District Court on Monday. He is being held on $100,000 bail. Aggravated sexual assault carries a sentence of ten-years-to-life in prison, and a fine of up to $50,000.

WCAX News

Video
http://tinyurl.com/4n5lgn


 
 
 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: sparrow on June 30, 2008, 09:48:15 AM
http://170.222.137.2:8080/sor/servlet/SOR?id=X000005393

VERMONT SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY
INFORMATION

State of Vermont | Vermont Department of Public Safety | Division of Criminal Justice Services
Registry Detail

(http://170.222.137.2:8080/sor/images/X000005393.jpeg)

Registrant Information
 
 Name: JACQUES,MICHAEL STEPHEN 
 Date of Birth: 03-18-1966 
 City: RANDOLPH CENTER 
 Sex: M 
 Race: W 
 Height: 5 feet 08 inches 
 Weight: 150 lbs 
 Eye Color: BLU 
 Hair Color: BRO

Treatment Status:  COMPLIANT
Wanted: NO

Reason For Internet Posting
    Conviction For Aggravated Sexual Assault

Department Of Corrections 
    Supervising Office & Phone#
        No longer supervised for sexual crime

Conviction Information 
 Sexual Offense Conviction(s)                Date of Conviction
    AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT          07-12-1993
    KIDNAPPING                                    07-12-1993
 
Vermont Sex Offender Registry Home Page
Department of Public Safety Home | State of Vermont Home Page | Email Webmaster
Copyright 2004 The Vermont Department of Public Safety - All rights reserved -
Database as of: Jun 28 2008 at 01:00 am

 

 



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: sparrow on June 30, 2008, 09:51:02 AM
He looks like he's been crying! I have a sick feeling he's harmed this child. Hope I'm wrong.

Sexual predators, as we all know, can never be cured. They need some really strong penalties for these sick SOB's.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 30, 2008, 11:13:23 AM
 ::MonkeyNoNo:: This is bad, really bad.....


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on June 30, 2008, 11:46:37 AM
You know ~ he could have been the *friend* on MySpace that she was thought to be meeting. 

A far-out thought, but a slim possibility, I guess.  :shock: :sad:


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: San on June 30, 2008, 01:44:17 PM
He looks like he's been crying! I have a sick feeling he's harmed this child. Hope I'm wrong.

Sexual predators, as we all know, can never be cured. They need some really strong penalties for these sick SOB's.

When I first read about this child missing I said why aren't they looking at the uncle.  My suspicions were right.  I think he did it.  It makes me sick.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: San on June 30, 2008, 01:45:22 PM
You know ~ he could have been the *friend* on MySpace that she was thought to be meeting. 

A far-out thought, but a slim possibility, I guess.  :shock: :sad:

Yes I agree.  And if he knew any information about her myspace then he is the one.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: San on June 30, 2008, 01:48:51 PM
He looks like he's been crying! I have a sick feeling he's harmed this child. Hope I'm wrong.

Sexual predators, as we all know, can never be cured. They need some really strong penalties for these sick SOB's.

Unfortunately the laws need to be applied to sites like Myspace.  That site is a haven for sexual predators.  Something needs to be done.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on June 30, 2008, 02:04:44 PM
Fox News is now saying uncle has become a major focus of the investigation.  News conference to come shortly. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on June 30, 2008, 02:41:05 PM
My first post was why the *&^$% are they not talking to/about the uncle.  It hit me right square in the face from the first report.  Why was she staying the night at a sexual predator's house?  OMG this is sooo awful.  And of course he could lure away a girl whose parents are so seemingly screwed up that they can't even pull it together for a united front when their daughter is missing.  And, if you know your kid is misbehaving on myspace...or at least putting themselves out there in a way you don't like, um, why does the kid have access to a computer at all???  And wasn't the clothing found near his house?  This doesn't add up to a very good outcome.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 30, 2008, 03:11:22 PM
Search for missing girl turns to uncle's property

 June 30, 2008
RANDOLPH, Vt.—The search for a missing 12-year-old girl has turned to the property of her uncle who was last seen with her.

Forty-two-year-old Michael Jacques, of Randolph, has been arrested on unrelated sex charges developed as part of the investigation into Brooke Bennett's disappearance.

Police planned to search Jacques' property Monday with dogs and by air.

Jacques, who is married to Bennett's mother's sister, was charged with aggravated sexual assault against a minor -- the victim wasn't Bennett.

The arrest came as the result of information uncovered by investigators assigned to the disappearance. The victim wasn't identified.

He was being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, pending an arraignment in Orange County District Court Monday

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/06/30/search_for_missing_girl_turns_to_uncles_property/


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: San on June 30, 2008, 03:33:02 PM
My first post was why the *&^$% are they not talking to/about the uncle.  It hit me right square in the face from the first report.  Why was she staying the night at a sexual predator's house?  OMG this is sooo awful.  And of course he could lure away a girl whose parents are so seemingly screwed up that they can't even pull it together for a united front when their daughter is missing.  And, if you know your kid is misbehaving on myspace...or at least putting themselves out there in a way you don't like, um, why does the kid have access to a computer at all???  And wasn't the clothing found near his house?   This doesn't add up to a very good outcome.

I thought the clothing was found near the uncles house also.  I have to go back and read.  I agree with you that it hit me square in the face also.  I am wondering if the uncle cut a deal and told the cops where he put her body.

EDITED TO ADD:

A family member searching for her Thursday in Brookfield — near her uncle's home, where she spent the night — found items belonging to her near Route 65 that were similar to what she had been wearing, prompting an intensive search by police and dogs in the area of the Floating Bridge, a popular hangout among local teens.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Sea Searcher on June 30, 2008, 03:34:10 PM
I haven't done this in a while so I hope it's right...

This search is going on now..there's a lot of area to cover over there. The police seem to
have some strong info in this direction. I agree with KC.. why was a young girl allowed to
stay the night at this guys house..haven't heard anything from her mother to this point..

very sad  story so close to home.. ::MonkeyNoNo::

the uncle is held on 250,00 bail...waiting more info but I don't think this
ones going to have a happy ending.

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/NEWS/159045543


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 30, 2008, 03:39:02 PM
sorry I didn't mean to post that above post I wanted to post this one instead.....

+++++++++++++

Search for missing girl turns to uncle's property

June 30, 2008
CHELSEA, Vt.—A probe into the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl zeroed in on her uncle Monday, with police searching his home while he was being arraigned on sex charges in an unrelated case, authorities said.

Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, a registered sex offender who was one of the last people to see Brooke Bennett before she vanished, pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual assault and was being held on $250,000 bail.

The alleged victim was a girl who says Jacques assaulted her over a five-year period, beginning when she was 9 years old and ending a few weeks ago, Orange County State's Attorney Will Porter said. The charge was filed as a result of the investigation into Bennett's disappearance, but Bennett wasn't the victim, police said.


Jacques, who is married to the sister of Bennett's mother, dropped Bennett off at a Cumberland Farms convenience store in Randolph on Wednesday after she told family members she was going to meet a friend and visit a relative of the friend's in the hospital.

Police believe that was a lie, and that Bennett may have bound for a meeting with an unknown individual she had been communicating with through MySpace.com, the social networking site. On Friday, Vermont State Police director James Baker said the MySpace communications were the main focus of the probe.

Surveillance video from the store showed Bennett and Jacques leave the store and go in separate directions.

Bennett, who just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, has not been seen since. She is the subject of Vermont's first-ever Amber Alert, which was issued Friday.

In court Monday, a pallid Jacques -- handcuffed and shackled at the waist -- entered a not guilty plea through public defender L. Brooke Dingledine, who persuaded Judge Theresa DiMauro to grant bail over the objections of Porter.

Jacques has 1993 convictions for kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault and there is "a threat of prejudicial violence to this particular juvenile complainant," said Porter, in arguing for no bail. "Her personal safety was threatened."

He also noted the serious nature of the crime, which could lead to a life prison term, and said Jacques had violated his probation.

"There's no condition or series of conditions that could guarantee the safety of the juvenile complainant in this case," said Porter.

Dingledine said Jacques has a full-time job as an operations manager for a company in West Lebanon, N.H., owns his home and a rental property next door, has strong family ties and a family that depends on his income.

DiMauro said she was considering barring Jacques from leaving the county, but Dingledine -- who called the corroborating evidence on the sex charge "very sparse" -- said he needed to get to work. So the judge ordered a 24-hour curfew -- except for work -- if he makes bail.

Relatives of Bennett watched from the gallery as Jacques made his appearance.

Vermont State Police called in state police units from Connecticut and Massachusetts and planned to use helicopters and dogs to search Jacques' home.

Trooper Mark Magnant said police would not comment on either case pending a 4 p.m. briefing.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/06/30/search_for_missing_girl_turns_to_uncles_property/



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: San on June 30, 2008, 03:39:48 PM
It said she was dropped off at the store by the uncle and a cousin.  Who is the cousin and how old was the cousin.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on June 30, 2008, 04:09:30 PM
Regarding the Uncle who was arrested on other charges.......hmmmmm so was Brooke to be his replacement or what? I think it is a little to much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.


The alleged victim was a girl who says Jacques assaulted her over a five-year period, beginning when she was 9 years old and ending a few weeks ago, Orange County State's Attorney Will Porter said. The charge was filed as a result of the investigation into Bennett's disappearance, but Bennett wasn't the victim, police said.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 30, 2008, 04:12:49 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8576795

Brooke's Uncle Tied to Child Sex Ring
 
Michael Jacques
 
 
Randolph, Vermont - June 30, 2008

Brooke Bennett's uncle was arraigned on child sex assault charges today.

Police say they uncovered evidence linking Michael Jacques, 42, to a child sex ring while investigating Brooke's disappearance. But they say the charges are unrelated to Brooke's case.

Jacques is accused of sexually assaulting a young girl over several years. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a minor.

Jacques was the last person seen with missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. But police say at this time, he is not connected to his niece's disappearance.

Jacques is a registered sex offender. He was arrested and convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault in 1993. State records show he completed a sex offender treatment program before he was released from state supervision in 2006.

Vermont State Police are conducting a search outside of Jacques' home in Randolph Center. A search helicopter made laps around the East Bethel Road. K-9s have been on the ground searching a field and nearby woods for most of the morning. However, at this time we do not know if authorities are searching the property in connection with last night's arrest or in connection with Brooke Bennett's disappearance.


(snipped)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 30, 2008, 05:07:20 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,373903,00.html

(http://www.foxnews.com/images/386941/3_66_063008_mike.jpg)

Missing Girl's Uncle Named 'Person of Interest' in Her Disappearance
Monday , June 30, 2008

 CHELSEA, Vt. —

A probe into the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl zeroed in on her uncle Monday, with police calling him a "person of interest" and searching his home while he was being arraigned on sex charges in an unrelated case.

Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, a registered sex offender who was one of the last people to see Brooke Bennett before she vanished, pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual assault and was being held on $250,000 bail.

(snipped)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on June 30, 2008, 05:10:50 PM
 ::MonkeyNoNo::  You can't tell me that Brooke's mother didn't know her brother-in-law was a sex offender....yet, Brooke spent the night there...WTH? 

This is sad.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on June 30, 2008, 05:34:46 PM
Brooke Bennett Uncle Michael Jacques Photo, Arrest: Police Shift Focus
by Tashi Singh


12-year-old Brooke Bennett has been missing since Wednesday and now her uncle, who has been arrested on sex charges while officials desperately search for some sign of his missing niece, has seemingly become the focus of the investigation.

Vermont State Police announced Sunday that Brook Bennett's uncle, who was one of the last people the girl saw before vanishing, was arrested on un-related sex charges. He was also arraigned today and pleaded "not guilty".

42-year-old Michael Jacques is on Vermont's sex offender registry for sexual assault and kidnapping charges back in 1993. Police were investigating Brooke's disappearance when they discovered information regarding a sexual assault.

Brooke was last seen on surveillance in a store with her uncle on Wednesday. He and one of Brooke's cousins dropped her off to meet with her friends - but he reportedly never asked who she was meeting, where she was going, or how long she was going to be.

Police believe Brooke may have been meeting up with someone she met on MySpace.com, a social networking site.

The AP reports: Police said Jacques and a cousin of Brooke's dropped the girl at Cumberland Farms in Randolph about 9 a.m. Wednesday. On the video, which was released Friday, Jacques and Brooke are seen in the store, where Jacques makes a purchase with Brooke at his side. They walk out together, then part ways. She was seen about 45 minutes later inside a coin laundry, police said.

Now police seem to be shifting their focus more towards Michael Jacques and plan to search his home. He was unable to post bail after his arraignment and was taken back to
jail.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212155474.shtml


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Nut44x4 on June 30, 2008, 07:09:28 PM
You know ~ he could have been the *friend* on MySpace that she was thought to be meeting. 

A far-out thought, but a slim possibility, I guess.  :shock: :sad:

Indeed....I agree.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:16:18 PM
http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/THISJUSTIN/981229953

Statement from Colonel James Baker on investigation
5:06 p.m.
June 30, 2008

Statement of Colonel James Baker, Director of the Vermont State Police, regarding the latest in the investigation into the disappearance of Brooke Bennett of Braintree:

Good Afternoon. Thank you all for coming. For those of you that don’t already know me, I’m Colonel James Baker, Director of the Vermont State Police.

I would first like to start out by thanking the media and the public for their patience and understanding throughout this investigation. We have reached out to you several times for assistance, and each time you’ve pulled through for us and have assisted in any way possible. The level of professionalism that you all have displayed is a true testament to yourself and the news organizations you represent. For that, I am grateful. It is clear that the goals of the media and the public are that of the Vermont State Police and the law enforcement partners working this investigation to find Brooke Bennett.

This case remains very active, and I can say, as a result of the tireless effort and hard work of the investigators, the scope of this investigation has narrowed and we are making progress. We have eliminated several scenarios that were potential possibilities in the disappearance of Brooke. Behavioral Scientists from the FBI have played and continue to play a major role in this elimination process.

On Sunday, the investigation discovered that Michael Jacques of Randolph, Vermont sexually assaulted a minor, who was being interviewed as a result of the Brooke Bennett investigation. The State Police called in detectives of the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, which includes a Vermont State Trooper assigned to the unit, to investigate the sexual assault. Investigators are looking into the possibility there may be more victims of sexual abuse by Jacques. The State Police would like to speak with any child or teenager who may have had contact with Michael Jacques.

The focus of today’s investigation is to search the Jacques’ property in Randolph, Vermont. The Connecticut State Police and the Massachusetts State Police brought in assets to assist in the search, to include a helicopter and K-9 Units. Forensic work is continuing to be done and analyzed. We continue to search for evidence that may help explain Brooke’s disappearance.

The preliminary forensic testing shows that articles found on VT Rt. 65 are connected to Brooke Bennett.
Late Saturday into early Sunday morning, information was developed as a result of forensic examination of computers that helped us change the direction of the investigation. As a result of that, Michael Jacques became a person of interest into the disappearance of Brooke. This is not the only avenue we continue to pursue and we continue to explore other investigative leads. With that said, I will re-confirm my statement from before that this case is about social networking on the internet.


<snip>


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:20:30 PM
Quote
Late Saturday into early Sunday morning, information was developed as a result of forensic examination of computers that helped us change the direction of the investigation. As a result of that, Michael Jacques became a person of interest into the disappearance of Brooke. This is not the only avenue we continue to pursue and we continue to explore other investigative leads. With that said, I will re-confirm my statement from before that this case is about social networking on the internet.

This leads me to believe the uncle and Brooke were conversing on her myspace.
    :smt086 :smt085 :pale:


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:41:18 PM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8580434

Brooke's Uncle Charged in Child Sex Ring

The story of the disappearance of Brooke Bennett in Central Vermont has taken an ugly turn. The police now say that the girl's uncle is involved in a sex ring and Monday he was formally charged with sexually assaulting another child.

According to court papers, Michael Jacques, 42, convinced a young relative that she was a part of an underground sex program called "Breckenridge" and repeatedly assaulted her over the last five years. Papers also state that Jacques told the girl that he would cut her throat if she did not go along with the program. But at this time, we do NOT know if Brooke Bennett was a victim of the same program.


Jacques did not comment to press as he was lead into Orange County District Court.

Jacques-- the last person known to have contact with Brooke before she disappeared-- was arrested Sunday for Aggravated Sexual Assault on a Minor. According to police, Jacques sexually assaulted a different relative over a five-year period of time.

"She has provided details of the events including different sexual acts that started when she was 9-years-old and continued up until a few weeks ago," said Orange County State's Attorney Will Porter.

And this is Jacques' second charge of this type. He was convicted 15 years ago of kidnapping and sexual assault... served three years, underwent sex offender treatment and had been listed as a sex offender on the state registry.

Family members of Brooke Bennett were on hand for the arraignment. However, they said little about either case.

"Brooke's mom is my niece, and that is my niece I was sitting with up there. They are sisters. This is not doing a good thing for my family. That is about all I have to say," said Brooke's great-uncle, Storm Woodard.

Jacques' wife Denise left the court without comment.

Meanwhile, state police scoured the home of Michael Jacques for most of the day. But police maintained before the court case that Monday's charge against Jacques is separate from the Brooke Bennett case. The criminal charge could land Jacques behind bars for the rest of his life.

"Maximum penalty is life imprisonment," said Porter.

Asked to confirm that the charge has nothing to do with Brooke's disappearance, Porter answered, "For all information on Brooke Bennett I would rely on any of the press releases issued by the state police and other and other law enforcement agencies."

Jacques said nothing in court, but his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty to the charge, and he's being held for lack of $250,000 bail.

In the police affidavit, it says the victim was told the president of the United States had selected her for the sex program. The president assigns a trainer, and her trainer would be Michael Jacques. And then she was abused-- almost tortured-- on a weekly basis in many different ways for the next five years. The victim testified she had met three men as part of the "Breckenridge" ring who had told her what types of sexual activity she needed to work on to graduate.

Adam Sullivan - WCAX News



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:43:52 PM
This gets worse by the minute.

God help these children.

 :smt022 :smt022 :smt022


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:47:41 PM
(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8580434_BG3.jpg)
                                                           Michael Jacques


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 30, 2008, 08:53:32 PM
This may be the reason for her change in behavior.  Many many times, a change in behavior is a cry for help.

           ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 30, 2008, 09:22:26 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,373903,00.html

(snipped)

On Monday, Baker said this: "As a result of information developed late Saturday and early Sunday, the focus of our investigation shifted drastically." He said it was during the weekend that the computer forensics probe "eliminated the whole world out there and narrowed our focus."


So the uncle must have been communicating with her via the internet/myspace :( :-x


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on June 30, 2008, 09:38:42 PM
Click on picture below to watch the video:

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/th_58D71117_063008_vermont_6pm.jpg) (http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub3/?action=view&current=58D71117_063008_vermont_6pm.flv)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: mishy on July 01, 2008, 12:31:11 AM
You know ~ he could have been the *friend* on MySpace that she was thought to be meeting. 

A far-out thought, but a slim possibility, I guess.  :shock: :sad:

Indeed....I agree.

I was just thinking the same thing...This poor child :-( Just heartbreaking...


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 01, 2008, 03:22:58 AM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8580434

Brooke's Uncle Charged in Child Sex Ring

Chelsea, Vermont - June 30, 2008

News of Jacques' possible involvement with his daughter's disappearance came as a surprise to James Bennett. Brooke's father says he knew about Jacques' past conviction on kidnapping and sexual assault and had brought it up as an issue with Brooke's mother.

"It wasn't made a big deal. He was married to Brooke's aunt and there were kids there here age and there was no indication that there was a problem of any kind, so it was never made an issue," he said. "Looking back, knowing what I do today, it would have been a lot different."

wtf?

I'll tell you what, I would have made it a big deal from the get-go.  My child would not have been left alone with that man for a fraction of a second.  A child staying over night with a sex offender?  What were these parents thinking?????

You can't go back.  There are no do-overs in life.  That's why you have to protect your children the first time through.  Do not let your child sleep in the house with a sex offender--no exceptions! 

This was not in this news article this afternoon.  Maybe they are giving it to us piece by piece so he remains alive for the trial.

  :gaah::smt075 :smt076 :shaking: :smt013  :2ukli::smt010



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 10:42:22 AM
This leads me to believe the uncle and Brooke were conversing on her myspace.

My thoughts as well ::MonkeyNoNo::



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 10:48:13 AM
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS01/80630028&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

July 1, 2008


Police make second arrest related to girl's disappearance


By Sam Hemingway
Free Press Staff Writer

UPDATE: 10:30 a.m. from a Vermont State Police news release:

The Vermont State Police have arrested Ray A. Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas for Aggravated Sexual Assault on a minor. This arrest is in connection with the aggravated sexual assault arrest of Michael Jacques, and the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Brooke Bennett. Jacques was arrested on Sunday.

The arrest of Gagnon is not the result of Gagnon sexually assaulting Brooke Bennett, this arrest is a result of Gagnon sexually assaulting another minor in the Royalton during the summer of 2007. The details that lead to Gagnon’s arrest were uncovered by investigators assigned to investigate the disappearance of Bennett.

Gagnon was jailed at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield for lack of $250,000 bail. Gagnon is scheduled to appear in Windsor County District Court in White River Junction, Vermont today at 1 p.m. to answer to the charge of Aggravated Sexual Assault.

The crime of Aggravated Sexual Assault carries a sentence of ten years-to-life in prison and a fine of $50,000.

-------------------------------------------------

CHELSEA — An uncle and a mysterious organization that allegedly preys sexually on young girls have become the prime focus of the investigation into a Braintree girl missing since last week, Vermont State Police said Monday.

The surprise developments in the case of Brooke Bennett were disclosed by police Monday afternoon after the uncle, Michael S. Jacques, 42, of Randolph Center, was charged in Vermont District Court in Chelsea with the aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl related to the missing girl.

Jacques, a registered sex offender, pleaded not guilty and was held on $250,000 bail while police searched his home for clues into Brooke’s disappearance. He remained jailed Monday night at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.


Col. James Baker, director of the Vermont State Police, said the alleged victim in the Jacques sexual assault told police Jacques was part of “Breckenridge,” the name for an alleged group of men who secretly coerce young girls to engage in sex acts with them.

Baker said the police are now investigating whether there may be other child sexual predators and potentially other young victims of sex crimes connected with the case.

“We are actively pursuing any other people who may be associated with this so-called organization,” Baker told reporters during an afternoon news conference staged at Whitcomb Junior/Senior High School in Bethel. “We are pursuing other avenues besides Michael Jacques.”

Baker also appealed to other girls to come forward who “may have had contact” with Jacques — pronounced “Jakes” — who he described as a “person of interest” in the investigation into Brooke’s disappearance.

The 12-year-old girl went missing after she was dropped off at a Randolph convenience store by Jacques. Police said they were told she was planning to meet a friend at the store and travel with her to a Lebanon, N.H., hospital to visit a friend. Police believe that was a lie.

Surveillance video from the store showed Brooke and Jacques — who is married to the sister of Brooke’s mother — leave the store and go in separate directions.

Monday, Baker said, “As a result of information developed late Saturday and early Sunday, the focus of our investigation shifted drastically.” He said it was during the weekend that the computer forensics probe “eliminated the whole world out there and narrowed our focus.”

Brooke, who just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, has not been seen since. She is the subject of Vermont’s first Amber Alert, issued Friday.

Police, assisted by the FBI and an array of police from Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, have scoured the area around Randolph since Thursday.

Divers also searched Sunset Lake after clothing items belonging to Brooke were found nearby. Baker confirmed that Jacques was the person who reported finding the clothing items.

Baker said investigators continue to believe that Internet social network sites like MySpace may have played a role in Brooke’s disappearance. He declined to say whether Jacques was tied to the use of the Internet sites by Brooke.

Baker said Jacques was arrested by police Sunday afternoon at his home without incident.

Monday, wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans, Jacques was led in shackles to his arraignment at the Chelsea courthouse.

Judge Theresa DiMauro set bail for Jacques, overruling a request from Orange County State’s Attorney Will Porter to have Jacques held without bail given the seriousness of the claims in the affidavit.

DiMauro said she would consider having Jacques held without bail at a later date but voiced concern that the allegations against Jacques in the affidavit had not yet been sufficiently substantiated by other witnesses.

Police have confirmed that Jacques is on the state’s sex offender registry. In 1993, he was convicted of kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault.

Jacques did not speak during the court appearance and showed little emotion, occasionally looking over to a group of family members who attending the proceeding.

“It’s a hard thing this family’s been through,” said Storm Woodard, 54 of Sharon, who said Brooke is his grand niece. He said he was not surprised by Jacques’ arrest, but was worried what it will mean for his family.

“This is not doing a good thing for my family,” he shouted to reporters as he departed the courthouse.

According to the police affidavit in the Jacques case, he had engaged in various sex acts with the alleged victim beginning when she was 9 years old and continuing for five years. The most recent incident occurred earlier in June.

The victim said her first contact with the “Breckenridge” program involved a phone call and a note under her pillow that informed her that she had been chosen to participate in the “program for sex.” Jacques was designated to be her “trainer,” the affidavit said.

Police said she told them she was one of three girls who were enrolled in the program. She also said she had met three men from the program, one of whom was Jacques.

Baker said police spent much of Monday searching the Jacques home in Randolph. He declined to say whether Brooke was one of the girls involved in the Breckenridge program.

“It’s too early in the process to comment on that,” he said.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 01, 2008, 11:02:56 AM
The following is a headline and article from a Vermont newspaper this morning:

Brooke's Stepfather Arrested

White River Junction, Vermont - July 1, 2008

Another twist in the case of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Police have arrested her stepfather on charges he sexually assaulted a minor. They say the arrest of Ray Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, comes in connection with child sex charges filed yesterday against Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, 42.

According to Brooke's father, James Bennett, Brooke lived with Ray Gagnon for six years in Alabama before he moved to Texas.

The investigation into Brooke disappearance led police to the alleged sex crimes. But police say Gagnon's arrest is not the result of him sexually assaulting Brooke. He is accused of sexually assaulting another minor in Royalton last summer. Gagnon is being held in Springfield for lack of bail. He is due in court in White River Junction this afternoon.

Jacques was arrested Sunday on aggravated sexual assault on a child charge unrelated to the case. He was the last person known to police to have contact with Bennett.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 11:25:04 AM
The following is a headline and article from a Vermont newspaper this morning:

Brooke's Stepfather Arrested

White River Junction, Vermont - July 1, 2008

Another twist in the case of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Police have arrested her stepfather on charges he sexually assaulted a minor. They say the arrest of Ray Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, comes in connection with child sex charges filed yesterday against Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, 42.

According to Brooke's father, James Bennett, Brooke lived with Ray Gagnon for six years in Alabama before he moved to Texas.

The investigation into Brooke disappearance led police to the alleged sex crimes. But police say Gagnon's arrest is not the result of him sexually assaulting Brooke. He is accused of sexually assaulting another minor in Royalton last summer. Gagnon is being held in Springfield for lack of bail. He is due in court in White River Junction this afternoon.

Jacques was arrested Sunday on aggravated sexual assault on a child charge unrelated to the case. He was the last person known to police to have contact with Bennett.


I was just getting ready to post this.  Just when you think it can't get any worse it does.   ::MonkeyShocked::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 01, 2008, 11:27:07 AM
Her stepfather is the one the family was going to visit in Texas, according to Brooke's father.  It was what she was talking about on her my space.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 11:28:33 AM
Wonder if Brooke threatened to tell authorities about the sexual abuse and "sex ring"?  Poor girl didn't have anyone looking out for her, it appears not even her mother.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 01, 2008, 11:39:47 AM
Have we even seen or heard a peep from her mother ~ hate to even use that term for her.

It seems there was a photo or shot of her for a split second on tv, and then.that.was.it.

When I read this stuff, afterwards, I have to go brush~floss~mouthwash.

Nauseating.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 01, 2008, 12:10:39 PM
I've been reading along, but not posting on this terrible situation. It's crimes like these that just make me so sick. I can barely even read what is happening here, and usually don't read the Crimes Against Children thread. I just can't handle it. I can handle alot, but the crimes involving the kids are the pinnacle of evil.

This poor little Brooke does not appear to have any kind of support system and this is one case where it seems someone should have identified what was going on here. I sure won't be surprised to see more arrests in the days to come...

but

WHERE IS BROOKE? That's what we all want to know. I'm for waterboarding or torturing any of these suspects until they reveal where she is and what happened to her.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 12:44:25 PM
Brooke's family.  Mother on the left, sister in the middle, biological dad on the right.  Nobody has the same last name  ::MonkeyNoNo::

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/BrookesFamily.jpg)

Can watch the video here:


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/01/national/main4222215.shtml


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: socialfriend2 on July 01, 2008, 01:12:38 PM
my very first instinct was the uncle why dont they put and keep those child molesters on a island with no way off they need to leave the children alone makes me sick   ::MonkeyWaa:: ::MonkeyWaa::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 01:40:10 PM
Bearly, thanks for posting that info.  Golly, it so confirms that I take great pride in being a total mominator.  How the hell could any family member let any child be with, near, around someone convicted of child sex predator acts.  What will it take for people to wake up?  While pondering this case, I actually thought maybe that it was a double back around, like they were just using the Uncle and (pollyanna here) she had just run away but would come back to clear his name. 

So sad, but let's all make sure to tell all our friends who are not following these kinds of cases close enough...like Natalee Holloway, like Brooke.  Stay ON your kids, their internet activity, who they are hanging with and yes it's okay to prohibit them from hanging out with "bad" kids!!!!  Know the parents of their friends.  Check them out online.  It takes 5 minutes.  Please let's protect the children.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 01:45:06 PM
Sorry for the rapid fire posts, but I can't believe the detail of this.  She lived with the Gagnon guy for 6 years?  Why?  Makes me think the parents are involved too.  Sorry, I've only read to the bottom of page 4, but just posting my impressions as I read all the detail y'all post...thanks for keeping me updated as I don't watch TV (thank goodness or I'd be  :smt022) 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 01:52:29 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8584106

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/Brookedoc1.jpg)

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/Brookedoc2.jpg)

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/brookedoc3.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 01, 2008, 02:05:12 PM
Thanks, Klaas ~ Speechless, and going to brush my teeth.  Just aghast.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 02:10:25 PM
Nice work Klaas ...as always.  I typed in Brekenridge in myspace and got an error message and that the error was reported to the myspace administrator.  Yikes.  Hope I didn't open myself up to something bad.  Argh, just wanting to see how large this child abuse ring really is.  From watching the video of the parents, I still get the creepy crawlies that they are somehow involved.  Where is the step dad?  Personally, if this was my child, I'd be taking some vigilantie action...seems like this goes deep and wide.  The pooor children. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 02:15:22 PM
So from this paperwork, the person blanked out is Denise & Jaques own child?  Soooo sicko.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 01, 2008, 02:27:40 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8584106

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/Brookedoc1.jpg)

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/Brookedoc2.jpg)

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/brookedoc3.jpg)

What was her stepfather doing in Vermont?
 ::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyEek::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 01, 2008, 02:30:46 PM
if we have more addresses I gladly put them in.

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/MICHAELSJACQUES1.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 01, 2008, 02:35:57 PM
over view and roadways added.

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/MICHAELSJACQUES2.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 02:43:59 PM
Rob - I'm affraid this case is going to have a very sad outcome.  I think the uncle will eventually talk and lead LE to Brooke's whereabouts.  I don't think Brooke is alive, I think he (the uncle) killed her.   I HOPE I'M WRONG.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 01, 2008, 02:44:48 PM
Klaas, I used the zip code from the legal docs for the Google Earth and it comes out 05061 not 05060

not at all sure why that is happening. It seems to be the correct address none the less.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 01, 2008, 02:48:56 PM
Rob - I'm affraid this case is going to have a very sad outcome.  I think the uncle will eventually talk and lead LE to Brooke's whereabouts.  I don't think Brooke is alive, I think he (the uncle) killed her.   I HOPE I'M WRONG.

no, you're right as always. Anyway, I noticed something immediately. This is the same type of terrain that Naomi Arnette was missing in. I would bet she is with-in 2 miles of that house or was at one point until she may have been moved to a more secure location.

Terrain like that makes it very easy to hide a body in plainview. Naomi was found less than a mile from her house in a duffle bag. 7 months went by and all that worry and she was right there the whole time. Robert Arnette got bolder and bolder until Grande took him apart and as we all know is in jail for life.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 01, 2008, 03:13:21 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,374368,00.html

Missing Vermont Girl's Stepfather Arrested on Federal Child Molestation Charges

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

CHELSEA, Vt. —  The stepfather of a missing 12-year-old girl has been arrested on federal child molestation charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving her uncle.

Brooke Bennett's stepfather Ray A. Gagnon, 40, was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police.

The arrest is related to charges against Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.

The new charges and second arrest do not involve Brooke, who vanished last week, police said.

The Vermont U.S. Attorney's office said Gagnon will appear in court Wednesday.

Brooke's father James Bennett told FOX News that Brooke's mother had been married to Gagnon after his marriage to her.

Bennett said Cassandra and Ray Gagnon separated about four years ago, but he wasn't sure whether the couple had divorced.

Brooke lived in Alabama with Gagnon and her mother for six years, Bennett said.

A press conference with updates on the case was scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT.

Gagnon was in federal custody Tuesday awaiting arraignment, but it was postponed until Wednesday.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Police said Gagnon's arrest was related to the Sunday arrest of Jacques, 42. He pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of aggravated sexual assault against the now-14-year-old girl over a five-year period, ending last month.

"This arrest is a result of Gagnon sexually assaulting another minor in the Royalton, Vermont, area during the summer of 2007," police said in a news release issued Tuesday morning.

The alleged victim in the Jacques case, identified in court papers as "A.R.", told police Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex." She said she had met three men affiliated with the program.

Jacques is being held for lack of $250,000 bail.

Police did not say when or where Gagnon was arrested, but he is in Vermont and is being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.

The charges against Jacques — and now Gagnon — grew out of the investigation into the disappearance of Brooke, who was last seen at 9 a.m. June 25 when Jacques dropped her off at a convenience store in Randolph.

Store surveillance video shows the two leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.

Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.

Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Jennifer34 on July 01, 2008, 03:15:03 PM
I can tell you one thing ....

If I found KY Jelly or any of the things "Denise" ran across in her bedroom and knew they weren't mine, there would be NO stopping until I had some answers.  The kiddie porn, well how does some one run across that and dismiss it?  I mean really.  How many signs doesn one need?

Is it just so sick that people refuse to see what is in their face?  I cant understand how this Denise person didn't know what was going on.

What a heart breaking story.  I hope all the helpless innocent children caught up in this get the help they need to heal..  I am afraid it may be too late for Brooke.  :(


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 03:43:38 PM
Jen34, I couldn't agree more.  WTH? Why are they still saying it has nothing to do with Brooke?  Give me a break, she's woven tight into this whole sordid scummy evil thing...and what about the sister...was she too old or was she not involved?  Did she not know what was going on?  Um, and what should be done with the mother and her sister Denise?  This whole thing is bringing forth crazy violent feelings on my part.  Who doesn't protect their child?  If mom and abusing step dad separated 4 years ago, I bet there is some record of it in Alabama.  And I bet it has to do with abuse.  Doesn't the mom seem like she's doped up or something?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 01, 2008, 04:25:26 PM
http://vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/BT/20080701/NEWS01/807010374

In the article at the link, near the end, it says that Jacques found the articles of clothing belonging to Brooke....if that was mentioned in any of the other articles, I missed it.   ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 05:01:10 PM
Rob - I'm affraid this case is going to have a very sad outcome.  I think the uncle will eventually talk and lead LE to Brooke's whereabouts.  I don't think Brooke is alive, I think he (the uncle) killed her.   I HOPE I'M WRONG.

I think The Same ,I hope I'm Wrong Too


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 05:03:55 PM
Jen34, I couldn't agree more.  WTH? Why are they still saying it has nothing to do with Brooke?  Give me a break, she's woven tight into this whole sordid scummy evil thing...and what about the sister...was she too old or was she not involved?  Did she not know what was going on?  Um, and what should be done with the mother and her sister Denise?  This whole thing is bringing forth crazy violent feelings on my part.  Who doesn't protect their child?  If mom and abusing step dad separated 4 years ago, I bet there is some record of it in Alabama.  And I bet it has to do with abuse.  Doesn't the mom seem like she's doped up or something?

You know I read somewhere that these type of  woman are so involved in their own trauma that they can't see what's going on in their own house. Or don't give a crap.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 05:07:51 PM
http://vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/BT/20080701/NEWS01/807010374

In the article at the link, near the end, it says that Jacques found the articles of clothing belonging to Brooke....if that was mentioned in any of the other articles, I missed it.   ::MonkeyNoNo::
I read that, and Why was that, because he knew where she was.
Didn't a Father who just killed his own kids recently find them in the woods and fall to his knees crying , and later we find out that was because he killed him grrrrrrr.
OK I'll stop for a while.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 05:10:13 PM
Yup, I agree that is probably true.  But what about those around the family?  Maybe a teacher, a friend, a friend's parents?  And what a twisted story to lure girls in.  Imagine how afraid and lost they must feel to not have someone they could tell this to.  And why would one of these predators have access to leave a note under a girl's pillow?  I know that my daughter would tell me if she was at a sleep over and something weird and scary like that happened.  But I know all the parents where she hangs out very well, and the girls spend lots of time at our home as well.  I bet there are a lot of people in that town thinking that they had the vibe, the intuition, some facts that things were seriously wrong in that family.  Really, if children are sexualized at such a tender age, they have too much adult knowledge that would naturally present itself inappropriately...at least I would think so.  I've seen some girls whose mom's are divorced and "out there" with the dating scene and the daughters duplicate the behavior when they're young teens.  Argh, I'm afraid we're not done with how ikky horrific this story is. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 05:19:29 PM
Also, I tried to find a "find Brooke" website and couldn't find one.  Isn't it SOP to do that now so that as many people can pass around the link as possible?  So many things don't add up on this one.  It's almost as if the police know exactly what happened and are just waiting to gather as much info as possible and hopefully to grab as many of these dirtbags as possible. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 01, 2008, 05:23:06 PM
I feel bad that Brooke had to live among this evil and may have had nowhere to turn. School ended......and now she is missing. I know I am thinking out loud but this really is terrible. I can only hope that maybe just maybe someone helped her escape? Hell her chances on the internet may not have given her any worse odds than she had at home.  I am praying for you Brooke.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 05:33:01 PM
All-Out Search For Missing Vermont Child Brooke Bennett

Vermont State Police say 12-year-old Brooke Bennett was supposed to meet a friend at a Randolph, Vt. convenience store, and then go to visit a sick relative at the hospital on June 26, 2008.

But after Brooke was dropped off at the store by her uncle and cousin, she never made it to the hospital, and hasn't been seen since.

Surveillance video from that day shows Brooke walking away from the store by herself towards the town of Randoph. When a family member in Brookefield found items of her clothing near her uncle's home -- the house where she was supposed to spend the night -- it prompted an intensive search by police dogs and helicopters.

The investigation led by Vermont State Police has uncovered that MySpace, a popular social networking site, may have had something to do with her disappearance.

After analyzing her computer, authorities learned that Brooke had been in contact with someone on the site days before she went missing. Investigators have not yet released the identity of that person.

Brooke's parents say they took away her privileges to use the site because of issues with respect. However, as they later found out, Brooke had secretly set up a new account on a different computer.

Vermont State Police will continue analyzing the computer for further information that could tell them where Brooke may have gone and the person she is with.

Sex Offender Uncle's Home Searched

Investigators are searching the home of Brooke Bennett's uncle for evidence that may link him to Vermont's first-ever AMBER Alert.

Officials say Michael Jacques was caught on surveillance video leaving a convenience store with his niece just before she went missing on June 25, 2008.


Jacques is a registered sex offender, who was arrested before being released on bail earlier this week, on unrelated charges involving the sexual assault of a minor.

Police say they discovered details of a relationship he was having with another relative during their search to find Brooke. They say he enrolled a young child into a sex program that included a grading system to rate the child on their performance.

Authorities are looking into the possibility that there may be more victims of sexual abuse. The State Police is asking any child who may have been in contact with him to come forward to authorities.

Brooke's stepfather was also arrested on July 1 and charged with Obstruction of Justice in connection with charges pending against her uncle.  Ray Gagnon is in jail on a $250,000 bond.
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=56901
AMBER Alert: Vermont

America's Most Wanted has received the following AMBER Alert from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:

Incident Information

Missing Person Circumstance Text : Brooke was last seen at 7 Main Street in Randolph Center, VT, walking in a southerly direction towards the village of Randolph. Brooke was last seen wearing pink sweater, blue jeans, and white sneakers with pink letters.
Missing Person Last Seen Date : 2008-06-25
Missing Person Last Seen Time : 00:00:00

Last Seen Address
Address State Name : VT     Address City Name : Randolph Center

Point Of Contact
Contact Organization Name : Royalton Vermont State Police

Phone Number
Number : 802 234-9933

Missing Child
Person Given Name : Brooke
Person Sur Name : Bennett
Gender : Female
Age : 12YO

Physical Description
Person Eye Color Code : Blue
Person Hair Color Code : Brown
Height : 5FT3
Weight : 98LBS
Description : Purple highlights in hair, 3 inch long scar on calf, both ears are pierced top and bottom, usually wears earrings in rear hole, bottom front tooth of K9 very yellow, freckle on neck in front, freckle on top of 2nd toe on left foot, birthmark on upper left arm, bug bite above eyebrow

S M S-160
Message : AMBER ALERT:Randolph Center,VT CHILD:12YO F 5FT3 98LBS Eyes:Blue Hair:Brown with purple highlights CALL 802 234-9933


 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 05:38:03 PM
Scary thought Bleached!  The internet as a safe haven...heaven help us.  Too many things are falling into place...staying over at Uncle's house, Uncle's history, cockamammie story about going to the hospital to visit sick friend's relative (why is there no info on this friend???), now step dad in the slammer, finding clothes by Uncle's place and no word from her at all.  Wouldn't it be perfect if she actually went to the police and is in a loving home.  {{{{{therwak}}}}} okay, I'm awake now. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 06:01:49 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8584106

Stepfather Implicated in Brooke's Disappearance
 
Brooke Bennett
 
 
Michael Jacques
 
White River Junction, Vermont - July 1, 2008

More twists today in the case of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Her former stepfather is now implicated in her disappearance.

Ray Gagnon, 40, of Texas is in federal custody in Vermont. The FBI said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that Gagnon is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying evidence in the case.

"The FBI is in the process of bringing Mr Gagnon over to the federal side on charges of obstruction of justice, related to the obstruction of evidence to this investigation. And that's I can say at this point," said FBI Special Agent John Fikus.

Gagnon is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Wednesday in Burlington.

Earlier today, Vermont State Police said Gagnon sexually assaulted a minor in Randolph last summer, but he has not been charged in that case. Police are not saying who the victim was, but will say that it was not Brooke.

Police were led to Gagnon during their investigation of Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques. He was charged yesterday with participating in a child sex ring called Breckenridge and victimizing a child for several years. The ring allegedly involved other men and possibly other victims, but police will not say if Gagnon was a member of the Breckenridge ring.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 01, 2008, 06:03:17 PM
.....I am not saying the internet is a haven by any means, far from it! But in the case of Brooke Benson when you consider that two of her closest adult male authority figures are sex perverts....her odds might have been better at finding help from someone else. I know....maybe it is warped thinking but I am just so angry at these adults in this girls life!


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 01, 2008, 06:16:37 PM
.....I am not saying the internet is a haven by any means, far from it! But in the case of Brooke Benson when you consider that two of her closest adult male authority figures are sex perverts....her odds might have been better at finding help from someone else. I know....maybe it is warped thinking but I am just so angry at these adults in this girls life!

I get what you are saying, bb.  A couple pages back, I was disgusted with her mother & the uncle with the sex abuse record, but reading all this stuff makes one think there was no shelter for Brooke, a 12 year old.  (I even shake my head at the eye makeup and purple highlights at her age, but that's just me)  It would be a pipe deam come true if she was rescued by anyone. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 06:16:52 PM
Oh no, I gottcha Bleached...mine was meant to be dripping with sarcasm.  Yes, and I think something very bad needs to happen to every adult in this poor child's life.  The StepFather destroying WHAT evidence?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 06:24:42 PM
We need some  1800 HELP  I AM BEING ABUSED phone # on TV so these kids can call someone who cares.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 01, 2008, 06:32:32 PM
Yo Blond, what a wonderful idea, and a website too!  And a text #!  How do we do this...kind of like a reverse AmberAlert ala reverse 911 (we live in So Cal wild fire territory so I KNOW how well that works lemme tell ya!). 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 06:32:54 PM
Authorities say 40-year-old Ray Gagnon of San Antonio, Texas, is set to appear Wednesday in federal court in Burlington to answer a charge of obstruction of justice. Gagnon is accused of destroying evidence in connection with the probe into the disappearance of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

source: http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-Engla...214947029.html
watch video at source


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 06:33:56 PM
Federal Obstruction of justice charges for Ray.
That is because he destroyed evidence in the case.
The Grandmother will speek at 6 tonight.
__________________
Team ~ www.helpfindthemissing.org


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 06:42:05 PM
I'm looking for where The Grandmother will speak at 6 tonight.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 01, 2008, 07:17:05 PM
7 Main street share's an address with the Randolph County Clerk. That's odd. This is suppose to be a convenience store.

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/BROOKE1.jpg)

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/BROOKE2.jpg)

does anyone have the approximate locale where the clothing was found?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 01, 2008, 07:20:53 PM
The most famous use of the word Breckenridge would obviously be the world renown ski resort. Quite a few people from Vermont do take part in many outdoor activities. The land is very beautiful. I wonder he Jacques (pronounced Jakes) got the idea for the name of his little abuse empire by traveling there and skiing. If so, there could be more victims there as well.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 01, 2008, 08:23:25 PM
Vt police reports progress in search for girl

July 1, 2008, 6:15PM
 BETHEL, Vt. — The head of the state police said Tuesday that authorities are making "great progress" in the search for 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, but he gave few details.

"I think we're eliminating possibilities where she may be. I just don't want to be in the business of predicting how close we are. Our efforts right now, our unfettered efforts, are to locate Brooke and bring her home to her family," Col. James Baker said at a news conference.

Baker reiterated that Michael Jacques, Brooke's uncle, remains a "person of interest" in her June 25 disappearance. He declined to say if the same is true of her stepfather, Ray Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, whose arrest muddled an already confused situation Tuesday.

Baker said Gagnon, who has family in Vermont, was arrested Monday night and was expected to be charged with sexually assaulting a minor last year in the Royalton area.

His arraignment was canceled, however, and federal authorities took over his case.

At the afternoon news conference, an FBI agent with Baker said Gagnon was expected to be charged with obstruction of justice for destroying evidence. They didn't elaborate about what evidence he is alleged to have destroyed.

Authorities said Gagnon was on a regular visit to Vermont from Texas when he was arrested after questioning at the state police barracks in Royalton on Monday evening, said Baker. He was being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.

State police arrested Jacques, 42, of Randolph on Sunday, charging him with aggravated sexual assault. Jacques has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which involve a girl other than Bennett.

Police continued Tuesday to scour Jacques' property, including with search dogs.

Court papers say the victim in the case against Jacques told police Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.

Girls in the program were warned that "the first (girl) who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.

Baker said Tuesday investigators aren't sure whether there is a sex ring.

"We're not prepared to say if that there is a ring or there's not a ring at this point in time. We're still researching evidence and analyzing evidence," he said.

James Bennett, Brooke's father, identified Gagnon as Brooke's stepfather. Bennett said Gagnon had been married to Brooke's mother, Cassandra Gagnon. He said they separated about four years ago and may have divorced.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5866625.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Sea Searcher on July 01, 2008, 08:25:34 PM
7 Main street share's an address with the Randolph County Clerk. That's odd. This is suppose to be a convenience store.


does anyone have the approximate locale where the clothing was found?

Rob...

I believe it was off RT65 in Brookfield, near Sunset Lake (which was searched) but
the clothing being found was told by the uncle so it may be false to misslead police.

As far as sharing an address...up here its common to have businesses grouped
in one building...


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 08:32:24 PM
The Criminal Past of Brooke's Uncle

Chelsea, Vermont - July 1, 2008

We have learned more about Brooke Bennett's uncle Michael Jacques and his prior conviction for kidnapping and rape in 1992.

Jacques, 42, was charged Monday with raping a child repeatedly for five years and taking part in a sex ring called Breckenridge. This is not the first time the 42-year-old has been the focus of a sex crime investigation.

In 1992, he was convicted of kidnapping and rape. Court records show that the victim was an 18-year-old woman he supervised at a fast-food business in Rutland. The records show he and a friend got her drunk and then he alone forced her into his car and over the next four hours raped her several times while she was choked with a rope around her neck, gagged with a cloth in her mouth, and handcuffed with police-style cuffs.

The victim later told police that Jacques told her he had killed a 12-year-old girl he raped in Arizona in 1985 because she threatened to go to the police, so he had to kill her.

The police were unable to confirm his claimed killing of the 12-year-old in Arizona, but Jacques did plead no contest to the charges of kidnap and rape in Vermont. In return, under a plea agreement, he got six years in prison, but was released after serving only four and half with credit for good time.

That 1992 plea deal also required Jacques to complete the sex offender treatment program before he could be released from probation. According to the records, he did complete the therapy program, and was released from state supervision in December 2006. His new charges stem from crimes that allegedly happened while he was undergoing sex offender treatment and still under state supervision.

Jacques does have another conviction-- in 1985 in Washington County for lewd and lascivious conduct. We are working to get the records in that case.

Read the affidavit containing the police evidence against Michael Jacques in the CURRENT case.**

**WARNING: This document contains graphic and explicit content not suitable for children. WCAX News chose to black out some information from this document that we feel may identify the victim.


Brian Joyce - WCAX News

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8587385

TEAM www.helpfindthemissing.org


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 01, 2008, 08:48:58 PM
Uncle found her cloths 10  miles away from drop off location.
He may have doe this  to mislead police.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Red on July 01, 2008, 09:44:51 PM
Sex Ring? Ray Gagnon, Step Father of Missing Brooke Bennett is Arrested & Accused of Destroying Evidence in Connection of Disappearance of Brooke Bennett

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2008/07/01/sex-ring-ray-gagnon-step-father-of-missing-brooke-bennett-is-arrested-accused-of-destroying-evidence-in-connection-of-disappearance-of-brooke-bennett/

Talk about stumbling on to the tip of an iceberg.

The discussion of a Myspace on-line chat may turn out to be a full fledged sex ring.

How did Brooke survive as long as she did with these animals surrounding her.

BTW, the mother should be slapped for actually allowing her daughter to be alone with a registered sex offender.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 10:06:38 PM
Uncle found her cloths 10  miles away from drop off location.
He may have doe this  to mislead police.


I was thinking the same thing Blonde


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 01, 2008, 10:17:43 PM
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS01/80630028

July 1, 2008


Search for Brooke: 'Great progress' in investigation, police say

By Sam Hemingway
Free Press Staff Writer

 Photo Gallery of search

BETHEL — The head of the state police said this afternoon that authorities are making “great progress” in the search for 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, but he gave few details.

“I think we’re eliminating possibilities where she may be. I just don’t want to be in the business of predicting how close we are. Our efforts right now, our unfettered efforts, are to locate Brooke and bring her home to her family,” Col. James Baker said at a news conference.

Baker reiterated that Michael Jacques, Brooke’s uncle, remains a “person of interest” in her June 25 disappearance. He declined to say if the same is true of her stepfather, Ray Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, whose arrest muddled an already confused situation Tuesday.

Baker said Gagnon, who has family in Vermont, was arrested Monday night and was expected to be charged with sexually assaulting a minor last year in the Royalton area.

His arraignment was canceled, however, and federal authorities took over his case.

At the afternoon news conference, an FBI agent with Baker said Gagnon was expected to be charged with obstruction of justice for destroying evidence. They didn’t elaborate about what evidence he is alleged to have destroyed.

Authorities said Gagnon was on a regular visit to Vermont from Texas when he was arrested after questioning at the state police barracks in Royalton on Monday evening, said Baker. He was being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.

State police arrested Jacques, 42, of Randolph on Sunday, charging him with aggravated sexual assault. Jacques has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which involve a girl other than Bennett.

Police continued today to scour Jacques’ property, including with search dogs.

Court papers say the victim in the case against Jacques told police Jacques was to be her trainer in a “program for sex” and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.

Girls in the program were warned that “the first (girl) who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut,” according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.

Baker said today investigators aren’t sure whether there is a sex ring.

“We’re not prepared to say if that there is a ring or there’s not a ring at this point in time. We’re still researching evidence and analyzing evidence,” he said.

James Bennett, Brooke’s father, identified Gagnon as Brooke’s stepfather. Bennett said Gagnon had been married to Brooke’s mother, Cassandra Gagnon. He said they separated about four years ago and may have divorced.



The 12-year-old girl went missing after she was dropped off at a Randolph convenience store by Jacques. Police said they were told she was planning to meet a friend at the store and travel with her to a Lebanon, N.H., hospital to visit a friend. Police believe that was a lie.


Surveillance video from the store showed Brooke and Jacques — who is married to the sister of Brooke’s mother — leave the store and go in separate directions.


Monday, Baker said, “As a result of information developed late Saturday and early Sunday, the focus of our investigation shifted drastically.” He said it was during the weekend that the computer forensics probe “eliminated the whole world out there and narrowed our focus.”


Brooke, who just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, has not been seen since. She is the subject of Vermont’s first Amber Alert, issued Friday.


Police, assisted by the FBI and an array of police from Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, have scoured the area around Randolph since Thursday.


Divers also searched Sunset Lake after clothing items belonging to Brooke were found nearby. Baker confirmed that Jacques was the person who reported finding the clothing items.


Baker said investigators continue to believe that Internet social network sites like MySpace may have played a role in Brooke’s disappearance. He declined to say whether Jacques was tied to the use of the Internet sites by Brooke.


Baker said Jacques was arrested by police Sunday afternoon at his home without incident.


Monday, wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans, Jacques was led in shackles to his arraignment at the Chelsea courthouse.


Judge Theresa DiMauro set bail for Jacques, overruling a request from Orange County State’s Attorney Will Porter to have Jacques held without bail given the seriousness of the claims in the affidavit.


DiMauro said she would consider having Jacques held without bail at a later date but voiced concern that the allegations against Jacques in the affidavit had not yet been sufficiently substantiated by other witnesses.


Police have confirmed that Jacques is on the state’s sex offender registry. In 1993, he was convicted of kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault.


Jacques did not speak during the court appearance and showed little emotion, occasionally looking over to a group of family members who attending the proceeding.


“It’s a hard thing this family’s been through,” said Storm Woodard, 54 of Sharon, who said Brooke is his grand niece. He said he was not surprised by Jacques’ arrest, but was worried what it will mean for his family.


“This is not doing a good thing for my family,” he shouted to reporters as he departed the courthouse.


According to the police affidavit in the Jacques case, he had engaged in various sex acts with the alleged victim beginning when she was 9 years old and continuing for five years. The most recent incident occurred earlier in June.


The victim said her first contact with the “Breckenridge” program involved a phone call and a note under her pillow that informed her that she had been chosen to participate in the “program for sex.” Jacques was designated to be her “trainer,” the affidavit said.


Police said she told them she was one of three girls who were enrolled in the program. She also said she had met three men from the program, one of whom was Jacques.


Baker said police spent much of Monday searching the Jacques home in Randolph. He declined to say whether Brooke was one of the girls involved in the Breckenridge program.


“It’s too early in the process to comment on that,” he said.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 02, 2008, 01:40:07 AM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8587260

Police: Search for Brooke at Crucial Stage

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8587260_BG1.jpg)

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8587260_BG3.jpg)

Bethel, Vermont - July 1, 2008

"She was really happy all the time. Always had a smile on her face. Nothing got her down," says Spencer Brown.

Brown shoots hoops in his Braintree yard and talks about his missing friend, Brooke Bennett.

"She was a really nice girl. We like to play sports, she was just all around a good girl to hang out with. She made friends really easily," he says.

Brown has been friends with Bennett since she first moved to Vermont from Alabama four years ago.


Bennett was last seen on surveillance video leaving the Cumberland Farms in Randolph Wednesday morning. A massive State Police investigation has ensued-- uncovering scores of evidence including some of the 12-year-old's personal belongings.

"We are at a very crucial stage of the investigation and for us to comment on evidence is going to jeopardize our ability to close out this case," says Vt. State Police Col. James Baker.

Baker did say that the current focus of the investigation remains on the home of Michael Jacques, Bennett's uncle. He was the last person to have contact with Bennett before she disappeared and is considered a person of interest in the case.

"I believe we are making great progress," says Baker. "I think we are eliminating possibilities where she may be. I just don't want to be in the business of predicting how close we are."

Bennett's friend is just trying to make sense of the whole scenario.

Asked if he thinks she might have run away, Brown replies, "She might have. Because the last couple months she's been kind of tense. Just, you know, wanting to get away somewhere."

But Brown says that Bennett loved Vermont and he is hopeful that she will return soon.


"I'm just hoping she comes home OK and nothing bad happened to her," he says.

That's the scenario everyone is hoping for.

There will be a candlelight vigil tomorrow night for Brooke. It will take place Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at the gazebo on Main Street in Randolph. The public is invited.

Adam Sullivan - WCAX News



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 07:55:30 AM
7 Main street share's an address with the Randolph County Clerk. That's odd. This is suppose to be a convenience store.


does anyone have the approximate locale where the clothing was found?

Rob...

I believe it was off RT65 in Brookfield, near Sunset Lake (which was searched) but
the clothing being found was told by the uncle so it may be false to misslead police.

As far as sharing an address...up here its common to have businesses grouped
in one building...

Hi Sea Searcher - Thanks for the info. I have found that there is a North Main Street and also a South Main Street. The North Main street is the only one that appears to have a business district. So, I'm assuming that is the location.

I'm not finding Rt 65. I see all of the major highways (93)(87)(89)(90)(95)(112)(143) and all of the other routes (3)(4)(5)(202)(302)(7)(4). I see a few lakes, but I am not finding Sunset or Brookfield.

I would like to add this location to the map where Brooke's clothing was found. I realize this could be a ruse, but I still want to add it to track the movements of Michael S. Jaques.

Thanks for any help you can provide. If you are unable to ID the area, no worries, I'll find it eventually.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 08:01:10 AM
Sea Searcher - I have found Route 65 and there only appears to be one lake there. Is that the lake? Route 65 is not a very long road compared to others in the area. And there is only one lake.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 08:10:09 AM
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/BROOKE4.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 09:54:32 AM
POSSIBLE ROUTE TAKEN BY MICHAEL S JACQUES

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/BROOKE6.jpg)

MY AREA OF INTEREST

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/BROOKE8.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 10:22:53 AM
If you guys look on the Google Earth maps, you will see the address of Michael S Jacques, and the area where the clothing was discovered. (Area where clothing was discovered is not exact, but close).

There is no way Michael S. Jacques accidentally "discovered" Brooke's clothing. That would be the proverbial "needle in a haystack" theory.

I could possibly understand if the clothing was found along a road that leads to his house, but the area is too far away for this to be a coincidence.

IMO - this guy is directly involved. He knew[/i] where the clothing was at - he knew the exact location.

- *all predicated on the fact that he did find the clothing there* -


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 10:23:05 AM
Asked if he thinks she might have run away, Brown replies, "She might have. Because the last couple months she's been kind of tense. Just, you know, wanting to get away somewhere."

But Brown says that Bennett loved Vermont and he is hopeful that she will return soon.


I hope she ran away, why would she go back home, no one was there for her.
Her Dad should make a statement on TV letting her know she should call him and he will protect her. Poor Brook but be scared



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: NM on July 02, 2008, 12:33:43 PM
Hey Monkeys,
sorry if this was already pointed out.

Dingledine said Jacques has a full-time job as an operations manager for a company in West Lebanon, N.H., owns his home and a rental property next door, has strong family ties and a family that depends on his income.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/06/30/search_for_missing_girl_turns_to_uncles_property/



The 12-year-old girl went missing after she was dropped off at a Randolph convenience store by Jacques. Police said they were told she was planning to meet a friend at the store and travel with her to a Lebanon, N.H., hospital to visit a friend. Police believe that was a lie.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/NEWS01/80630028


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 01:12:18 PM
Asked if he thinks she might have run away, Brown replies, "She might have. Because the last couple months she's been kind of tense. Just, you know, wanting to get away somewhere."

But Brown says that Bennett loved Vermont and he is hopeful that she will return soon.


I hope she ran away, why would she go back home, no one was there for her.
Her Dad should make a statement on TV letting her know she should call him and he will protect her. Poor Brook but be scared



Stupidest answer, the guy is lying. What would a 12 year old have to be tense about? duh maybe a family full of perverts making her life hell? ya think?  Haul this guy in and keep him there until he talks. POS


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 01:22:29 PM
Vigil planned for missing girl

11:55 a.m.
July 2, 2008
RANDOLPH -- A candlelight vigil for missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett is being planned for 8 p.m. today in downtown Randolph.

The Braintree girl has been missing since June 25 after she was dropped off at a convenience store in Randolph by her uncle.

The vigil will be held at the gazebo in the center of Randolph Village.

Because of the vigil, Randolph Police will close Main Street (Route 12) in the village at the junctions of School Street and Salisbury Street at 7 p.m.

Traffic on Route 12 through the village will be diverted on to Summers Street during the vigil. It is anticipated the vigil will conclude at about 10 p.m.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/THISJUSTIN/530685321


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 02, 2008, 02:19:23 PM
Uncle brought Brooke back to his house to have sex.

This is from an affidavit just released.  Fox News.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 02:28:54 PM
Uncle brought Brooke back to his house to have sex.

This is from an affidavit just released.  Fox News.


Yes, I just heard the same thing.  Looking for the same in print.  This is sickening.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 02, 2008, 02:28:55 PM
Adding that the affidavit also said the young girl in the car was part of the set-up.   
Good Lord.  This just gets worse by the minute.  ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 02, 2008, 02:31:09 PM
Hey, Klaas ~ I was hoping you'd show up! 
Fox News said *someone* was at the courthouse trying to get a copy of the affidavit. 



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 02:33:27 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8610899

Court Papers: Uncle Brought Brooke Home for Sex

Burlington, Vermont - July 2, 2008

Federal officials say in court papers that a missing Vermont girl's uncle brought her home and took her upstairs to have sex.

In an affidavit, officials say a teenage girl admitted helping Michael Jacques, Brooke Bennett's uncle, drop 12-year-old Brooke off at a store on June 25 and then get her and return to his Randolph home for sex. Brooke has not been seen since.

In the U.S. District Court affidavit, the teen told agents she herself had been having sex with Jacques, 42, since she was 9 in a sex ring called Breckinridge. She said she was told Brooke was going to be brought into the ring that day.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 02:34:11 PM
Hey, Klaas ~ I was hoping you'd show up! 
Fox News said *someone* was at the courthouse trying to get a copy of the affidavit. 



 ::MonkeyHaHa::  Wasn't me, wrong state


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 02:37:35 PM
WHAT DID HE DO WITH BROOKE??   :smt091

Excuse my language but that worthless piece of sh** uncle probably killed her.  They just said on TV that it was Brooke's initiation into the sex group. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 02:41:56 PM
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/NEWS01/80701028&GID=1gVNu6o3sUI+ETQLdBRcz9KrHUaWFYrTxXCyN1+gvTo%3D

July 2, 2008


FBI: Uncle planned sex ring initation for Brooke Bennett

By Sam Hemingway
Free Press Staff Writer

UPDATED 2:25 P.M.

A missing 12-year-old Braintree girl was to be initiated into a sex program the last day she was seen alive, according to an FBI affidavit released today.

Authorities previously believed Brooke Bennett was dropped off by her uncle at a Randolph convenience store June 25. Instead, the uncle — Michael Jacques, 42 — picked Brooke up at the store, lied to her about taking her to a party, and brought Brooke back to his home to initiate her into a sex club called “Breckenridge.”

The information is contained in an affidavit prepared by FBI Special Agent Daniel Rachek and made available today at U.S. District Court in Burlington.

The account is based on an interview with a person identified as “Juvenile 1” who said she was with Jacques and Brooke that morning. “Juvenile 1” is the same girl who told investigators about her own participation in Breckenridge and repeated assaults by Jacques that led to his arrest over the weekend.

The affidavit was released today prior to an initial appearance for Raymond A. Gagnon, Brooke’s former stepfather, on federal charges of obstruction of justice on allegations of destroying evidence in the investigation into Brooke’s disappearance.

“Juvenile 1” told authorities that the she and Brooke returned with Jacques to his home, where the girls watched TV. Juvenile 1 said she “understood that Bennett would be taken into the Breckenridge program that day, and that she would have sex with adult males,” Rachek wrote.

“Jacques eventually asked Bennett to go upstairs in the house with him. Juvenile 1 did not see Bennett again. She soon left the home at Jacques’ direction.”



 :-x :smt091 :-x


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 02, 2008, 02:43:06 PM
WHAT DID HE DO WITH BROOKE??   :smt091

Excuse my language but that worthless piece of sh** uncle probably killed her.  They just said on TV that it was Brooke's initiation into the sex group. 

This is truly incredible ~ heartbreaking ~ and yes, he is a worthless piece of sh!t.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 02:43:36 PM
OR she ran like HELL


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 02:48:59 PM
OR she ran like HELL

I wish.  I think if she had run she'd at least let her father know, or a friend know she's alive. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 02, 2008, 03:05:35 PM
Depraved, sick SOB!!! 



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 03:07:33 PM
Klaas

IN VT OMG their is no cell towers all woods  & mts you would have to know where to hide.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: tcumom on July 02, 2008, 03:10:59 PM
FBI: Brooke Bennett vanished
after planned sex-ring initiation
By Sam Hemingway • Free Press Staff Writer • July 2, 2008


A missing 12-year-old Braintree girl was to be initiated into a sex program the last day she was seen alive, according to an FBI affidavit released today.

Authorities previously believed Brooke Bennett was dropped off by her uncle at a Randolph convenience store June 25. Instead, the uncle — Michael Jacques, 42 — picked Brooke up at the store, lied to her about taking her to a party, and brought Brooke back to his home to initiate her into a sex club called “Breckenridge.”

The information is contained in an affidavit prepared by FBI Special Agent Daniel Rachek and made available today at U.S. District Court in Burlington.

The account is based on an interview with a person identified as “Juvenile 1” who said she was with Jacques and Brooke that morning. “Juvenile 1” is the same girl who told investigators about her own participation in Breckenridge and repeated assaults by Jacques that led to his arrest over the weekend.

The affidavit was released today prior to an initial appearance for Raymond A. Gagnon, Brooke’s former stepfather, on federal charges of obstruction of justice on allegations of destroying evidence in the investigation into Brooke’s disappearance.

“Juvenile 1” told authorities that the she and Brooke returned with Jacques to his home on East Bethel Road in Randolph, where the girls watched TV. Juvenile 1 said she “understood that Bennett would be taken into the Breckenridge program that day, and that she would have sex with adult males,” Rachek wrote.

“Jacques eventually asked Bennett to go upstairs in the house with him. Juvenile 1 did not see Bennett again. She soon left the home at Jacques’ direction.”

According to the affidavit, a posting to Brooke’s page on the Internet social networking site MySpace was made from Jacques’ laptop computer at 11:40 p.m. June 24 — nearly 10 hours before Brooke was seen at the convenience store. The post was edited from the same computer 15 minutes later and again 10:36 p.m. June 25 — about 90 minutes after her family reporter her missing.

“During this last log in, the time of the posting was manually changed to June 25, 2008, at 7:46 a.m.,” Rachek wrote. The post — using common Internet vernacular — suggested Brooke intended to meet an unnamed person for the purpose of a sexual liaison and that she planned to run away to Texas. “My mom will kill me, but then I’m going 2 Texas and she will get over it,” the post said, as quoted in the affidavit.

“Law enforcement believes that this posting was made to make it appear that Bennett was abducted by someone she met on the internet or communicated with on the internet.”

The MySpace page was again accessed at 11:18 p.m. and 11:25 p.m. June 25 from a computer at the home Gagnon, 40, rents in San Antonio. The blog was edited from this location, Rachek wrote. Gagnon later told police that Jacques gave him the user name and password June 25 and that Gagnon logged in and changed the user name and password.

“He denied changing any blog posting information,” the affidavit said.

Gagnon’s actions prompted the federal obstruction of justice charge. He is being held pending a detention hearing in federal court Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors said in court papers they plan to bring additional charges against Gagnon based on his statements to investigators, including:


Gagnon told law enforcement that in June 2007 he and Jacques “engaged in sex with Juvenile 1.”

Gagnon said Jacques sent him digital photos of Juvenile 1 and her boyfriend “engaged in sexual acts” and that Gagnon stored those photos in a safe.

Gagnon admitted he has downloaded a vast amount of child pornography from the Internet, including images of children as young as 5 and that he stores the images on his laptop computer.
_________________________________________________________


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 03:11:35 PM
OMG - It just keeps getting worse

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8610899

Court Papers: Uncle Brought Brooke Home for Sex

Posted: July 2, 2008 11:27 AM PDT

Updated: July 2, 2008 12:06 PM PDT

 
 
 
Burlington, Vermont - July 2, 2008

Federal officials say in court papers that Brooke Bennett's uncle brought her home and took her upstairs to have sex.

In an affidavit, officials say a teenage girl admitted helping Michael Jacques drop 12-year-old Brooke off at a store on June 25 and then get her and return to his Randolph home for sex. Brooke has not been seen since.

In the U.S. District Court affidavit, the teen told agents she herself had been having sex with Jacques, 42, since she was 9 in a sex ring called Breckinridge. She said she was told Brooke was going to be brought into the ring that day.

The information came in federal court where Brooke's former stepfather, Ray Gagnon, is facing obstruction of justice charges brought by federal officials. According to court papers, Gagnon rented a room in a house in San Antonio owned by Kevin Grosenheider. Gagnon allegedly called Grosenheider and asked him to throw out a safe that contained a laptop. The safe was thrown into a dumpster and police have not been able to find it.

Court papers also say that Michael Jacques knew Brooke's user name and the password to her MySpace account and went in and altered her page on the day she disappeared. Jacques also allegedly had Gagnon go on to MySpace and change Brooke's user name and password. Cell phone records show four calls between Jacques and Gagnon on the day Brooke disappeared.

According to the court papers, computer forensics traced activity on Brooke's page to San Antonio and Jacques' laptop.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: MumInOhio on July 02, 2008, 03:27:16 PM
Adding that the affidavit also said the young girl in the car was part of the set-up.   
Good Lord.  This just gets worse by the minute.  ::MonkeyNoNo::


Every time I come in to check it is worse. This is really unbelievable. It does not look good for Brooke.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 03:29:15 PM
I know  ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 03:35:27 PM
It is possible there were other men there and Brooke is with one of them?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 03:37:14 PM
The girl who helped set this up is a victim herself, and was probably scared and relieved at the same time. Maybe they wouldn't victimize her? But she needs to tell who else was involved so they can all be questioned.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 02, 2008, 03:42:27 PM
The girl who helped set this up is a victim herself, and was probably scared and relieved at the same time. Maybe they wouldn't victimize her? But she needs to tell who else was involved so they can all be questioned.

I was thinking it will probably come to that.  It was mentioned that Brooke would be expected to be with 'males' pleural, so I'm hoping that Juvenile 1 can ID all of them.  I don't know if I believe Brooke is with one of them....thinking the worst.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 02, 2008, 03:53:26 PM
Lets talk about  this other girl.  Isn't she the one redacted from the original indictment against JaqAss?  And is referenced as living with Denise (aunt of Brooke) and JaqAss, so this other girl might be her cousin?  These sicko's probably so distorted "normal" that the girls involved felt special or important and therefore the possible cousin didn't think it was a bad thing that Brooke was going to be "initiated."  Heaven help us this is soooo twisted and awful.  I honestly don't think things like "Juno" help girls to respect boundaries with regard to their bodies.  And the parents are so....um....messed up that they give these girls no sense of self confidence or morality.  Don't mean to be preachy here, but all of these cases just show how depraved our society has become.  Can any of us imagine being 12 and a friend or cousin setting us up for this kind of club? 

My guess is that Brooke was not the easy pray JaqAss thought she was, she fought back, and he was in a rage because he had obviously been lusting and planning for a while to rape this poor girl.  I just get sick thinking that the former step dad probably abused her before and talked it up with JaqAss, setting her up for not only more abuse, but now...who knows...


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 03:55:38 PM
I agree Jacques told this other girl to leave, so we don't know who else was at the house.
It's very possible that other men were there and someone took her away.
::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 04:00:33 PM
The account is based on an interview with a person identified as “Juvenile 1” who said she was with Jacques and Brooke that morning. “Juvenile 1” is the same girl who told investigators about her own participation in Breckenridge and repeated assaults by Jacques that led to his arrest over the weekend.

“Juvenile 1” told authorities that the she and Brooke returned with Jacques to his home on East Bethel Road in Randolph, where the girls watched TV. Juvenile 1 said she “understood that Bennett would be taken into the Breckenridge program that day, and that she would have sex with adult males,” Rachek wrote.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: KC on July 02, 2008, 04:10:20 PM
Right, what I'm saying is that this is the same girl referenced in the original indictment against JaqAss...where KY is mentioned and child porn and Denise asks JaqAss about it and he plays dumb.  She accepts it.  Just trying to figure out the family connection and why a nearly 13 year old girl would go upstairs with a grown man, uncle or not. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 04:16:52 PM
Right, what I'm saying is that this is the same girl referenced in the original indictment against JaqAss...where KY is mentioned and child porn and Denise asks JaqAss about it and he plays dumb.  She accepts it.  Just trying to figure out the family connection and why a nearly 13 year old girl would go upstairs with a grown man, uncle or not. 

My guess is she did not go willingly, as you say why would a "nearly 13 year old girl would go upstairs with a grown man, uncle or not ."  Likely she was forced either carried by more than one man or by threat of violence ie a gun or knife.  ::MonkeyShocked:: It is so sad even to speculate about the fear this poor child must have known.

I just watched a video clip of the grandmother........there is really something wrong with this whole family.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 04:18:32 PM
I think the clothes were at Jacques the whole time. As LE closed in he had to make this "discovery". He had to have a reason how the clothes came into his possession.

The other day I was going to post a little something I was thinking about but thought - nah... it's too out there. I was going to say that Jacques manufactured the alternative Brooke myspace - the one that said she was leaving IIR all that correctly.

And he was able to alter her myspace postings with posting of his own. In most browsers there is an application to allow you to save passwords by simply clicking "save password". You can save it for that session or for as long as you wish or until your clear your cache. Brooke may have inadvertently save her password while using his laptop. It's not very likely - he probably DID know the password.

I'm back to my original thought that Brooke may be located with-in two miles of his house.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 04:23:04 PM
In the police affidavit, it says the victim was told the president of the United States had selected her for the sex program. The president assigns a trainer, and her trainer would be Michael Jacques. And then she was abused-- almost tortured-- on a weekly basis in many different ways for the next five years. The victim testified she had met three men as part of the "Breckenridge" ring who had told her what types of sexual activity she needed to work on to graduate.
 WTF they should have there di*ks cut off.
 These poor young girls.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 04:49:50 PM
Rob have you ever been to VT?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 04:51:54 PM
Criminal Complaint source preceeding posts

Phone toll records show:

Jacques cell phone shows between 9:26pm 6/25, (shortly after Bennett is reported missing) 4 calls were made to Gagnon's cell phone

An hour later at 12:24am on 6/26, (lasting 23 minutes) and another at 12:59am lasting 24 minutes


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 04:56:26 PM
Rob have you ever been to VT?

Hi Blonde, no I have not been to Vermont. A guy who used to work for me was from New Hampshire and lived in Vermont for a number of years. He was real big on hunting and fishing. He would always talk about how much he loved the area. He's in South Carolina now.

Have you been there?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 04:59:55 PM
BB do you have a link for the  video clip of the grandmother..


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 05:03:53 PM
Rob have you ever been to VT?

Hi Blonde, no I have not been to Vermont. A guy who used to work for me was from New Hampshire and lived in Vermont for a number of years. He was real big on hunting and fishing. He would always talk about how much he loved the area. He's in South Carolina now.

Have you been there?

Yes at least 100 times, trust me there is a lot of open space mountains and fields and lakes.
Thinking about  going to help on search for her on Sunday.

 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 05:09:33 PM
BB do you have a link for the  video clip of the grandmother..

Try this.  Looks to me like she might have Parkinson's or something:

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/VIDEO/80702001


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 05:15:53 PM
Thank You Klaas


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 05:16:06 PM
Yes at least 100 times, trust me there is a lot of open space mountains and fields and lakes.
Thinking about  going to help on search for her on Sunday.[/b]

Wow Terrific Blonde, I hope you do get to go. Maybe you should run the local TES. I'm sure you would be a great addition!!!

I believe this entire thing is a sham. I think the uncle killed Brooke and she is located somewhere nearby. Somewhere Jacques is very familiar with. This is always how a friend of the family / family relationship abuser goes. There is always the small chance that Brooke did runaway, lord knows she had enough reasons. But there have been zero sightings of her and an all points bulletin. This does not look good, and on top of that she does not seem to have any additional clothing or money.

We need to remember that as WE get better at helping LE to find these animals, they are also becoming better able to prevent anyone from finding their "no body - no case" scenarios. We also need to remember that the computer age has reached almost everyone at this point and these guys are as good as some of the best internet sleuths out there.

Remember - they don't want to be caught. That alone motivates them in a way you and I are not motivated. We are motivated because we care. They are motivated because they do not want to go to jail, face a death sentence, or be raped every day for the rest of their lives. That's quite a few motivating factors if you ask me.

Someone with minimal skills could do what Jacques is alleged to have done here with a computer.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 05:22:08 PM
BB do you have a link for the  video clip of the grandmother..

Yes Blonde the link Klaas posted is the one I watched. the only person who has shed a tear in this poor girls disappearance has been the sister.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 05:27:16 PM
Criminal Complaint source preceeding posts

Phone toll records show:

Jacques cell phone shows between 9:26pm 6/25, (shortly after Bennett is reported missing) 4 calls were made to Gagnon's cell phone

An hour later at 12:24am on 6/26, (lasting 23 minutes) and another at 12:59am lasting 24 minutes


Somehow I get the feeling that the uncle was the "Lennie" in this sordid Of Mice and Men case. To many calls between Jacques and Gannon...to many prior trips to Vermont for Gagnon for them to not have been working in tandem. Gagnon altering the myspace account?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 05:31:25 PM
Criminal Complaint source preceeding posts

Phone toll records show:

Jacques cell phone shows between 9:26pm 6/25, (shortly after Bennett is reported missing) 4 calls were made to Gagnon's cell phone

An hour later at 12:24am on 6/26, (lasting 23 minutes) and another at 12:59am lasting 24 minutes


Somehow I get the feeling that the uncle was the "Lennie" in this sordid Of Mice and Men case. To many calls between Jacques and Gannon...to many prior trips to Vermont for Gagnon for them to not have been working in tandem. Gagnon altering the myspace account?

BB ~ just my opinion but,

I think we are looking at a minimum of 5 predators working in conjunction. 5 predators with at least 2 victims each.

There are potential many more, but we seem to have "witness 1" saying that she has seen three other males in addition to Jacques and possibly Gagnon. So there is a long way to go getting them ID and their victims. I am guessing there are still at least 8 more victims and 4-5 more predators that have not yet been questioned or interrogated.

-jmo-


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 05:31:38 PM
BB do you have a link for the  video clip of the grandmother..

Yes Blonde the link Klaas posted is the one I watched. the only person who has shed a tear in this poor girls disappearance has been the sister.

And IMO the sister has to have been involved with some of this at one point or another.  The sister is 18 and would have been 12 when Brooke's mom Cassandra was married and living with Gagnon in Alabama.  I believe the sister Savanna was also molested by her stepfather Gagnon.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 05:38:55 PM
Not many missing persons reported in Vermont, so hopefully killing the victim is not their modus operandi? Obviously they are a group motivated by deviant sex....at least up until now.
There is on though but I think she is older than this group of pervs stalk.....

++++++++++++++

http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vtsp/maitland.htm


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 05:41:59 PM
Not many missing persons reported in Vermont, so hopefully killing the victim is not their modus operandi? Obviously they are a group motivated by deviant sex....at least up until now.
There is on though but I think she is older than this group of pervs stalk.....

++++++++++++++

http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vtsp/maitland.htm

Hopefully this gang of deviants is not eliminating "evidence", if ya know what I mean.

Could the older girl be the "Stephy" here?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 05:48:23 PM
Not many missing persons reported in Vermont, so hopefully killing the victim is not their modus operandi? Obviously they are a group motivated by deviant sex....at least up until now.
There is on though but I think she is older than this group of pervs stalk.....

++++++++++++++

http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vtsp/maitland.htm

Hopefully this gang of deviants is not eliminating "evidence", if ya know what I mean.

Could the older girl be the "Stephy" here?

The older sister? IMO no. I think this deviant groups like them young...so when they reach
an age which makes them possibly more difficult to "control"...they move on to someone younger. I think the sister was a victim. The other girl, initials A.R., couldn't even be considered a "Stephy" IMO because she herself was only 14 years old.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 05:56:48 PM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8612211

Police Call "Urgent" Press Conference on Brooke

Posted: July 2, 2008 02:36 PM PDT

Updated: July 2, 2008 02:39 PM PDT

 
 
Bethel, Vermont - July 2, 2008

Vermont State Police and the FBI have called an "urgent" press conference with an update on the Brooke Bennett case. The press conference starts at 6 p.m. in Bethel.

Brooke is the missing 12-year-old from Braintree who disappeared a week ago. She was last seen at a Randolph convenience store with her uncle, Michael Jacques. Police have called Jacques a person of interest in her disappearance. They have been searching his property in Randolph.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 06:00:18 PM
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/NEWS01/80701028

July 2, 2008


Police call 'urgent press conference' in Brooke Bennett disappearance

By Sam Hemingway
Free Press Staff Writer

RANDOLPH -- Investigators into Brooke Bennett's disappearance have launched an intensive search of a wooded area near the Bethel-Randolph town line, and an "urgent" news conference has been called for 6 p.m.

Law enforcement has cordoned off Crocker Road in Randolph -- near the home of Brooke's uncle, the investigation's lead suspect. A neighbor said the search is focused on a sugarhouse off Crocker Road.

The search comes after information became public that Brooke, a 12-year-old Braintree girl, was last seen alive at the home of her uncle, Michael Jacques, on June 25.

Attorney General Bill Sorrell told a reporter an announcement is scheduled to be made at 6 p.m. at Whitcomb High School in Bethel.

The steady passage of police cars, marked and unmarked, raised dust on Crocker Road, otherwise closed to traffic.

Witnesses say that police have moved their operations center from Jacques house to the sugarhouse.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 06:01:20 PM
 ::MonkeyShocked:: ::MonkeyShocked:: ::MonkeyShocked::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 06:02:25 PM
I don't see Grande posting on the HFTM forum. Normally this is the exact type case he is all over. I spoke to him about 2 weeks ago and he said he was swamped at work and had a few hundred emails RETURN. I would love to see what he has to say.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 06:03:23 PM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8612211

Police Call "Urgent" Press Conference on Brooke

Posted: July 2, 2008 02:36 PM PDT

Updated: July 2, 2008 02:39 PM PDT

 
 
Bethel, Vermont - July 2, 2008

Vermont State Police and the FBI have called an "urgent" press conference with an update on the Brooke Bennett case. The press conference starts at 6 p.m. in Bethel.

Brooke is the missing 12-year-old from Braintree who disappeared a week ago. She was last seen at a Randolph convenience store with her uncle, Michael Jacques. Police have called Jacques a person of interest in her disappearance. They have been searching his property in Randolph.



ohhh jeez  ::MonkeyWaa::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 06:04:14 PM
Sugar house must mean a Maple sugar house . An example thought they vary in age and size:

(http://www.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/g/GlassHouse/14.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 06:06:43 PM
 
 Breaking News
 
Police Call "Urgent" Press Conference on Brooke; Uncle Will be Charged with Kidnapping
Updated: July 2, 2008 03:02 PM PDT

Authorities have called an "urgent" press conference with an update on the Brooke Bennett case. And now federal authorities say they will charge Brooke's uncle with kidnapping.
 
 
 
 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Tamikosmom on July 02, 2008, 06:08:15 PM
My heart breaks for that little girl.  What was her mother thinking when she allowed Brook's uncle by marriage to be alone with her daughter for even two minutes.

There are many compromises that have to made in life but ... the physical safety and emotional well-being are not among them.

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

Janet


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 06:10:15 PM
(http://cmsimg.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BT&Date=20080702&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=80701028&Ref=AR&MaxW=318&Border=0)

State Police search for clues on Crocker Road in Randolph on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. Police are searching just down the road from Michael Jacques house to a sugar house on Crocker road as they search for a missing 12-year-old girl who has been missing since June 25, 2008. Federal officials say in court papers that the girl's uncle, Jacques, brought her home and took her upstairs to have sex her and she has not been seen since. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 06:14:54 PM
I just got bad news but i will not post it until i see this for myself


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 06:15:40 PM
(http://cmsimg.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BT&Date=20080702&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=80701028&Ref=AR&MaxW=318&Border=0)

State Police search for clues on Crocker Road in Randolph on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. Police are searching just down the road from Michael Jacques house to a sugar house on Crocker road as they search for a missing 12-year-old girl who has been missing since June 25, 2008. Federal officials say in court papers that the girl's uncle, Jacques, brought her home and took her upstairs to have sex her and she has not been seen since. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)



http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/NEWS01/80701028

Police: Body of Brooke Bennett found in Randolph
By Sam Hemingway • Free Press Staff Writer • July 2, 2008

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BETHEL -- Police have discovered the body of Brooke Bennett near a sugarhouse off a country road in Randolph.

The body of the 12-year-old Braintree girl, missing since June 25 and the subject of Vermont's first Amber Alert, was found today near Crocker Road -- just a few miles from the home of her uncle.

The uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, is the lead suspect in Brooke's disappearance. She was last seen at his home on East Bethel Road the day she vanished.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 06:15:50 PM
She has been found Dead


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: A's Fever on July 02, 2008, 06:16:35 PM
Prayers for Brooke :smt089


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 06:18:32 PM
Her body was found very near her uncle's home Rob, you were right ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 06:20:41 PM
Brooke never had a chance.  The adults that were supposed to protect her put her in harms way.  So very sad.  How many girls have abused and or murdered by these monsters?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 06:20:53 PM
I had to do some cross referencing - this is Crocker road and LESS than two miles from his house. Crocker circled.

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/crockerroad2.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 06:21:24 PM
Her body was found very near her uncle's home Rob, you were right ::MonkeyNoNo::

I'm sorry.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 06:22:09 PM
Brooke I am so sorry............ ::MonkeyWaa::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 02, 2008, 06:23:23 PM
How painfully sad.  May justice prevail and all perpetrators in this horrible event pay for what they've done.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 06:25:07 PM
Brooke
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b104/Blondeonahd/Fun%20stuff/thbloem23.gif)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 06:29:57 PM
<--- don't even know what to say.

I knew this was the outcome a few days ago. Oh how I wish Brooke did runaway! You don't need any real skills to see the outcome here - this is always the outcome.

I hope Brooke finds her peace in God's Arms.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 06:35:25 PM
<--- don't even know what to say.

I knew this was the outcome a few days ago. Oh how I wish Brooke did runaway! You don't need any real skills to see the outcome here - this is always the outcome.

I hope Brooke finds her peace in God's Arms.

maybe I do have something to say after-all.

First, Kudos to VT LE. They DID the JOB. An excellent job even though it wasn't the outcome we all wish coull have occurred.

Second, Red's FP post on the Death Penalty for Child Rapists - count me in. I was hedging on this and believe the DP should be reserved for the worst of the worst. These are the WORST or the WORST.

I try to keep my emotions on life and death to a minimum, but the recidivism rate here is over 80%. That's too high to take any chances in my opinion. A first time molester may not kill the victim, but the second time molester, after serving jail time, will almost assuredly kill his victim should she / he threaten to go to the police. The solution is the death penalty.

-all my opinion.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Tamikosmom on July 02, 2008, 06:37:44 PM
My heart breaks for that little girl.  What was her mother thinking when she allowed Brook's uncle by marriage to be alone with her daughter for even two minutes.

There are many compromises that have to made in life but ... the physical safety and the emotional well-being of our precious children are not among them.

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

Janet


It is so hard to comprehend that such evil exists.

Janet
__________

Feds Say Uncle of Missing Vermont Girl Took Her Home for Initiation Into Sex Ring
Wednesday, July 02, 2008


RANDOLPH, Vt. —  A missing Vermont girl's uncle brought her home to initiate her into a sex ring, federal officials claim in court papers.

In an affidavit, officials contend a teenage girl admitted helping Michael Jacques, Brooke Bennett's uncle, drop off the 12-year-old at a store on June 25, then pick her up and take her to his Randolph home for initiation into a child sex ring. Brooke has not been seen since.

The 14-year-old, reportedly related to Jacques, told agents she, herself, had been having sex with Jacques, 42, since she was 9 as part of a sex ring called Breckinridge, according to the U.S. District Court affidavit. She said she was told Brooke was going to be brought into the ring that day.

The teenager said she understood that as part of the initiation, Brooke "would have sex with adult males," according to the affidavit in U.S. District Court.

She and Brooke watched television for a while before Jacques told her to leave and took Brooke upstairs, the teen said. The girl left the house with her boyfriend and did not see Brooke again, she said.

Brooke's former stepfather was expected in court Wednesday to face federal charges that he destroyed evidence in connection with the search for Brooke.

Ray Gagnon, 40, was to appear in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt., to answer an obstruction of justice charge. If convicted, the San Antonio, Texas, man could be sentenced to life in prison.

Click here to view photos.

Investigators searching for the girl arrested Gagnon and Jacques, a registered sex offender, this week on sexual assault charges. Brooke is not among the victims, according to police.

Jacques pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Earlier reports said Gagnon allegedly had traveled to the state from his Texas home to help search for Brooke, of Braintree, Vt. Authorities also analyzed surveillance video from the shop at which the girl last was seen.

In it, Jacques and the girl are seen leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.

Click here to view video.

Gagnon was married to Brooke's mother for about five years; Brooke lived with them in Alabama. The mother, Cassandra Gagnon, told the San Antonio Express-News that Gagnon came to Vermont to try to lend a hand after her disappearance made national news last week.

"We're not doing very good ... not very good at all," the child's weeping stepmother, Janet Bennett, told FOX News on Wednesday.

Janet Bennett is married to Brooke's father, James Bennett, and said the family is frustrated over the lack of information they're getting on the case. She discounted the possibility that Brooke might have left on her own.

"She's not the type of girl who would run away," she said.

Gagnon was arrested Tuesday on federal child molestation charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving Brooke's uncle.

Gagnon was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police.

The arrest is related to the case against Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.

According to court papers, she told police that Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.

Girls in the program were warned that "the first [girl] who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.

Col. James Baker, head of the state police, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including that the sex ring was a ruse Jacques created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.

State police say Jacques is a "person of interest" in Brooke's disappearance.

Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.

Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.

A vigil for Brooke was scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375003,00.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: kissyface on July 02, 2008, 06:53:12 PM
 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089 :smt089  This is horrible.  I cannot believe this.  Prayers.  R.I.P. Brooke


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on July 02, 2008, 06:56:21 PM
Brooke never had a chance.  The adults that were supposed to protect her put her in harms way.  So very sad.  How many girls have abused and or murdered by these monsters?


This is so sick and twisted. You are correct Klaas...she never stood a chance. Don't expect much in the way of punishment for Jacques and anyone else involved in this...it is Vermont, mark my words.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 07:04:13 PM
Brooke never had a chance.  The adults that were supposed to protect her put her in harms way.  So very sad.  How many girls have abused and or murdered by these monsters?


This is so sick and twisted. You are correct Klaas...she never stood a chance. Don't expect much in the way of punishment for Jacques and anyone else involved in this...it is Vermont, mark my words.

Hi Nut - well, tuff cookies for him, that's why the Feds got involved. Buh Bye VT! Chello Leavenworth!

This poor little girl didn't grow up in "hardscrabble" America. She lived in a nice small town. She deserved a better chance at life. So wrong on so many levels in my opinion.

This poor little Brooke needs a voice beyond her mother - I hope we will all help that happen.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 07:18:13 PM
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/NEWS01/80701028

July 2, 2008


BROOKE'S BODY FOUND

By Sam Hemingway
Free Press Staff Writer

BETHEL -- Police have discovered the body of Brooke Bennett near a sugarhouse off a country road in Randolph.

The body of the 12-year-old Braintree girl, missing since June 25 and the subject of Vermont's first Amber Alert, was found at 4:45 p.m. today near Crocker Road -- just a few miles from the home of her uncle.

The uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, is the lead suspect in Brooke's disappearance. She was last seen at his home on East Bethel Road the day she vanished.

Col. James Baker, commander of the Vermont State Police, made the announcement at about 6:10 p.m. at a news conference at Whitcomb High School. Baker called the death "suspicious" and that "appears to be the result of foul play."

The body will be sent to the state's Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington to determine the time and cause of death. A news conference has been called for the U.S. Attorney's office in Burlington at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Baker did not address who might have killed the girl or why, and declined to answer questions.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Sea Searcher on July 02, 2008, 07:27:02 PM
So Sad..


Here is an updated article from local news

Times Argus
This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.timesargus.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article published Jul 2, 2008
Statement from Col. Baker of the VSP on discovery of body
6:53 p.m.

Statement by Col. James Baker, director of the Vermont State Police, on finding the body of Brooke Bennett:

It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that I announce that we have located what we believe to be the remains of Brooke Bennett on Crocker Road in Randolph, Vermont.

The identification of Brooke today is a preliminary one. Brooke will be transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington where an autopsy will be scheduled to positively identify her and to determine the cause of death. The death is clearly suspicious. It appears to be foul play.

Brooke was located as a result of information developed during the search of Michael Jacques’ residence. The information developed led investigators to Crocker Road. A team of specially trained FBI agents and Vermont State Police Search and Rescue members, discovered ground that was recently disturbed. This discovery happened on July 1st, 2008. The scene was frozen and a thorough search was conducted today. Brooke was found at 4:45 this afternoon.

A week ago today, Brooke was reported missing. We remained optimistic that we would find her alive. Investigators worked swiftly and diligently to uncover information and evidence that was leading us in the direction of locating Brooke.

The painful discovery of Brooke’s body today is tragic and heartbreaking.
Brooke’s family has been notified. On behalf of all of the investigators, support staff and others who have worked tirelessly on this case, I offer the family our deepest condolences.

Myself, Special Agent in Charge John Pikus and Major Tom L’Esperance will be meeting with the family shortly to assure them that the investigative team that we have assembled is focused more then ever. As I’ve stated before, this investigation is making progress.

With the discovery of Brooke, our investigation is now narrowed and focused.
All of the investigators and the support staff in this investigation are committed to closing this investigation out successfully.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Brooke, her family and friends. I ask you respect the privacy of Brooke’s family at this time.

I recognize the information provided at this time is vague, however we felt it was important to inform you of this drastic change in the investigation.

With that said, I am not prepared, nor can I answer questions at this time as we are at yet another crucial stage in the investigation.

A press conference will be scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00 AM at the US Attorney’s Office in Burlington. The media should arrive at 9:30 AM.

Thank you for your attention.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 07:32:22 PM
(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/crockerroad3.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 07:51:04 PM
One more possible route taken by Jacques

(http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/Morgan2112_2006/JACQUES3.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 02, 2008, 08:02:43 PM
What a tragedy.  Words just can't express.  I agree 100% on death penalty for child molesters.  I agree with Blonde too though, first let's cut off the offending part.  I can't imagine the minds of such sickos. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 08:07:34 PM
has anyone notice anything extremely unusual yet.

I have.

I'll just say it now. Jacques used a video camera located at the convenience store in an attempt to establish an alibi. This might be the first documented case I have seen. This is truly off the charts. He drops Brooke off and then departs in another direction. He depends on the video (which worked for him for several days) to send everyone in other directions. He knew the convenience store and he knew it had video.

truly one of the most diabolical I have seen yet.

This is premeditated in my opinion.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 08:14:36 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8610899

Court Papers: Uncle Brought Brooke Home for Sex
 
 
Burlington, Vermont - July 2, 2008

Disturbing new details about the day 12-year-old Brooke Bennett disappeared...

Brooke's former stepfather, Ray Gagnon, appeared in federal court Wednesday on obstruction of justice charges. And court papers made public there paint a troubling picture.

For a week police indicated the last time anyone had seen 12-year-old Brooke Bennett was when her uncle, Michael Jacques, dropped her off at the Cumberland Farms in Randolph.

New information revealed in court papers indicates her uncle did not leave her there. According to the juvenile who was with them, they took Brooke to Jacques' Randolph home. They told her she was going to a party, but the juvenile told police she was actually being taken into a secret program called "Breckenridge," where she'd be having sex with adult males-- just as the other juvenile had been doing for the past five years, with Jacques as her "trainer." That juvenile left the house after Jacques took Brooke upstairs -- and never saw her again.

The story that Brooke may have been meeting someone she met on the online networking site MySpace-- police say Jacques made that up. He showed police a posting made sometime after midnight June 25-- the day she disappeared.


In part, it reads, "I do want to see you in the morning, so please meet me.... u know where. I think i have a good plan to sneak around this. My Mom will kill me but then I'm going 2 Texas and she will get over it. Sorry I was such a baby last time. Promise u not this time!! U can bring ur friend but u have 2 admit that's pretty weird."

"They say ur first is the one u always want and that's u baby!"

And ends with the cyber-slang for Oh My Gosh: "OMG if only people knew me 4 real!"

Vermont State Police, forensic examiners, and investigators from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force believe the post was made from Jacques' laptop computer. It was edited at 10:36 p.m. the night Brooke disappeared -- and someone manually changed the time post, trying to make it look like it had been written at 7:46 a.m.-- before she disappeared.

The only login was from a computer in Texas, registered to the roommate of Brooke's former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, who is also a friend of Jacques.

Gagnon appeared in federal court in Burlington Wednesday.

According to court papers, he told police Jacques called him the day Brooke was last seen and asked him to change the username and password on her MySpace account. Gagnon then came to Vermont to be with his family during Brooke's disappearance -- and called his roommate, asking him to throw his computer in a nearby dumpster.

That laptop has not been found.

Raymond Gagnon remains in federal custody. He is due back in federal court on Monday.

We still do not know whether he is in any way involved with Brooke's disappearance and death. We spoke to Brooke's stepmother and asked about her relationship with Gagnon. She said Brooke, "loved him like a father."

It's not clear whether Gagnon was part of the so-called Breckenridge sex ring.

But according to court papers, the juvenile girl claims she was also forced to have sex with Gagnon in June of 2007.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Tamikosmom on July 02, 2008, 08:17:57 PM
The case is being discussed on NANCY GRACE right now.

It is 5:20 PM in my neck of the woods right now and ... NANCY GRACE will be repeated again at 7:00 PM my time.

Janet


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 02, 2008, 08:21:20 PM
Everything about this case is  :smt078   :smt078  :gaah:


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 08:41:30 PM
I think her uncle killed her because she said NO, don't touch me you sick creep.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 08:41:38 PM
has anyone notice anything extremely unusual yet.

I have.

I'll just say it now. Jacques used a video camera located at the convenience store in an attempt to establish an alibi. This might be the first documented case I have seen. This is truly off the charts. He drops Brooke off and then departs in another direction. He depends on the video (which worked for him for several days) to send everyone in other directions. He knew the convenience store and he knew it had video.

truly one of the most diabolical I have seen yet.

This is premeditated in my opinion.

Then on top of that to go into her myspace and manipulate it to read as though Brooke was meeting someone on the internet reinforces what a truly evil creep Jacques is.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bobo2 on July 02, 2008, 08:50:11 PM
has anyone notice anything extremely unusual yet.

I have.

I'll just say it now. Jacques used a video camera located at the convenience store in an attempt to establish an alibi. This might be the first documented case I have seen. This is truly off the charts. He drops Brooke off and then departs in another direction. He depends on the video (which worked for him for several days) to send everyone in other directions. He knew the convenience store and he knew it had video.

truly one of the most diabolical I have seen yet.

This is premeditated in my opinion.

You are exactly right, Rob.  Premediated indeed!

Something about that video was odd all along, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  Notice how Jacques takes a hard right as he exits the convenience store, Brooke takes a hard, immediate left.  No conversation between them, no pleasantries or goodbyes.  Normal behaviour, IMO, would be to walk straight out of the store and angle toward the right or left with some interaction between the 2 people parting company, not take sharp immediate turns in opposite directions.  I now believe she was following his instructions of exactly where she was to go upon leaving.

The death penalty is way too good for this scumbag. 

I worry about the sister, she looks so haunted.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 02, 2008, 08:55:22 PM
I worry about the sister, she looks so haunted.

  Yes I  Know ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 02, 2008, 09:07:24 PM
I worry about the sister, she looks so haunted.

  Yes I  Know ::MonkeyNoNo::

The sister looks pretty normal on her myspace.  Of course, that's before the sister realized that Brooke was probably murdered by their uncle.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 09:10:53 PM
has anyone notice anything extremely unusual yet.

I have.

I'll just say it now. Jacques used a video camera located at the convenience store in an attempt to establish an alibi. This might be the first documented case I have seen. This is truly off the charts. He drops Brooke off and then departs in another direction. He depends on the video (which worked for him for several days) to send everyone in other directions. He knew the convenience store and he knew it had video.

truly one of the most diabolical I have seen yet.

This is premeditated in my opinion.

You are exactly right, Rob.  Premediated indeed!

Something about that video was odd all along, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  Notice how Jacques takes a hard right as he exits the convenience store, Brooke takes a hard, immediate left.  No conversation between them, no pleasantries or goodbyes.  Normal behaviour, IMO, would be to walk straight out of the store and angle toward the right or left with some interaction between the 2 people parting company, not take sharp immediate turns in opposite directions.  I now believe she was following his instructions of exactly where she was to go upon leaving.

The death penalty is way too good for this scumbag. 

I worry about the sister, she looks so haunted.

HI Bobo - hey! it's been a long time since I saw you last. I'm cursed with a near photographic memory, so I remember almost everyone. LOL

But, anyway, thanks for reaffirm my beliefs. You too BB


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bobo2 on July 02, 2008, 09:23:47 PM
Thanks for remembering me Rob,  it has been a very long time.

I found myself absolutely sickened at all the sad, horrific cases we discuss here and had to take a long break.  I do not see how FBI can deal with these dirtbags on a daily basis.  And by dirtbags I am including the family who failed Brooke miserably.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on July 02, 2008, 09:33:26 PM
Thanks for remembering me Rob,  it has been a very long time.

I found myself absolutely sickened at all the sad, horrific cases we discuss here and had to take a long break.  I do not see how FBI can deal with these dirtbags on a daily basis.  And by dirtbags I am including the family who failed Brooke miserably.

Thanks for the reply and I hope you are well.

Sorry for all the typos but I was going fast and trying to multitask. Not one of my strong suits.

It was good to see you again Bobo!


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: mishy on July 02, 2008, 09:57:29 PM
I am just now seeing this news. I am heartbroken at the events that have taken place in that sleepy little town. I can't even imagine what must have been going through that child's mind when she finally figured out what was happening to her...I cannot believe that any family member would leave any child alone or even in the immediate vicinity of that "uncle" or anybody else who had been already convicted of a sex crime. That poor baby...and all of those other girls out there that those freaks got ahold of, I pray for all of them. I hope those freaks get the justice they deserve. God rest Brooke's precious soul...I am just sick, sick, sick about the state of the world today...

Brooke, I'm so sorry they got to you. I'm sorry the adults in your life did not/could not keep you safe and unharmed. May you finally know peace with the Lord...

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b358/mishyp/angelblowingkisses2.gif)              (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b358/mishyp/3candles.jpg)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Tamikosmom on July 02, 2008, 10:10:33 PM
NANCY GRACE IS ON RIGHT NOW DISCUSSING THE BROOKE BENNETT CASE!!!

Janet
7:10 PM


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 02, 2008, 10:12:28 PM
I am just now seeing this news. I am heartbroken at the events that have taken place in that sleepy little town. I can't even imagine what must have been going through that child's mind when she finally figured out what was happening to her...I cannot believe that any family member would leave any child alone or even in the immediate vicinity of that "uncle" or anybody else who had been already convicted of a sex crime. That poor baby...and all of those other girls out there that those freaks got ahold of, I pray for all of them. I hope those freaks get the justice they deserve. God rest Brooke's precious soul...I am just sick, sick, sick about the state of the world today...

Brooke, I'm so sorry they got to you. I'm sorry the adults in your life did not/could not keep you safe and unharmed. May you finally know peace with the Lord...

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b358/mishyp/angelblowingkisses2.gif)              (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b358/mishyp/3candles.jpg)


I agree with you, Mishy.  Every adult in her life should be charged imo.  They all knew about this guy's past.  His wife knew weird things were going on.  This whole group is a bunch of sick people, how could they let this happen to her?  They are all responsible for the end result.

I thought the video looked weird where one went one way and one went the other in a synchronized fashion.  I prayed she was safe.  If she had to remain with this family who did not care enough about her to keep her away from a known sexual predator, she is now in a much better place.  She has to be among the highest level of angels to have lived her life so alone.  I know that God is wrapping his arms around her, she has finally found a parent who cares deeply about her.

I had this feeling they found her body yesterday and checked many times last night for information to no avail. 

I hope they lock her parents and her aunt up for aiding and abbetting and child neglect and any other charges they can find to keep them all away from children for a long long time.  The two perverted deviants have guaranteed themselves slow painful deaths in prison for the rest of their lives which they will beg to have cut short.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Red on July 02, 2008, 10:25:38 PM
Body of 12 Year Old Brooke Bennett Found Dead Near the Home of Her Uncle Michael Jacques

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2008/07/02/body-of-12-year-old-brooke-bennett-found-dead-near-the-home-of-her-uncle-michael-jacques/

The news is not unsuspected, but tragic none the less. There is sad news tonight out of the state of Vermont. The body of 12 year old Brooke Bennett was found dead at approximately 4:45 EDT. The police called the death "clearly suspicious" but declined to give details before a planned briefing Thursday morning. With the news of the arrest of Brooke Bennett’s uncle, step father and talk of a sex ring … one suspected that this would not be a pleasant outcome.

Rest in peace Brooke, from all that we have heard with arrests and sick behavior in this family … Brooke is finally at peace and safe.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Red on July 02, 2008, 10:53:47 PM
Court Papers: Uncle Brought Brooke Home for Sex

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8610899&nav=4QcS

Quote
New information revealed in court papers indicates her uncle did not leave her there. According to the juvenile who was with them, they took Brooke to Jacques' Randolph home. They told her she was going to a party, but the juvenile told police she was actually being taken into a secret program called "Breckenridge," where she'd be having sex with adult males-- just as the other juvenile had been doing for the past five years, with Jacques as her "trainer." That juvenile left the house after Jacques took Brooke upstairs -- and never saw her again.

The story that Brooke may have been meeting someone she met on the online networking site MySpace-- police say Jacques made that up. He showed police a posting made sometime after midnight June 25-- the day she disappeared.

The uncle lied from the beginning and attempted to set up a computer alibi. I cannot say that I am surprised by any of this. From the outset, the uncle's story sounded weak. And he just happened to be the once who found Brooke's clothes.

Once the news came down that the uncle was a registered sex offender ... pretty much knew he did it and was involved.

What a sick and sad story.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 03, 2008, 01:41:59 AM
There's a paid obituary for Brooke in the paper, here.....and several notes in the guest book.

http://www.legacy.com/northjersey/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonID=112673617


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 03, 2008, 04:37:35 AM
Did the boyfriend of the first girl know about any of this?

What makes 14 the magic number to have a myspace account?  The other girl that was molested by this sex ring is 14.  Is it safe for her to have a myspace account?  Is a child of 14 old enough to make decisions about who is or is not okay to talk with on myspace?

What if the parents say they monitor the account?  As we have seen here, there is no way to prevent a child from setting up another account they are not monitoring.  A 14 year old is a child, physically, mentally, emotionally, and legally.  Why are we allowing them to be set up?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on July 03, 2008, 06:23:22 AM
Everything about this case is  :smt078   :smt078  :gaah:


ITA!!!

Here is Nancy's tranny>>
NANCY GRACE

Remains Believed to Be Missing Vermont Girl Found

Aired July 2, 2008 - 20:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0807/02/ng.01.html




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on July 03, 2008, 06:26:53 AM
I think her uncle killed her because she said NO, don't touch me you sick creep.


YESSSSS!!



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 03, 2008, 08:06:33 AM
There's a paid obituary for Brooke in the paper, here.....and several notes in the guest book.

http://www.legacy.com/northjersey/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonID=112673617
I went there and I  was going to sign it but I couldn't.
I can't let this go, I think her family sucks.
They did nothing to protect Brook.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 03, 2008, 09:17:12 AM
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS01/80702039

July 3, 2008


FBI: Brooke's uncle hatched abduction plot beginning in May

By Sam Hemingway
Free Press Staff Writer

UPDATED 8:35 A.M.

Brooke Bennett's uncle began plotting her abduction a month before the 12-year-old disappeared, court records released this morning say.

Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, created and used two phony e-mail addresses to communicate with a 14-year-old girl about a sex program he invented named "Breckenridge" and to solicit the teenager's help in luring Brooke into the program.

Brooke's body was found by police Wednesday near Jacques' home in Randolph, a grim conclusion to a weeklong search for the missing girl. Jacques has been arrested and charged in state court with sexual assault on the 14-year-old, and faces federal kidnapping charges in Brooke's disappearance.

The affidavit prepared by FBI Special Agent Daniel Rachek suggests that the sex program known as "Breckenridge," was the creation solely of Jacques', a convicted sex offender.

A series of e-mail exchanges quoted in the affidavit and dating back to at least May 28 indicate Jacques intended to abduct Brooke and assault her. In the e-mail exchanges, Jacques uses multiple online identities to manipulate the 14-year-old girl into believing at least three men are involved in the Breckenridge sex ring, the affidavit shows, with two online personas ordering her what to do.

In one exchange dated June 20 between the girl and Jacques, posing under the online pseudonym "Rauel Domingo," Jacques asks the girl if she would willing to help with "the take down and the tie up on Wednesday morning when you get back from Cumberland Farms."

Five days later, Brooke was last seen in public with Jacques at the Randolph Cumberland Farms. Police now believe Jacques and the 14-year-old girl returned with Brooke to Jacques' home. The 14-year-old girl later told authorities Jacques took Brooke upstairs, ordered the older girl to leave the house and told her to lie about what happened that day.

Authorities plan a 10 a.m. news conference at U.S. Attorney's office in Burlington to discuss Brooke's abduction and Jacques' alleged involvement.

(snipped)


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 03, 2008, 09:18:17 AM
Investigation timeline
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25


At 9 a.m., Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree, is dropped off at Cumberland Farms in Randolph by her uncle, Michael Jacques, and a cousin. Family members told police she intended to meet her friend there and then visit a sick relative of the friend at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

A witness later reports seeing Brooke at about 9:45 a.m. at Randolph Village Laundromat.

At 9 p.m., Brooke is reported missing to police.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26

Clothing similar to what Brooke was wearing is found near Vermont 65 in Brookfield. A search by police and dogs in the area of the Brookfield Floating Bridge ensues.

Police say Brooke’s story of a trip to the hospital is a ruse and that she might have been bound for a meeting with an unknown person with whom she had communicated through MySpace.com, an online social networking site.

Vermont State Police post an Amber Alert, the state’s first.

FRIDAY, JUNE 27

Investigators focus on a possible online relationship that might have developed between Brooke and an unknown person. “This case is about a MySpace visitation,” Col. James Baker said.

State police dive teams search Sunset Lake, near where items belonging to Brooke were found.

SUNDAY, JUNE 29

State police arrest Brooke’s uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor after uncovering information during the investigation into Brooke’s disappearance.

MONDAY, JUNE 30

Jacques, a convicted sex offender, is charged in Vermont District Court in Chelsea and held for lack of $250,000. His victim tells police Jacques sexually assaulted her over the past five years beginning when she was 9 years old as an indoctrination into a “program for sex called Breckenridge,” according to a police affidavit. Police and FBI investigators search Jacques residence at 1850 E. Bethel Road in Randolph.

TUESDAY, JULY 1

Police arrest Raymond A. Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, citing a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor. Gagnon, Brooke’s former stepfather, is transferred to federal custody and will be arraigned on obstruction charges in U.S. District Court in Burlington today.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2

FBI investigators reveal in court papers that according to a witness, Brooke returned to Jacques’ home in Randolph on the morning of June 25. The witness, the victim of Jacques’ sexual assaults that led to his arrest, told investigators Brooke was to be initiated into the Breckenridge sex club that day. The witness said Brooke went upstairs with Jacques on June 25 and she never saw her again.

At 4:45 p.m., police discover the remains of a young girl they believe to be Brooke near a sugarhouse in Randolph near Jacques’ home. An autopsy will be performed today to determine time and cause of death. Michael Jacques is charged with kidnapping Brooke.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Sea Searcher on July 03, 2008, 11:12:16 AM
Feds Take Over Bennett Case; Jacques Could Face Death Penalty

Posted: July 3, 2008 10:46 AM EDT

Updated: July 3, 2008 10:58 AM EDT

 
 
 
 
U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson says the state charges against Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, have been dropped without prejudice.  He now faces federal kidnapping charges related to the disappearance of his niece, Brooke Bennett.

U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson said that more charges could be filed and if kidnapping resulting in death is among them, Jacques could face the death penalty or life in prison.  Anderson would not speculate which he would pursue.

Brooke disappeared on June 25 after being seen at the Cumberland Farms convenience store in Randolph, Vermont, with Jacques.  He has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault.

Maybe one of you more legally knowlegable folks can explain to me why
there is a dead girl, foul play, etc. situation and the only charge is kidnapping ?
Seems like there should to be more...


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 03, 2008, 11:16:33 AM
Feds Take Over Bennett Case; Jacques Could Face Death Penalty

Posted: July 3, 2008 10:46 AM EDT

Updated: July 3, 2008 10:58 AM EDT

 
 
 
 
U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson says the state charges against Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, have been dropped without prejudice.  He now faces federal kidnapping charges related to the disappearance of his niece, Brooke Bennett.

U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson said that more charges could be filed and if kidnapping resulting in death is among them, Jacques could face the death penalty or life in prison.  Anderson would not speculate which he would pursue.

Brooke disappeared on June 25 after being seen at the Cumberland Farms convenience store in Randolph, Vermont, with Jacques.  He has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault.

Maybe one of you more legally knowlegable folks can explain to me why
there is a dead girl, foul play, etc. situation and the only charge is kidnapping ?
Seems like there should to be more...

I had the same thought, but maybe the results of the autopsy/ID of Brooke has to be completed before additional charges are brought. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Sea Searcher on July 03, 2008, 11:20:13 AM
Another update....just gets worse every day...would this mean that the
"Juvenile 1 " is also going to be charged with aiding ?? anyone know legal stuff?


Bennett's uncle charged with kidnapping; new details of case revealed
10:50 a.m.
July 3, 2008
 


BURLINGTON -- Michael Jacques, the convicted sex offender linked to the disappearance of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, today was charged with kidnapping in the case. The body of Bennett was found late yesterday afternoon on property located near Jacques' home in Randolph Center.

The kidnapping charge was filed in federal court and for now will supercede state charges against Jacques for sexual assault against a minor. Those state charges will remain in place and can be re-imposed at any point, officials said today.

The affidavit in the federal case provided further testimony that Jacques and a minor identified only as Juvenile 1 kidnapped Bennett on Wednesday morning, promising to take her to a party. In fact, according to authorities, Jacques planned to lure the girl into a sexual relationship with "adult men."

The affidavit also details Internet exchanges between Jacques and Juvenile 1 that outlines the scheme.

In addition, authorities believe Jacques planted one of Bennett's shoes and a handkerchief with semen on it in Brookfield to mislead authorities. That semen has been identified as belonging to Juvenile 1's boyfriend. Authorities today would not comment further on that point.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said the death penalty possible in the case.

The Times Argus will update this story.
 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 11:43:42 AM
     Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

By Christina Rossetti
The Poetry Foundation


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 11:54:37 AM
Uncle Could Face Death on Kidnapping Charges in Case of Dead Vermont Girl

July 03, 2008
 The uncle of a young Vermont girl found dead could face the death penalty on federal kidnapping charges connected with the case, prosecutors said Thursday.


U.S. Attorney Thomas Anderson said Michael Jacques faces federal kidnapping charges in connection with the death of his niece, Brooke Bennett. He's expected to be in federal court sometime next week. The kidnapping charge can carry a sentence of death or life in prison.

"Today is a tragic day for Vermont," Anderson said. "Our thoughts and our prayers are with the Bennett family and the people of Randolph, Vt."

Officials said autopsy results on Brooke are still pending. The girl, who had just finished seventh grade at Randolph Union High School, disappeared on June 25 after being seen at a convenience store with Jacques, 42. She was found dead late Wednesday night about a mile from Jacques' home.

The discovery of Brooke's body comes as investigators look into allegations that the girl was to be initiated into a sex ring allegedly by her relative.

In  an affidavit unsealed earlier Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, the FBI said a teenager they identified as "Juvenile 1" told investigators she accompanied Jacques on June 25 as he tricked his niece into thinking she was going to a party and took her to his home to be initiated that day into a sex ring.

The girl said she was led to believe Brooke "would have sex with adult males" during the initiation, and that she herself had been forced into the ring.

The affidavit included information about sexually suggestive e-mails with two additional addresses, including one for someone named Ruel Domingo, but Anderson said those e-mails originated from IP addresses at Jacques' home and office.


Jacques has been in custody since Sunday on state charges of aggravated sexual assault against a different underage girl. He has pleaded not guilty. Those charges will be dismissed in lieu of the federal charges, Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell said.

"It will be dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be brought back, but clearly our main focus investigative-wise and prosecution-wise would be on the kidnapping and the death of Brooke Bennett," Sorrell said.

Officials were tightlipped on the details surrounding Brooke's death during a news conference held Thursday morning.

"This investigation is far from over," Anderson said. "Much work remains to be done and we will work tirelessly until the investigation is complete."

Officials still do not know how Brooke was killed, and they didn't say much about the alleged sex ring except that it appeared to pose no current threat to young residents in the state.


"There's nothing from this investigation that's been turned up, nor otherwise are federal and state authorities aware of any ongoing efforts to recruit young girls or boys here in Vermont to have sex with adults," Sorrell said. "And you can rest assured that if evidence is uncovered that we feel poses a risk to the public we will be the first to raise alarm bells."

After searching in and around Jacques' home across town for days, police said they found the girl's body in a spot where the earth had been disturbed about a mile from Jacques' home. He is married to the sister of Brooke's mother, Cassandra Gagnon.

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

The federal affidavit said that DNA evidence from Brooke's handkerchief confirmed human blood and semen, but said the semen did not belong to Jacques. Investigators believe this may have been planted by Jacques "in order to deflect suspicion from themselves and conceal their illegal activities," according to the affidavit.

Officials refused to comment on the evidence listed in the affidavit.

In another blow to the family and town, Brooke's former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, 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.

Lawyer John Pacht argued unsuccessfully that Gagnon cooperated with authorities who questioned him in Texas and should be released.

Police say that during their investigation, Jacques led them to a posting on the MySpace social networking site in which Brooke firmed up a planned rendezvous the next morning with someone whose online name was "Skittelmeup."

But forensic analysis showed the posting and reposting soon afterward came from a laptop that Jacques said belonged to his employer, Thermadyne, in Lebanon, N.H., according to the affidavit.

It said Gagnon told authorities he accessed the account, using login information from Jacques, from his laptop in San Antonio the night Brooke disappeared, and that he had downloaded child pornography onto the laptop, which police have not recovered.

About 300 people attending a candlelight vigil Wednesday night found themselves mourning the news that her body had been found a few hours earlier.

"Brooke Marie, I love you so much," her mother said near a large photo of Brooke on the town gazebo in the picturesque town of just over 5,000. "I just ask that justice be done for the person who took my baby away," she said, sobbing.

Gary Finch, Brooke's homeroom and math teacher last year, spoke at the vigil. He 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."

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

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

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375743,00.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 11:56:15 AM
I didn't think Vermont had the death penalty? Oh well.....I don't care what they have to do to get Jacques ........just GET him.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: San on July 03, 2008, 12:10:32 PM
Feds Take Over Bennett Case; Jacques Could Face Death Penalty

Posted: July 3, 2008 10:46 AM EDT

Updated: July 3, 2008 10:58 AM EDT
 
 
U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson says the state charges against Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, have been dropped without prejudice.  He now faces federal kidnapping charges related to the disappearance of his niece, Brooke Bennett.

U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson said that more charges could be filed and if kidnapping resulting in death is among them, Jacques could face the death penalty or life in prison.  Anderson would not speculate which he would pursue.

Brooke disappeared on June 25 after being seen at the Cumberland Farms convenience store in Randolph, Vermont, with Jacques.  He has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault.

Maybe one of you more legally knowlegable folks can explain to me why
there is a dead girl, foul play, etc. situation and the only charge is kidnapping ?
Seems like there should to be more...

I had the same thought, but maybe the results of the autopsy/ID of Brooke has to be completed before additional charges are brought

I agree.  The government isn't going to jump the gun and charge him until they have every fact in place.  For the state to drop the charges means to me they want him bad.  This guy is toast.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 03, 2008, 12:12:33 PM
I didn't think Vermont had the death penalty? Oh well.....I don't care what they have to do to get Jacques ........just GET him.

Apparently, as Nut44X4 mentioned yesterday, VT has a bad record with sex crimes especially against children.  When I watched Nancy Grace last night, she did not seem confident that the Feds will be successful in the death penalty against Jacques especially with VT track record.  I hope the investigation finds enough evidence to GET him & that includes anyone else involved, & NG is wrong. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 03, 2008, 12:16:24 PM
Another thought....since VT is so easy on perpetrators, I was wondering if that's why Brooke's family lives there.....not knowing if they were born & raised there....the thought did enter my mind.   Jacques was tried and served a reduced sentence in VT, after passing the 'treatment' requirements & good behavior...ugh.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: San on July 03, 2008, 12:20:14 PM
I didn't think Vermont had the death penalty? Oh well.....I don't care what they have to do to get Jacques ........just GET him.

Apparently, as Nut44X4 mentioned yesterday, VT has a bad record with sex crimes especially against children.  When I watched Nancy Grace last night, she did not seem confident that the Feds will be successful in the death penalty against Jacques especially with VT track record.  I hope the investigation finds enough evidence to GET him & that includes anyone else involved, & NG is wrong. 

This is true.  Remember the judge Bill O'Reilly went after.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181214,00.html



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 12:35:37 PM
Seems they did the right thing in this case......so lets hope they step up to the plate again.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502EFD91131F934A25755C0A9609C8B63





Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 03, 2008, 12:46:45 PM
Does anyone else think JaqAss should be put in the general population??? 

Talking about the Mom, I wonder if she knew about the sex ring all along.  Sorry to be so out there, but her behavior has disturbed me most of all.  She didn't talk at all the first few days, then finally shows up with a teddy bear?  Not one person has said why Brooke was at the predator's house and where mom was and where dad was...if they were both working or something, why was she THERE when she had an older sister at home.  I'd be there with my shot gun.  Just sayin...

Is the other girl in protective custody?  We really don't have info on how many monsters were in this ring...how many raped her...how many have a strong motive to have her not identify them.  And, we know they are capable of the most dastardly of crimes against children. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: San on July 03, 2008, 12:50:20 PM
Does anyone else think JaqAss should be put in the general population??? 

Talking about the Mom, I wonder if she knew about the sex ring all along.  Sorry to be so out there, but her behavior has disturbed me most of all.  She didn't talk at all the first few days, then finally shows up with a teddy bear?  Not one person has said why Brooke was at the predator's house and where mom was and where dad was...if they were both working or something, why was she THERE when she had an older sister at home.  I'd be there with my shot gun.  Just sayin...

Is the other girl in protective custody?  We really don't have info on how many monsters were in this ring...how many raped her...how many have a strong motive to have her not identify them.  And, we know they are capable of the most dastardly of crimes against children. 

This is why I think FBI is taking their time.  They are going to find out every detail and who was involved.

As far as the mom I am not going to comment about her because what I have to say won't be nice so I will just shut up.  She failed as a mother and that's all I will say.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 03, 2008, 12:57:16 PM
Yo Blonde, I went to the guest book too and had the exact same reaction.  No WAY can I say anything except why didn't you take care of your daughter; why did you serve her up to someone you and her father knew was a child predator.  Hum, probably not the best thing to put in the guest book. 

About how he used the survelliance camera and myspace profiles to trick LE, it actually seems amature hour stuff, particularly with how it was executed as referenced above...the clear walking different directions, etc.  Why bring this up?  Because it gives me hope that they haven't killed anyone else; they surely would have been caught before now.  We have to believe that LE knew of his record shortly after she was reported missing and had him in their sights the whole time. 

Arg...sorry, this case is just so painful.  Don't let your kids on myspace.  There is no reason for it. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 01:01:44 PM
Does anyone else think JaqAss should be put in the general population??? 

Talking about the Mom, I wonder if she knew about the sex ring all along.  Sorry to be so out there, but her behavior has disturbed me most of all.  She didn't talk at all the first few days, then finally shows up with a teddy bear?  Not one person has said why Brooke was at the predator's house and where mom was and where dad was...if they were both working or something, why was she THERE when she had an older sister at home.  I'd be there with my shot gun.  Just sayin...

Is the other girl in protective custody?  We really don't have info on how many monsters were in this ring...how many raped her...how many have a strong motive to have her not identify them.  And, we know they are capable of the most dastardly of crimes against children. 

There is no evidence at this point that a "sex ring" exists.This might all have been a fantasy of jacques, this is yet to be proven.Two quotes from the last news article I posted above lead me to think this, though nothing is definitive at this time.

The affidavit included information about sexually suggestive e-mails with two additional addresses, including one for someone named Ruel Domingo, but Anderson said those e-mails originated from IP addresses at Jacques' home and office.

Officials still do not know how Brooke was killed, and they didn't say much about the alleged sex ring except that it appeared to pose no current threat to young residents in the state.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: San on July 03, 2008, 01:02:05 PM
Yo Blonde, I went to the guest book too and had the exact same reaction.  No WAY can I say anything except why didn't you take care of your daughter; why did you serve her up to someone you and her father knew was a child predator.  Hum, probably not the best thing to put in the guest book. 

About how he used the survelliance camera and myspace profiles to trick LE, it actually seems amature hour stuff, particularly with how it was executed as referenced above...the clear walking different directions, etc.  Why bring this up?  Because it gives me hope that they haven't killed anyone else; they surely would have been caught before now.  We have to believe that LE knew of his record shortly after she was reported missing and had him in their sights the whole time. 

Arg...sorry, this case is just so painful.  Don't let your kids on myspace.  There is no reason for it. 

I agree.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: MumInOhio on July 03, 2008, 02:38:30 PM
Another thought....since VT is so easy on perpetrators, I was wondering if that's why Brooke's family lives there.....not knowing if they were born & raised there....the thought did enter my mind.   Jacques was tried and served a reduced sentence in VT, after passing the 'treatment' requirements & good behavior...ugh.


From what I heard on Fox last night, they move there because of their 'easy' sentences and wonderful 'rehabilitation program', which Jacques successfully passed and the State of Vermont brags is the best in the country.

This is reason why Vermont tells Bill O'R and Wendy they don't need Jessica's Law!!!!

I looked for a transcript and couldn't find it.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: sleddogs on July 03, 2008, 05:03:29 PM
Mum,

Is this what you are looking for?

Worst Judge Award?

Judge Edward Cashman

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181214,00.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 05:08:29 PM
3rd Suspect In Brooke Bennett Case: Raoul Domingo, Sex Ring Predator

Jul 3, 2008
Brooke Bennett Case - A third suspect has been identified in the case of Brooke Bennett - Raoul Domingo, who lured another minor girl into sexual relationships. However, according to the press conference held at 10 am EST, the affidavit indicates Raoul may just be a name Brooke's uncle Michael Jacques used in emails at his workplace or home.

Brooke, who was found dead in a shallow grave near her uncle's home yesterday, was also lured in by her own uncle who wanted to initiate her into a sex ring just before she suddenly vanished. Michael Jacques is being charged with her kidnapping.

Police had arrested missing 12-year-old Brooke's uncle Michael Jacques and stepfather Ray Gagnon in connection with a sex ring involving other young girls and older men, recently saying Ray Gagnon "destroyed evidence" possibly related to Brooke's disappearance.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212156066.shtml


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 05:13:04 PM
Death penalty possible in Vermont sex-kidnap case

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have filed kidnapping charges that carry the death penalty against a Vermont man whose 12-year-old niece was found dead near his home.

Authorities accused Michael Jacques, 42, of carefully orchestrating events and e-mails to make it appear that Brooke Bennett had gone on June 25 to see someone she had met online, according to an affidavit accompanying the charges.

Citing statements from another underage girl, prosecutors claim that Jacques tricked Brooke into thinking she was going to a party and instead took her to his home to initiate her into a child sex ring.

Michael Desautels, the federal public defender representing Jacques, did not return calls Thursday morning.

E-mails quoted in an affidavit released Thursday accuse Jacques of coercing or enlisting the second girl to participate.

The girl wrote, "yes. I will help," one e-mail said.

Jacques is charged under a federal law that provides for the death penalty in a kidnapping resulting in a child's death. Jacques has 1993 convictions for kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault.

With autopsy results still pending, prosecutors said they could not say that Brooke was murdered. If she was, U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson was asked if he would seek the death penalty.

"That determination would be made after the investigation is completed, after the case is presented to a grand jury and, ultimately, that decision is made by the attorney general of the United States of America," Anderson said.

Meantime, state charges alleging that Jacques sexually assaulted a different girl over a five-year period were dropped, but could be refiled.

>>>>the complete article
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jHjvw1NOFGPL0mQ-JPqYfuNZF1LgD91MJ7F80


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 03, 2008, 05:17:41 PM
Mum,

Is this what you are looking for?

Worst Judge Award?

Judge Edward Cashman

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181214,00.html

San posted the link, too, just above.  Maybe Mum missed it. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 03, 2008, 06:18:55 PM
VERMONT does NOT have a Death Penalty
   
State Information
State Abbreviation    VT
State Name    Vermont
Death Penalty?    No
Number of Executions Since 1976    0
Number of Executions before 1976    26
Current Death Row Population    0
Women on Death Row    0


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: MumInOhio on July 03, 2008, 06:21:44 PM
Mum,

Is this what you are looking for?

Worst Judge Award?

Judge Edward Cashman

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181214,00.html

San posted the link, too, just above.  Maybe Mum missed it. 


Thanks for the link, I did mean to go back and open San’s, and would have forgotten, as I have been on and off all day with the weather. Mainly off!

This was just Wendy talking to John that fills in for Bill O’R sometimes, I think, as it was the rerun and I couldn’t sleep, and she had a lot to say about what the people of Vermont need to do! It was just a spot and there probably wasn’t a transcript. I don’t see Bill O’R much any more and did not realize that Vermont was such a safe haven for sexual predators.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 03, 2008, 06:30:43 PM
VERMONT does NOT have a Death Penalty
   
State Information
State Abbreviation    VT
State Name    Vermont
Death Penalty?    No
Number of Executions Since 1976    0
Number of Executions before 1976    26
Current Death Row Population    0
Women on Death Row    0
I do hope they change this
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state/


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 03, 2008, 06:43:50 PM
Like I said, I think this guy needs to go into the general population of the slammer.  Much better justice for a vile scum than swift death penalty.  Let the boys show him how the girls must have felt. 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 03, 2008, 07:41:18 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8618279

Judge OKed Early Probation Release for Jacques
 
 
Burlington, Vermont - July 3, 2008

Michael Jacques will be arraigned in federal court next week on charges of kidnapping with death resulting. He is Brooke Bennett's uncle and the last person seen with her alive.

WCAX News has learned that Jacques was first charged with a sex crime 23 years ago but it was dismissed. And, we have also learned that after a 1993 rape conviction, a judge released him from probation EARLY despite the strong objections of prosecutors.

At age 42, Michael Jacques is now facing the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of kidnapping and murdering his niece.

Court records released today show his sex crime history began in 1985 when he was 18, charged with having sex with a 15-year-old relative.

She told police he had sex with her at least 100 times starting when she was eight.

But she refused to testify against him, so the charge of lewd and lascivious conduct had to be dismissed.

Eight years later, Jacques was convicted of a kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman in Rutland.

Court records say she was gagged and handcuffed with a rope around her neck while he subjected her to depraved and humiliating sexual violence for four hours.

His sentence called for six years in prison to be followed by 14 years on probation into 2013.

But, after four years behind bars, he was released and then petitioned for early release from probation. He had the full support of his probation officer.

He and Jacques argued that Jacques was no longer a risk because he had graduated from sex offender treatment. He claimed he needed to be off probation to get an important job promotion that permitted overseas travel.

But prosecutors and the Corrections Department strenuously objected claiming Jacques was a violent offender with a high risk to re-offend.

In her November 2004 ruling, Judge Amy Davenport agreed that what the victim endured rivals the most brutal and terrifying scenes seen on television or in the movies.

Nevertheless, Judge Davenport did not agree that Jacques needed eight more years on probation.

She wrote that rehabilitation had been successfully accomplished.

She ruled that Jacques would be released from probation early, and he was, in December 2006-- seven years early.

So, from the records, we know this man has an extensive criminal sexual history. And even though he was off probation, he has been listed on Vermont Sex Offender Registry... open and easily available to anyone who may be concerned who their children might be hanging out with.

Corrections officials say the sex offender therapy program that Jacques completed in 2000 has been changed. For example, he was not subject to unannounced polygraph examinations. Today, offenders in the program are subject to unannounced polygraph testing. Corrections officials maintain they have confidence in the program despite the apparent failure in the Jacques case. Governor Douglas has ordered a complete review of the sex offender program and other Corrections programs to determine if change is needed.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: sleddogs on July 03, 2008, 07:49:42 PM
"Governor Douglas has ordered a complete review of the sex offender program and other Corrections programs to determine if change is needed.'

Duh!

It's apparent it's broken badly.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 03, 2008, 07:59:37 PM
Wonder what Judge Amy Davenport is thinking now after reducing his probation.  My math tells me that he was abusing Juvenile 1 before and after his probation was lifted in 2006. 

You're right, sleddogs the rehab program is very broken......'duh'...


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: ldstlou on July 03, 2008, 09:06:12 PM
oh Wow.
I rarely come to the missing thread..my heart really can't take it!! I rarely watch the news, ask Sunny and Snoopy...I didn't even know we had a serial killer in St Louis until he was already caught!! News just makes me too sad..I try and focus on the positive aspects in our lives knowing that bad things happen and just try and make myself ready to help when one presents itself to me. But this case...not even sure why I knew? Maybe the front page of SM in between stories on Aruba...this one really got to me.

As usual, the Monkeys read this one right away. I think it was Rob who surmised cousin set up the posts on the website to make it appear as though she was meeting a stranger. I guessed the same also. I also surmised if this guy went to the trouble of establishing an alibi via camera at the store and the website entries...Brooke was never destined to come home from this animal's house.

I try and eliminate the images in my head of Brooke's final hours but I just can't, I can't. I know that there are animals out there in our world that thrive on behaviors that in my wildest dreams I could not imagine, but though I know it exists, I will never in my life understand it, never. Brooke was 12 years old. The girl who was also a victim of this man was 9 years old when her abuse started. My son is 8. She was 1 year older. I can not even FATHOM my baby Monkey being subjected to that kind of abuse...can not even fathom it. How can you take away their innocence??!! How?? I sent you pics of my Monkey at his First Holy Communion this year and we talked about innocence. I am so struck by the fact that this animal took that away from a child one year older than my son and took away not only Brooke's innocence, but her sweet young life.

Her eyes will forever haunt me. We become immune in some sense to all the violence in our society...but there are some cases that capture your heart for one reason or another. Natalee captured my heart from day one. Another was Jennifer Moore, the teen who went clubbing in New York and was found in a dumpster days later. I know the whole case story...waiting for her murderer to go to trial...check once a month to see if it has started. And now Brooke. Who knows why we are drawn to a certain case when there are so many. There are just cases we will never forget for the rest of our lives and this is one of them for me. Maybe because she is so close in age to my son...I just don't know. I just don't understand why this happens.

I don't believe in the death penalty. I really don't. I know a lot of you disagree with me but I just can't justify the collective sanctioning of another's life with no consequences. However...I have to tell you...if anyone ever hurt my little Monkey like they hurt Brooke, I would kill them. Send me to jail...I couldn't function w/out him anyway and I understand I would be convicted of murder...I could live with that death on my own shoulders and still face my Maker and His judgement. It would be a personal decision with consequences I was willing to accept both here and in the next world and not a collective judgement with no personal consequences...does that make sense? But if I wasn't given the opportunity to issue my own judgement that I would take responsibility for...no way in hell would I want him on death row...isolated...cushioned...spending millions of our tax dollars studying law books and making appeals. I would want him smack dab in the middle of the prison population amongst other predators like himself...and let him see how long he could hold his own. Karma...not capitol punishment...that is justice, jmho.

I've told you all before, if I ever met reho...I would deck her...I really think I would!!!! lol although I am NOT a violent person. Would I like to see someone kick the shit out of joran...I am sorry...I truly would... I WOULD like him to feel physically the pain for a day or two that he has inflicted on so many people emotionally for years. Would I want him dead? No way...it's the easy way out. I say the best punishment for a narcissistic sociopath is making him live alone in a cell for the rest of his life...take away the law books, tv and "cell phone provided by daddy" and I think he would be literally living hell on earth!!!  Or worse yet, send him into the midst of his own world of evil and see how he fares.

I know if someone wanted to debate...my arguments could easily be disputed logically. I am a Christian and believe whole heartedly in redemption. But there are some in this world who know no concept of redemption and so you have to go back to the Law that says an eye for an eye. Is it not my place to oversee that justice...no...I don't believe that and would not want to be responsible for voting for a death penalty in abstract...knowing the flaws that can occur in any judicial system. However I could live with locking away culprits in jail....culprits like Brooke's perpetrators forever...and leaving the rest for God. Live or die by the hands of your peers who would also take responsibility for their actions as I would.....either would seem a more appropriate punishment than the living safe and sound on death row for decades.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: ldstlou on July 03, 2008, 09:10:09 PM
Wonder what Judge Amy Davenport is thinking now after reducing his probation.  My math tells me that he was abusing Juvenile 1 before and after his probation was lifted in 2006. 

You're right, sleddogs the rehab program is very broken......'duh'...


I would quit NY...I literally would, If my decision lead to something so tragic, if my decision making and gut feelings were that off base..I really would not be able to hold that gavel again!!! If I had become so immune to the consequence of my decisions, if I could not look myself in the mirror...and how could she? I would quit. I really would


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 03, 2008, 11:13:29 PM
Wonder what Judge Amy Davenport is thinking now after reducing his probation.  My math tells me that he was abusing Juvenile 1 before and after his probation was lifted in 2006. 

You're right, sleddogs the rehab program is very broken......'duh'...

Wonder what Judge Amy Davenport would have said if Jacques had wanted to move into her neighborhood?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: pdh3 on July 04, 2008, 12:39:54 AM
As far as I'm concerned, every one of the adults involved in this tragedy, from family members to judges, let Brook down in the worst way.
They all have blood on their hands, to one degree or another.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: ldstlou on July 04, 2008, 02:17:07 AM
As far as I'm concerned, every one of the adults involved in this tragedy, from family members to judges, let Brook down in the worst way.
They all have blood on their hands, to one degree or another.


I agree. ...gosh..was going to talk about being a mother and making mistakes...but in this case, there just are no excuses. She failed beautiful Brooke in everyway and I just can't find a way to justify the mother's actions...there just is no justification.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 04, 2008, 02:18:24 PM
New Details of Uncle's Arrest Record Emerge in Vermont Death Case



Friday, July 04, 2008

 

BURLINGTON, Vt. —  Prosecutors on Thursday filed federal kidnapping charges that carry the death penalty against a man whose niece was found buried near his home after being missing for a week as new details emerged about the uncle's arrest record.

Officials said they've found no new evidence of a wider child sex ring beyond an underage girl's claim to them that she was in it and 12-year-old Brooke Bennett was to be initiated into it the day she disappeared.

Click here for photos.

"There's nothing from this investigation that's been turned up, nor otherwise are federal and state authorities aware of, any ongoing efforts to recruit young girls or boys here in Vermont to have sex with adults," Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell said at a joint news conference with federal prosecutors.

Depending on how Brooke died, prosecutors said her uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, could face the death penalty under the federal kidnapping law.

U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson said the 2006 Adam Walsh law — named for another abducted child — allowed federal prosecution of such crimes when they are facilitated by the Internet.
Related

    *
      Stories
          o Uncle Could Face Death on Kidnapping Charges in Case of Dead Vermont Girl
          o Focus on Uncle Intensifies After Body of 12-Year-Old Missing Vermont Girl Found
          o Feds Say Uncle of Missing Vermont Girl Took Her Home for Initiation Into Sex Ring
          o Missing Vermont Girl's Stepfather Arrested on Federal Child Molestation Charges
          o Uncle of Missing Girl Arrested on Unrelated Sex Charges
          o Vermont Police Release Surveillance Tape in Case of Missing 12-Year-Old Girl, FBI Joins Search
      Video
          o Former Step-Dad Arrested
          o Bizarre Twist
          o A Dad's Anguish
          o Father of Missing Vt. Girl Speaks Out
      Photo Essays
          o The Search for Brooke Bennett

Asked whether he will seek the death penalty, Anderson said: "That determination will be made after the investigation is completed, after the case is presented to a grand jury and ultimately that decision is made by the attorney general of the United States of America."

Jacques' lawyer, federal public defender Michael Desautels, did not return calls Thursday.

This is not the first time Jacques has been in trouble. In 1993, he was sentenced to six to 20 years in prison after being convicted of kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman he supervised at a Rutland restaurant, court records show.

He successfully completed the state's sex offender treatment program in 2000 and was released from probation in 2006.

The prosecutors said they did not yet have Brooke's autopsy results, and both said much remains to be done.

The investigation began June 25 when Brooke, who lived with her mother in Braintree, disappeared after last being seen in nearby Randolph. The bucolic town of about 5,000 is the business center for rural Orange County and is about 60 miles south of Burlington.

Most of what authorities have said about the investigation is in FBI affidavits supporting the charges against Jacques and against Raymond Gagnon, 40, who is charged with obstructing justice. But the affidavits are gripping. Among the allegations within them:

The Sex Ring

— A 14-year-old girl told police that when she was 9, she was put into a "program for sex" called Breckenridge, that a male relative of hers was to be her "trainer," and that she would be killed if she didn't cooperate. Authorities say the regular assaults continued until a few weeks ago.

— She told authorities that Brooke was to be inducted into the ring on the day she disappeared. E-mails released by investigators indicated the 14-year-old said she would participate in a plan, in the works for at least several days before Brooke vanished, for "the take-down and the tie-up (that) morning."

— Gagnon had sex with the 14-year-old last year and admitted having large amounts of child pornography on his computer, including images of the 14-year-old having sex with a boyfriend. Gagnon, of San Antonio, is Brooke's former stepfather. His lawyer, John Pacht, did not return a call Friday seeking comment on the allegations.

— The affidavits detail sex acts involving bondage and spanking. Jacques is described as having ordered more than $1,000 worth of sexual aids from a Web site, including a machine designed to simulate intercourse. Authorities said Thursday they still weren't sure whether there was a sex ring or it was a ruse Jacques allegedly used to intimidate the girls.

Brooke's Death

Without autopsy results, authorities won't comment on what caused Brooke's death. It thus remains unknown what happened between June 25, when Jacques allegedly took her to his house, and when her body was moved to a shallow grave along a dirt road about a mile away. The body was found Wednesday.

Authorities expressed doubt that state murder charges would be filed anytime soon, saying that the federal prosecution for kidnapping with death resulting might suffice.

Deceiving the Girls

— Authorities said the girls were deceived in several ways. The 14-year-old was led to believe she was getting e-mails from at least three different people about her participation in Breckenridge, when all originated from computers either at Jacques' home or workplace.

— Jacques and the 14-year-old told Brooke the morning of June 25 that she was going to a party.

The Cover-Up

— Authorities say Jacques faked and altered postings to Brooke's MySpace pages in an effort to persuade investigators she had run off with someone she met through the social networking site. The tampering was discovered by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, housed at the Burlington Police Department.

— Authorities say Jacques led them to believe Brooke had lied about wanting to meet a friend and visit the friend's relative in a hospital the morning she disappeared. Investigators said that turned out to be a lie about a lie, and that instead, she ended up back at Jacques' house.

— E-mails released Thursday describe the 14-year-old helping Jacques plant false evidence. He coached her on obtaining and preserving semen from her boyfriend to be placed on a pair of Brooke's underwear to put investigators off the trail, they said. Jacques told police he had found a sneaker belonging to Brooke along a rural road in Brookfield; the panties were placed nearby, so police would find them on their own.

— Gagnon had several lengthy cell phone calls with his Texas housemate and persuaded that man to throw a safe containing child pornography and a laptop computer in a nearby Dumpster, authorities said. They said the safe has not been found.

Click here to read the Gagnon affidavit (FindLaw PDF).

Click here for more on this story from MyFOXBoston.com.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376383,00.html
Click here for more from FOX 44 in Burlington, Vt.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 04, 2008, 02:41:06 PM
Hmmmm

There are tons of articles/stories on these events, more will be coming out, I hope that mommy dearest, Cassandra Gagnon will be charged as well as Denise Jacques, both of these sisters knew exactly what their husbands and former husbands were capable of yet they did nothing. They actually facilitated the abuse and murder of Brooke Bennett and the sexual abuse of A.R. Brooke’s 14 year old cousin who lured Brooke to her death
<snips>
 From what I came up with, "Denise Jacques" was married previously. I came up with a previous married name, but would rather not post that name though anyone local probably knows already who she was previously married to. I say this because the first letter of the last name matches the victim (I really think it was Denise's daughter from the previous marriage) assaulted since she was 9 yrs old that was described in the affidavit. According to the affidavit, Denise encounter several "questionable" happenings in her home but accepted her husband's explanations. I blame Denise Jacques the most for being so ignorant. I hope she is charged with something or her own children removed from her home.

If this was her own daughter, how is this young lady supposed to live in that town when all will know who she is. What kind of life will this child have? God, I hope someone is smart enough to relocate the child in hopes that she can have some sort of normal life if even possible.
http://secretsfromwithin.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/parents-and-family-scarier-than-myspace/

Could this be true


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 04, 2008, 03:39:01 PM
Its sooo creepy that all of the press is so cavalier about the 14 year old girl's boyfriend, and the fact that they were having sex and reporting just so casually.  Who is this boyfriend?  Does he understand the full implications of what his girlfriend did to set him up?  He could easily have been charged with Brooke's murder.  Why is Denise letting her daughter have sex with anyone, let alone her HUSBAND!!!  And her sister's former husband.  Didn't she notice ANYTHING wrong, weird, too "knowledgeable" by her daughter?  Argh, who is going to protect these children?  Is anything out there in the news about Brooke's older sister? 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: Blonde on July 04, 2008, 05:03:42 PM
Brooke's family.  Mother on the left, sister in the middle, biological dad on the right.  Nobody has the same last name  ::MonkeyNoNo::

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/BrookesFamily.jpg)

Can watch the video here:


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/01/national/main4222215.shtml

Brooke's moms maiden name is Adams
 Brooks  sisters name is Savannah Bennett?
not sure if this is her myspace

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=90731443


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont
Post by: klaasend on July 04, 2008, 07:00:54 PM
Brooke's family.  Mother on the left, sister in the middle, biological dad on the right.  Nobody has the same last name  ::MonkeyNoNo::

(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/klaasen3/Sub4/BrookesFamily.jpg)

Can watch the video here:


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/01/national/main4222215.shtml

Brooke's moms maiden name is Adams
 Brooks  sisters name is Savannah Bennett?
not sure if this is her myspace

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=90731443


Brooke's sisters name is Savanna Arness  (sp) .  The myspace above is not her, this is Savanna's:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=119388490


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Blonde on July 04, 2008, 10:50:51 PM
Sorry for wrong info guys, I was a bad girl.
 I got it off the web. ::MonkeyEek::
I Should have done it on my own but I was short on time.
Sorry .



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: sleddogs on July 04, 2008, 10:58:09 PM
Bennett Case Reignites Jessica’s Law Debate


A convicted sex offender was charged this week with kidnapping a pre-teen who was later found dead, and that news has reignited the debate about how Vermont punishes those convicted of sex crimes.


http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=8621255


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 05, 2008, 11:58:36 AM
Why does it take a dead child for people to take action????? 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 05, 2008, 02:26:28 PM
Brooke Marie Bennett

July 5, 2008
 
WEST BRAINTREE – Brooke Marie Bennett, 12, died last week in Randolph Center.

She was born July 12, 1995, in Randolph, the daughter of James and Cassandra Bennett.

Brooke attended Braintree School and had just completed seventh grade at Randolph Union High School where she was a member of the girls basketball and lacrosse teams. She loved her pets, "Lily" the cat and "Scruffy" her dog. Brooke liked watching "Sponge Bob" and "Hannah Montana" on television and reading. She also liked to eat bagels, popcorn and spaghetti, and was known to put ketchup on everything.

She is survived by her mother, Cassandra Gagnon of West Braintree; her father and stepmother, James and Janet Bennett of Bethel; a sister, Savanna Andress of West Braintree; three brothers, Dennis Andress of West Braintree, Nickolas Bennett and Cyrus Bennett of Bethel; her maternal grandmother, Lucinda Milne of West Braintree, her paternal grandmother, Arlene St. Pierre of Bethel, her maternal grandfather, Dennis Adams of St. Petersburg, Fla., her maternal great-grandmother, Lilla Woodard of Randolph Center, and her step-grandparents, Osmyn and Sandra Stevens of Bethel.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, July 9, at 11 a.m. at Murray Auditorium in the Randolph Union High School with the Rev. Ronald E. Rilling and Pastor Thomas Hardy officiating. Calling hours will be Tuesday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. at Murray Auditorium.

Friend wishing may make memorial contributions to the Molly Bish Foundation, 200 South Street, West Warren, MA 01092.

Online condolences may be left at www.dayfunerals.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Day Funeral Home, Randolph.

 http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080705/OBITUARIES/807050324/1005/OBITUARIES


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 05, 2008, 02:31:41 PM
Molly Bish Foundation:

http://www.mollybish.org/index.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: ldstlou on July 05, 2008, 04:12:06 PM
Hmmmm

There are tons of articles/stories on these events, more will be coming out, I hope that mommy dearest, Cassandra Gagnon will be charged as well as Denise Jacques, both of these sisters knew exactly what their husbands and former husbands were capable of yet they did nothing. They actually facilitated the abuse and murder of Brooke Bennett and the sexual abuse of A.R. Brooke’s 14 year old cousin who lured Brooke to her death
<snips>
 From what I came up with, "Denise Jacques" was married previously. I came up with a previous married name, but would rather not post that name though anyone local probably knows already who she was previously married to. I say this because the first letter of the last name matches the victim (I really think it was Denise's daughter from the previous marriage) assaulted since she was 9 yrs old that was described in the affidavit. According to the affidavit, Denise encounter several "questionable" happenings in her home but accepted her husband's explanations. I blame Denise Jacques the most for being so ignorant. I hope she is charged with something or her own children removed from her home.

If this was her own daughter, how is this young lady supposed to live in that town when all will know who she is. What kind of life will this child have? God, I hope someone is smart enough to relocate the child in hopes that she can have some sort of normal life if even possible.
http://secretsfromwithin.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/parents-and-family-scarier-than-myspace/

Could this be true

ok wait...I am confused!!!

So Denise and Cassandra are sisters? or former sister in laws?

Cassandra is is Brooke's Mom.

Denise is Cassandra's sister and possible the mother of the 14 year victim name unknown?

Jacques is the brother of Gagon, who was married to Cassandra? Jaques was married to Denise who is the Mother of the 14 year old victim?

I can't get it clear in my head.

You all know me. I am the first to stick up for the Mom,s they are usually victims of circumstances also, the ones that feel the most pain, and yet the ones that are demonized. NOT IN THIS CASE!!!!

What in the hell was she doing!!! Why even allow ANY contact between this creep and her daughter. Holy crap!! Are you kidding me?? Man raped an 18 year by gunpoint and you think it is ok to come anywhere near your house???!!! And Brooke must have thought it was ok to leave with this guy. He felt comfortable with picking her up at her house. Damned right the mother should be held responsible on this one!!!!!!!

But can someone clarify the relationships to me please?


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 05, 2008, 04:53:23 PM
Hmmmm

There are tons of articles/stories on these events, more will be coming out, I hope that mommy dearest, Cassandra Gagnon will be charged as well as Denise Jacques, both of these sisters knew exactly what their husbands and former husbands were capable of yet they did nothing. They actually facilitated the abuse and murder of Brooke Bennett and the sexual abuse of A.R. Brooke’s 14 year old cousin who lured Brooke to her death
<snips>
 From what I came up with, "Denise Jacques" was married previously. I came up with a previous married name, but would rather not post that name though anyone local probably knows already who she was previously married to. I say this because the first letter of the last name matches the victim (I really think it was Denise's daughter from the previous marriage) assaulted since she was 9 yrs old that was described in the affidavit. According to the affidavit, Denise encounter several "questionable" happenings in her home but accepted her husband's explanations. I blame Denise Jacques the most for being so ignorant. I hope she is charged with something or her own children removed from her home.

If this was her own daughter, how is this young lady supposed to live in that town when all will know who she is. What kind of life will this child have? God, I hope someone is smart enough to relocate the child in hopes that she can have some sort of normal life if even possible.
http://secretsfromwithin.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/parents-and-family-scarier-than-myspace/

Could this be true

ok wait...I am confused!!!

So Denise and Cassandra are sisters? or former sister in laws?

Cassandra is is Brooke's Mom.

Denise is Cassandra's sister and possible the mother of the 14 year victim name unknown?

Jacques is the brother of Gagon, who was married to Cassandra? Jaques was married to Denise who is the Mother of the 14 year old victim?

I can't get it clear in my head.

You all know me. I am the first to stick up for the Mom,s they are usually victims of circumstances also, the ones that feel the most pain, and yet the ones that are demonized. NOT IN THIS CASE!!!!

What in the hell was she doing!!! Why even allow ANY contact between this creep and her daughter. Holy crap!! Are you kidding me?? Man raped an 18 year by gunpoint and you think it is ok to come anywhere near your house???!!! And Brooke must have thought it was ok to leave with this guy. He felt comfortable with picking her up at her house. Damned right the mother should be held responsible on this one!!!!!!!

But can someone clarify the relationships to me please?

I think you have it right, except Jacques & Gagnon are not blood related, as far as I've read.  They were brothers-in law before Cassandra & Gagnon divorced.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 05, 2008, 04:56:04 PM
And in addition, the 14 year old was identified as a relation to Jacques & Brooke, but I do not believe it has been reported that she is Denise's daughter....I could be wrong about this, though.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Sea Searcher on July 05, 2008, 07:34:14 PM
A police timeline for anyone interested..

I'm reading between the lines and I think there's a lot more info still to come out..
.
.
Times Argus
This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.timesargus.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article published Jul 5, 2008
Details in police's case reveal chilling, devious planning by victim's uncle

By Daniel Barlow Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER – When Brooke Bennett's face became known across Vermont last week, it was as a missing 12-year-old girl from Braintree and the focus of the state's first Amber Alert.

Speculation was that she had run off with someone from the Internet. But soon police began conducting what appeared to be a recovery operation and a missing girl case unfolded to reveal allegations of repeated sexual assaults against children.

The following timeline of the case begins with the earliest known e-mails made public by police between Michael Jacques, Bennett's uncle who is now accused of kidnapping her, and a juvenile female that he had allegedly groomed for sex and used as an accomplice in Bennett's disappearance.

The timeline concludes with the discovery of Bennett's body Wednesday and police charging her uncle with her abduction.

Information presented in the timeline is compiled from police reports, police statements, court documents and various news reports on the case over the last 10 days. Many of the claims contained in the timeline are still alleged acts and have not been proven in court.


May 8:

Michael Jacques, posing as a man known as "E" and using an e-mail address referencing a Chevy Truck, sends an e-mail to a juvenile female, whom police say Jacques has been sexually abusing for several years. "E" claims to be hunting wild zebra in Africa and expresses strong romantic love for the juvenile female.

12:28 p.m.: The girl responds, stating, "i love you and that will never change."

Jacques, now posing as a man named Rauel Domingo and using a different e-mail address, e-mails the juvenile girl inquiring about her recent sexual history. She responds later that day, detailing a sexual encounter with a juvenile male. Police say the two e-mail accounts for "E" and Domingo were only accessed at Jacques' home and work.



May 28:

Jacques, posing as Domingo, e-mails the juvenile girl and asks her to "come up with a plan that make it so that Nobody knows where she is." He suggests kidnapping Bennett before June 7 or waiting until June 16.

The girl e-mails back suggesting a ruse where Bennett is lured to a location by a "hot guy." She writes that she wants to see Bennett "suffer."



June 16:

Jacques orders $1,033.45 in sex toys from a Web site. The delivery address is his home in Randolph.



June 20:

2:20 p.m.: Jacques, posing as "E", e-mails the juvenile female and mentions the possibility that Bennett's kidnapping might be delayed from Monday until Wednesday or Thursday. He encourages her to convince Bennett to attend the "party" they are planning.

5:50 p.m.: "E" sends the girl another message, saying they have run into some "unexpected problems" and doesn't want to risk Breckenridge - the name for a real or imagined child sex ring - "being in danger." He again encourages her to convince Bennett to come to the "party" and also inquires about a recent sexual encounter the girl had with a juvenile male.

5:56 p.m.: Jacques, posing as Domingo, e-mails the female juvenile, asking her if she would assist in the "take-down" of Bennett the following week. "Just remember the reasons why it must be done and remember that it will go PERFECTLY if everyone does what they are suppose to do," he wrote.



June 21:

11:34 p.m.: The second juvenile female responds to the message from Domingo, writing that she will help with "the tie down."



June 23:

1:34 p.m.: Jacques, posing as "E", e-mails the juvenile girl and asks her to collect some of her boyfriend's semen to plant as evidence in Bennett's disappearance. "Text me when it's done and simply say 'it's done,'" he wrote. "Very important, thanks."



June 24:

11:40 p.m.: Jacques logs onto Bennett's MySpace profile and posts a message making it appear that she has run away to meet a boyfriend. He edits the entry again at 11:52 p.m.

According to police, Bennett spent the night at Jacques' home.



June 25:

9:20 a.m.: Bennett is dropped off at the Cumberland Farms in Randolph by Jacques and another unnamed female juvenile. Footage from the security camera shows Jacques and Bennett inside the store, although they go in separate directions when they leave.

9:45 a.m.: Bennett is seen by a witness at the Randolph Village Laundromat.

9 p.m.: Bennett's grandmother reports her missing to the Vermont State Police.

9:26 p.m.: Jacques makes the first of four phone calls that evening to Raymond Gagnon, a close friend and Bennett's former stepfather, who is now living in Texas. Jacques supplies Gagnon with Bennett's MySpace username and password. Gagnon logs onto her profile twice later, police say, and changed her password to the account.

10:36 p.m.: Jacques again logs onto Bennett's MySpace profile and edits the fake entry he posted there the night before.

When questioned by police that evening, Jacques says he dropped Bennett off at Cumberland Farms and that she was to be picked up by a friend and driven to a nearby hospital to visit with a sick friend or relative. After dropping her off, Jacques said he bought a coffee at Dunkin Donuts. That story is backed up by the other juvenile female with Jacques.



June 26:

1 a.m.: Jacques leaves a message for a state police detective inquiring about the state of the investigation.

Sometime during the day, Jacques tells state police that he found one of Bennett's sneakers on the side of a road in Brookfield. Police later find blood, semen and torn girl's underwear nearby - evidence they now believe Jacques planted.

5:25 p.m.: An Amber Alert - the state's first - is issued by state police for Bennett. The FBI becomes involved in the case.

The second juvenile female, whom Jacques is accused of sexually assaulting over a period of five years, tells police she lied to them about going to Dunkin Donuts with Jacques after dropping Bennett off.

Forensic analysis begins on Jacques' laptop computer. Police first discover the "Chevy Truck" e-mail alias that he used in communication with the second juvenile female. Jacques tells police that the hard drive for his desktop computer is missing because it malfunctioned and he brought it to a Best Buy in Lebanon, N.H. to be repaired or replaced.



June 27:

10:30 a.m.: Police announce the discovery of Bennett's sneakers at a press conference in Burlington. They ask anyone who saw her that morning in Randolph on June 25 to come forward.

Police dive teams search the area of Sunset Lake near the Floating Bridge in Brookfield. Police say they are focusing on a person that Bennett may have been communicating with via MySpace, but stopped short of calling it abduction.

After a police inquiry, representatives of Best Buy say there is no record of Jacques dropping off a computer hard drive.



June 28:

Forensic examination of Jacques' laptop reveals the series of e-mails between Jacques and the second female juvenile.



June 29:

2:20 p.m.: After being confronted with the e-mails retrieved from Jacques' computer, the juvenile female admits to helping Jacques get Bennett back to his house on June 25 after dropping her off at Cumberland Farms. She also tells police about the so-called Breckenridge program, her introduction to the program when she was 9 years old and that Jacques is her "trainer."

She also tells police that she and Bennett watched television for a short time that day at Jacques' house. When Jacques asked Bennett to go upstairs with him, the juvenile female left the house with her boyfriend. She did not see Bennett again.

4:15 p.m.: Jacques is arrested for aggravated sexual assault.



June 30:

3 a.m.: Gagnon calls his landlord in Texas and asks him to dispose of a safe in his apartment. The landlord later told police he put it in a nearby dumpster, but the safe is not located.

1 p.m.: Police announce that the investigation into Bennett's disappearance had shifted to Jacques' property along East Bethel Road in Randolph. K-9 units, search and rescue teams and an aerial unit assist in the unsuccessful search of his property.

Jacques pleads innocent to the aggravated sexual assault charge in court and is held on $250,000 bail.

4 p.m.: Police identify Jacques as a "person of interest" in Bennett's disappearance during a press conference. Evidence collected from Jacques' computer contributed to the change in direction of the investigation, according to police.

State police and the FBI interview Gagnon, who admits to accessing Bennett's MySpace profile and possessing a "vast amount" of child pornography, all stored in a safe at his home in Texas. This pornography includes photographs of the second juvenile girl and the girl's juvenile boyfriend and he states that he and Jacques had a sexual encounter with her during the summer of 2007 in South Royalton.



July 1:

Police arrest Gagnon and charge him with obstruction of justice.

During a search along Crocker Road in Randolph, police find an area where the "ground was recently disturbed." The area is secured and a search begins.



July 2:

Court papers related to Gagnon's arrest are unsealed, revealing that the second juvenile female told police that she and Jacques picked up Bennett after first dropping her off on June 25.

4:45 p.m.: Police find Bennett's body in a shallow grave off of Crocker Road, a short distance from Jacques' home. Police say her death is "clearly suspicious" and that foul play is suspected.

5:32 p.m.: The U.S. Department of Justice announces that Jacques has been charged with kidnapping Bennett.

7 p.m.: More than 300 people attend a ceremony in Randolph to mourn the loss of Bennett.



July 3:

10 a.m.: Prosecutors hold a press conference in Burlington, announcing that they do not believe any other children are at risk of sexual abuse in the case. An autopsy on Bennett's body is conducted to determine a cause of death.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 05, 2008, 08:38:24 PM
So, there are two teenage girls helping these scumbags?  And why did the one girl want Brooke to suffer?  Guess she got what she wanted and now perhaps she needs to be charged with aiding and abetting?  Hard to say when she's been so abused but wanting to hurt another goes to the core of someone's being.  So sad.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 05, 2008, 09:02:51 PM
http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8623432

Brooke's Parents Speak

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8623432_BG1.jpg)
 
Brooke Bennett


(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8623432_BG2.jpg)
 
Cassandra Gagnon

(http://wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8623432_BG3.jpg)
 
Jim & Janet Bennett
 
 
Braintree, Vermont - July 5, 2008

"I actually viewed her yesterday and it's just.... I felt her. I felt that she was still with me. It's been awful," says Cassandra Gagnon, Brooke's mother.

It's a nightmare she says she'll never wake up from.

Her daughter, 12 year old Brooke Bennett, was murdered after allegedly being kidnapped by her uncle, 42-year old Michael Jacques.

"I'm very angry. I'm very, very angry. I'm very angry at my brother-in-la, very, very much so. Words can't describe the anger I've had," she says.

"You don't expect that kind of thing from family. It's just very hard to comprehend all of it," says Jim Bennett, Brooke's father.

Police have yet to connect Jacques to Brooke's murder.  He's currently facing federal kidnapping charges and could receive the death penalty. Brooke's father and step-mom would like to see that happen.

"I hope they put him away forever and he rots in hell," says Janet Bennett, Brooke's stepmother.

Brooke's mother isn't so sure....

"I hate that I've got so much anger in me, but I think the death penalty is what he deserves, but I think that is a sweet justice for him," she says.

Both parents say they'll likely never forgive Jacques. Brooke's mother says she's currently just trying to forgive herself.

"I have already burned myself. If I could change this I would."

Cassandra Gagnon says she's offended by those who criticize her for letting Brooke stay with Jacques-- a registered sex offender.

Gagnon says she never allowed her daughter to visit Jacques house if another adult wasn't present.

"They have no idea. I could have been right next to her and someone could have grabbed her. I was at work and I knew where my children were. They always talk to me, so if people want to judge me, that's their choice, but to hell with them."

A family torn by conflicting emotions as they remember the 12 year old girl with an unforgettable smile.

"Her smile, yeah. She had a beautiful smile.  A sweet girl," says her dad.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: sleddogs on July 06, 2008, 10:57:48 AM
Vermont is for Lovers, Liberal Judges, Pedophiles and Stupid Parents

http://www.townhall.com/Common/PrintPage.aspx?g=a13c1c99-7935-4171-ae01-16e8a9a408e0&t=c


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: bleachedblack on July 06, 2008, 02:34:44 PM
Vermont could get second look at death penalty

 July 6, 2008
MONTPELIER, Vt.—It's been more than 50 years since the state of Vermont sentenced anyone to death and 54 years since its last execution, but the man charged with abducting 12-year-old Brooke Bennett could become the second Vermonter to end up on federal death row in recent years.

Even though police haven't released a cause of death for Brooke or even said she was murdered, federal prosecutors have said they might seek the death penalty against Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, the man charged with kidnapping her.

Vermont Law School professor Michael Mello, an expert on the death penalty, said it could be the first time federal prosecutors seek the death penalty using changes to federal law included in The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

"This is a big deal," Mello said of the legal implications of a death case against Jacques. "What the Adam Walsh amendment was intended to do, in effect, is to make virtually any kidnapping with death resulting a federal capital offense."

Federal prosecutors charge that Jacques, Brooke's uncle, used fictitious e-mail identities to help orchestrate the June 25 abduction of the 12-year-old girl. After dropping Brooke off at a Randolph convenience store, Jacques and a 14-year-old witness identified as Juvenile 1 picked her up again and took Brooke back to Jacques' home.

Juvenile 1 told police she felt Brooke was going to be initiated into a "program for sex." The girl said the last time she saw Brooke, Brooke was going upstairs with Jacques. Brooke's body was found July 2 buried in a shallow grave about a mile from Jacques' home.

Prosecutors have suggested no motive for the alleged kidnapping. Jacques has not yet appeared in federal court to enter a plea in the case.

State prosecutors have turned the case over to the U.S. Attorney's office. The investigation into Brooke's death isn't complete and it will be months before a decision is made on whether to seek the death penalty against Jacques.

Vermont hasn't executed a prisoner since 1954 and the last death sentence came in 1957, although the sentence was commuted and the inmate later released.

In effect, the Legislature outlawed the death penalty in 1965 although it technically remained a part of state law until 1987. But the state's death penalty law was invalidated in 1972 by the U.S Supreme Court decision that commuted all death sentences in the country at that time.

The last time the Vermont Legislature gave the death penalty serious consideration was in 1987, said state Sen. Vince Illuzzi, R-Essex-Orleans, who introduced the legislation. Instead, the Legislature enacted the aggravated murder law, which carries with it a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

Illuzzi said he felt the state's lack of a death penalty made Vermont's U.S. Attorney more likely to get involved in cases such as Brooke's death.

"It fills what some might consider to be a void in the law," Illuzzi said.

In two cases over the last decade, the office of Vermont's U.S. Attorney has prosecuted death penalty cases.

In the first case, from 1998, an Ohio man faced the death penalty for sending a bomb via a delivery service that killed a Fair Haven teenager. But Chris Dean, 45, agreed to serve a sentence of life without parole in exchange for the government's dropping the death sentence.

In 2005, a jury in federal court in Burlington sentenced Donald Fell to death for the 2000 carjacking murder of Terry King, 53, of North Clarendon, who was kidnapped when she arrived at a Rutland supermarket early one morning in November 2000 and then beaten to death in New York state.

In the King case, Vermont's U.S. Attorney didn't want to seek the death penalty, but was ordered to do so by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Just last week, while the search for Brooke was intensifying, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld Fell's death sentence. Fell, 28, is now housed at the U.S. Bureau of Prison's death row in Terre Haute, Ind.

In 2006, Congress passed and President Bush signed the Adam Walsh Act. It is named for 6-year-old Adam Walsh, who was abducted from a Florida shopping mall in 1981 and later dead. The act is designed to protect children from sexual and other violent crimes and take into account the use of the Internet in committing such crimes.

Affidavits in Jacques's case detail how he allegedly used Brooke's MySpace page and e-mails to plot her abduction.

No matter what happens in Brooke's case, Mello said her death could re-ignite the capital punishment debate in Vermont.

"No state without the death penalty is ever farther than one hideous crime from bringing it back," Mello said.

http://tinyurl.com/6oc9zt


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: katiekatie2u on July 06, 2008, 02:56:21 PM
 ::MonkeyNoNo::

klaasend
I had the very same sick feeling that this was not going to end well!!
the poor girl never had a chance.. not with those family dynamics...
 her mother had to of known that her sister was married to a predator... and now it looks like the mom also had herself a predator husband of her own... such a waste.. what a beautiful girl... those stunning eyes just reach out to you....

Its so sad 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KC on July 06, 2008, 03:01:39 PM
Cassandra is offended at criticism?  OMG get a grip.  Your daughter would be alive if you were in any way a reasonable parent.  Why isn't she out there saying how wrong it was for her to let her daughter be around that creton?  Her sister (Denise) believed the convicted sexual predator's statement that the child porn on the computer was not his and he didn't know what the KY was for...and the "unidentified female" in their house coming from their bedroom in a towel had just used their shower...is this the "other adult" she's referring to? 


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: ldstlou on July 07, 2008, 03:09:33 PM
Hope this link works. Got it from the Burlington free press sight, it is the Fed affidavits. Very graphic at times although I think the very worst of it was blacked out.

I think whoever wrote the article on the timeline may have misread the affidavit. There are 2 juveniles, 1st being the girl who I believe after reading the affidavit is Jacques daughter, which would be Brooke's cousin. The 2nd juvenile is a boy, I believe the 1st juvenile's boyfriend.

Click here to read the affidavit in the case of Michael Jacques

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS/80703026


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 07, 2008, 06:07:15 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,377281,00.html

Ex-Stepfather of Brooke Bennett Accused of Obstruction, Child Pornography
Monday , July 07, 2008


BURLINGTON, Vt.  —

Alabama authorities have lodged child pornography charges against the ex-stepdad of a Vermont girl who was found dead last week.

Federal prosecutors made the charge public on Monday as 40-year-old Raymond Gagnon was in court on another charge — obstructing justice — in Burlington, Vermont.

Gagnon, of San Antonio, Texas, is accused of having someone throw out his laptop computer a week ago while authorities were searching for Brooke Bennett. After being missing for a week, she was found in a shallow grave near the home of an uncle, Michael Jacques, who has been charged with kidnapping her.

The charges in Alabama are that Gagnon — who was 12-year-old Brooke Bennett's stepfather for about five years — had child pornography stored at his former home in Cullman, Alabama.

Federal prosecutors say he also tried to access Brooke's MySpace account on or about June 26th. That's the day after Brooke was reported missing in Vermont.

Jacques, 42, of Randolph, was scheduled for preliminary hearing in the same court later Monday. He was already in custody when he was charged Thursday with kidnapping her.

Prosecutors say Jacques could face the death penalty if convicted under federal law of kidnapping resulting in Brooke's death.

Neither Jacques nor Gagnon has entered a plea.

State police say it could be up to eight weeks before autopsy results are available.

Gagnon married Brooke's mother in 2000, but they later divorced. A preliminary hearing on evidence against him is scheduled for July 17.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 09, 2008, 10:12:34 AM
Vermont kidnap suspect held as ’danger’ in Brooke Bennett case

By Associated Press  |   Tuesday, July 8, 2008  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  U.S./ Northeast Region
BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Vermont 12-year-old found dead last week near her uncle’s home was killed, a prosecutor said yesterday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan made the disclosure at a hearing at which the judge ordered the uncle, Michael Jacques, held until his trial on a federal kidnapping charge.

“He has a very serious criminal history demonstrating an extreme danger to the community,” Nolan said at the U.S. District Court hearing.

Jacques, 42, is accused of kidnapping Brooke Bennett on June 25. After a weeklong search, she was found in a shallow grave about a mile from his home in Randolph.

Nolan said the death was a homicide, but said nothing about how she died. State police say it could be up to eight weeks before autopsy results are available.

Because the girl was killed, prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Jacques if he is convicted.

Federal public defender Michael Desautels did not ask U.S. Magistrate-Judge Jerome Niedermeier to release Jacques, a registered sex offender who was convicted in 1993 of kidnapping and raping a woman he supervised at a fast food restaurant.

Jaques planned to initiate Brooke into a child sex ring after taking her from outside a Randolph convenience store on June 25, another underage girl who said she was a witness told authorities.

Brooke’s stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, 40,of San Antonio, Texas is charged with obstruction of justice in the case. Gagnon did not contest his continued detention during a hearing earlier yesterday in the same court.

Gagnon is accused of having someone throw out his laptop computer a week ago while authorities were searching for Brooke.

While he was in court, federal prosecutors in Alabama charged him with possessing child pornography at his former home in Cullman, Ala.

In affidavits filed in Vermont, the FBI said Jacques changed a posting to Brooke’s MySpace [website] account the night she was reported missing. Gagnon also accessed the account that night, but denied changing the posting, according to the affidavit.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105542

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A somber scene at Brooke Bennett’s wake
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Feds say Vt. girl was killed; uncle ’extreme danger’ to community
/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105459

Brooke Bennett’s stepdad faces fed rap
/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105315


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 09, 2008, 10:19:08 AM
A somber scene at Brooke Bennett’s wake

By Associated Press   |   Wednesday, July 9, 2008  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  U.S./ Northeast Region

Photo by AP
RANDOLPH, Vt. - Amid sprays of flowers, snapshots from her short life and somber greetings, mourners Tuesday remembered 12-year-old Brooke Bennett at a wake in the building where she just graduated from seventh grade.

Filing past a series of photo collages and the girl’s open casket, friends and acquaintances — some wearing lapel buttons with her smiling face, a "Brooke" ribbon extending from the bottom — shared condolences and tearful embraces with her mother and other family members in an auditorium at Randolph Union High School.

"There’s a lot of anger, and also a lot of sadness that it happened to her, because she was such a sweet girl," said classmate Kelsey Tracy, 13, wiping away tears after she emerged from the wake. "She was never mean to anyone."

Hundreds were expected to pay their respects Tuesday night and at a funeral scheduled for Wednesday. The early arrivals stood on line in a hallway, where collages of Brooke were posted on a table, before writing in a guest book and then advancing toward the stage in the front of the auditorium, where Brooke’s body — clad in a yellow dress — lay in the casket.

"There’s a lot of emotion, that’s for sure," said Chadwick Morse, 29, of South Royalton, a co-worker of Brooke Bennett’s father, James Bennett. "It definitely brings it home."

The small-town character of the girl’s community makes the loss all that much harder, according to Randy Garner, of the Day Funeral Home, which was handling the arrangements.

"Everybody here is really very, very close," he said.

"It’s like it’s happened to you. It’s a personal experience, because everybody knows somebody in the family and you tend to think that in small communities things like this don’t happen, but they do, and we just have to realize that," he said.

Brooke’s uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, remained jailed on a federal kidnapping charge, but he hasn’t been charged in her death. Her cause of death hasn’t been released, but federal prosecutors said Monday she was slain.

Her former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly having an acquaintance throw out his laptop computer as authorities were searching for Brooke. He has also been charged in Alabama with possession of child pornography.

Attorney General William Sorrell said Tuesday it’s still unclear whether any sex ring existed. According to court documents, Jacques was planning to induct the girl into a sex ring when she disappeared after being seen at his home.

Asked if such a ring exists, Sorrell said: "We don’t know for sure. However, we’re not aware of any active organization trying to recruit children in Vermont for sex with adults. Law enforcement would be the first to raise alarm bells if that was the case.

"We don’t know if there is, in fact, a Breckenridge society or something under a different name. What the investigation has found so far, as reflected in the filings in federal court, is that e-mails that allegedly were from members of this Breckenridge society originated from Jacques’ home computer, or his workplace," Sorrell said.

Federal prosecutors in Alabama have charged Gagnon with possessing child pornography at his former home in Cullman, Ala.

U.S. Attorney Thomas Anderson declined comment Tuesday on whether Gagnon had images of Vermont children in what an affidavit said were child pornography images found on his computer.

According to the FBI, Jacques changed a posting to Brooke’s MySpace [website] account the night she was reported missing. Gagnon also accessed the account that night, but denied changing the posting, according to an affidavit.

Jacques and Gagnon, who have yet to enter pleas, are due back in U.S. District Court in Burlington on July 17. Telephone calls to their lawyers weren’t returned Tuesday.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/northeast/view.bg?articleid=1105908

Related Articles:
Vermont kidnap suspect held as ’danger’ in Brooke Bennett case
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Feds say Vt. girl was killed; uncle ’extreme danger’ to community
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Brooke Bennett’s stepdad faces fed rap
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Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on July 11, 2008, 10:37:25 AM
Federal authorities search San Antonio landfill for evidence in case against Vermont kidnapping, slaying

Web Posted: 07/10/2008 04:05 PM CDT

An ongoing federal investigation into the kidnapping and slaying of a Vermont girl has led authorities to a San Antonio landfill, where FBI investigators this afternoon are sifting through heaps of garbage in search of a safe belonging to the girl's former stepfather, officials said.

Erik Vasys, a spokesman for the San Antonio division of the FBI, said investigators have searched over the last week for the safe, which apparently was the hideaway of a harddrive belonging to local resident Raymond Gagnon, the former stepfather of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett, whose disappearance June 25 sparked massive nationwide attention and triggered the state's first Amber Alert. The search for her ended with the discovery of her body July 2.

Vasys declined to say how many agents are at the landfill or for how long they have searched the Allied Waste Services Tessman Landfill, at 7000 IH-10 East, between FM 1516 and Foster Road. He did, however, say that today is not the first day that investigators have scoured through the trash, everything from bulky household items to brush.

"(We) continue to assist the FBI in Albany and the Vermont State Police in the investigation into the kidnapping and murder," of Brooke, Vasys said. "The focus of our assistance is the recovery of hard drives related to the investigation."

Gagnon, 40, who was living on the Northwest Side for the last year, was once married to Brooke's mom. He was arrested two weeks ago in Vermont, where he traveled as soon as he learned that Brooke had been reported missing, and has been implicated in an alleged child sex ring that also involved Brooke's uncle. He has been charged with obstruction of justice, and authorities said he asked his landlord in San Antonio to dispose of the safe shortly before his arrest.

Michael Jacques, 42, Brooke's uncle, is accused of orchestrating her abduction with plans to initiate her into a child sex ring. He has been charged with her kidnapping.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/stories/MYSA071008.EN.landfill.evidence.41745e6b.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: klaasend on July 11, 2008, 11:05:43 AM
I hope they can find that safe and laptop.  These monsters need to be put away forever.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 11, 2008, 11:21:11 AM
I hope they can find that safe and laptop.  These monsters need to be put away forever.


:smt045 :smt045 :smt045 :cry:


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 12, 2008, 03:59:58 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380541,00.html

Parole Officer Recommended Release of Vermont Girl's Sex Offender Uncle

Friday, July 11, 2008
AP

 MONTPELIER, Vt. —  Reversing what it said last week, the state Department of Corrections now says it recommended the release from probation of a convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

Michael Jacques, 42, was released from probation in 2006, after serving more than four years in prison and being supervised for eight years for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in 1992.

Click here for photos.

Gov. Jim Douglas said Thursday that the Corrections Department's recommendation was a mistake.

"That's why I've asked the corrections commissioner to look at the procedure for making these determinations, making sure there's adequate oversight, and that it's not just one or two people in the department making the recommendation on such an important manner," he said.


Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said that a probation officer had recommended in 2004 that Jacques be discharged from probation, after not supporting a release request the year before.

"Mr. Jacques has satisfied and fulfilled all case specific conditions of probation put in place to reduce his risk of re-offense," wrote probation officer Richard Kearney.

In 2004, with Kearney's recommendation, Judge Amy Davenport ruled that Jacques' probation end in 2006, as long as no violations occurred and despite strong objections from prosecutors.

"According to Mr. Jacques' probation officer, he is a 'probation success story,"' Davenport wrote in her order. "He is married and has a child. He and his wife own a home in which they reside. He has been very successful in his employment and is now in a position which entails significant responsibility."

Last week Jacques was charged with orchestrating the abduction of his niece Brooke, who disappeared June 25 and was found dead a week later. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave about a mile from his home.

In the earlier case, the state urged that Jacques be supervised for the maximum of 20 years given the brutality of the crime. Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said the duration of Jacques' probation was indeterminate.

According to a police affidavit, in the 1992 case Jacques abducted the high school senior after she left a Barre bar, handcuffed her, put a rope around her neck and cloth in her mouth and forced her to engage in sex acts. He told her he had killed a girl in Arizona seven years earlier and at one point held a knife to the woman's throat, the affidavit said.

Davenport agreed with the state's assessment of the brutality involved, but disagreed with the state that he should spend another eight years on probation.

Jacques had completed a sex offender treatment program in 2000.

"The primary purpose of the probationary portion of the defendant's sentence was to ensure that defendant received appropriate rehabilitative treatment and to monitor him to ensure that he did not relapse and once again pose a threat to others," she wrote.

At his weekly news conference earlier in the day, the governor said Brooke's case warranted a serious discussion about the appropriate penalties for certain heinous crimes.

Jessica's Law, a tougher sex offender registry law and civil confinement, which would keep certain sexually violent inmates beyond their maximum prison terms should be on the table, he said. Death penalty for sexual assault on a minor with death resulting, which Douglas said a number of people are calling for, and chemical castration for violent sexual predators, also should be part of the discussion, he said.

Jessica's Law is named after a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender in 2005. It requires a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and electronic surveillance of sex offenders who prey on children under 12.

But Douglas stopped short of calling a special session of the Legislature, saying based on previous actions on his sex offender proposals he did not have confidence that the Legislature would be effective.

"I'm not going to call the Legislature back unless and until there's complete agreement on a package so it can be handled expeditiously," he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin said he would be open to a special session but said none of the governor's suggestions would have helped in this case.

He said he plans to ask the Senate Judiciary Committee to meet up to six times between now and Nov. 15 to examine why Jacques was released from probation; if sex offender laws passed since his 1993 conviction would have changed the alleged outcome; and what else can be done to make Vermont more safe.


Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Sears, D-Bennington, said the question to be asked is: "How do we keep kids safe from people they should be able to trust ... I don't think you do that in a two-day special session."


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 12, 2008, 04:35:57 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=2225384&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380961,00.html

Sex Predator Set Free


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: yuknomenot on July 12, 2008, 05:16:49 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380541,00.html

Parole Officer Recommended Release of Vermont Girl's Sex Offender Uncle

Friday, July 11, 2008
AP

 MONTPELIER, Vt. —  Reversing what it said last week, the state Department of Corrections now says it recommended the release from probation of a convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

Michael Jacques, 42, was released from probation in 2006, after serving more than four years in prison and being supervised for eight years for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in 1992.

Click here for photos.

Gov. Jim Douglas said Thursday that the Corrections Department's recommendation was a mistake.

"That's why I've asked the corrections commissioner to look at the procedure for making these determinations, making sure there's adequate oversight, and that it's not just one or two people in the department making the recommendation on such an important manner," he said.


Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said that a probation officer had recommended in 2004 that Jacques be discharged from probation, after not supporting a release request the year before.

"Mr. Jacques has satisfied and fulfilled all case specific conditions of probation put in place to reduce his risk of re-offense," wrote probation officer Richard Kearney.

In 2004, with Kearney's recommendation, Judge Amy Davenport ruled that Jacques' probation end in 2006, as long as no violations occurred and despite strong objections from prosecutors.

"According to Mr. Jacques' probation officer, he is a 'probation success story,"' Davenport wrote in her order. "He is married and has a child. He and his wife own a home in which they reside. He has been very successful in his employment and is now in a position which entails significant responsibility."

Last week Jacques was charged with orchestrating the abduction of his niece Brooke, who disappeared June 25 and was found dead a week later. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave about a mile from his home.

In the earlier case, the state urged that Jacques be supervised for the maximum of 20 years given the brutality of the crime. Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said the duration of Jacques' probation was indeterminate.

According to a police affidavit, in the 1992 case Jacques abducted the high school senior after she left a Barre bar, handcuffed her, put a rope around her neck and cloth in her mouth and forced her to engage in sex acts. He told her he had killed a girl in Arizona seven years earlier and at one point held a knife to the woman's throat, the affidavit said.

Davenport agreed with the state's assessment of the brutality involved, but disagreed with the state that he should spend another eight years on probation.

Jacques had completed a sex offender treatment program in 2000.

"The primary purpose of the probationary portion of the defendant's sentence was to ensure that defendant received appropriate rehabilitative treatment and to monitor him to ensure that he did not relapse and once again pose a threat to others," she wrote.

At his weekly news conference earlier in the day, the governor said Brooke's case warranted a serious discussion about the appropriate penalties for certain heinous crimes.

Jessica's Law, a tougher sex offender registry law and civil confinement, which would keep certain sexually violent inmates beyond their maximum prison terms should be on the table, he said. Death penalty for sexual assault on a minor with death resulting, which Douglas said a number of people are calling for, and chemical castration for violent sexual predators, also should be part of the discussion, he said.

Jessica's Law is named after a 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender in 2005. It requires a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and electronic surveillance of sex offenders who prey on children under 12.

But Douglas stopped short of calling a special session of the Legislature, saying based on previous actions on his sex offender proposals he did not have confidence that the Legislature would be effective.

"I'm not going to call the Legislature back unless and until there's complete agreement on a package so it can be handled expeditiously," he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin said he would be open to a special session but said none of the governor's suggestions would have helped in this case.

He said he plans to ask the Senate Judiciary Committee to meet up to six times between now and Nov. 15 to examine why Jacques was released from probation; if sex offender laws passed since his 1993 conviction would have changed the alleged outcome; and what else can be done to make Vermont more safe.


Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Sears, D-Bennington, said the question to be asked is: "How do we keep kids safe from people they should be able to trust ... I don't think you do that in a two-day special session."

Perhaps the judge, the probation/parole officer(s), the correction's officer(s)/commissioner and her closest relatives (Cassandra, Denise) should be carefully checked out.  Somebody has something to gain/hide here.  Otherwise, Brooke would be alive and her habitually perverted relatives would have been locked away for life.  IMO.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 19, 2008, 02:43:09 PM
Library confrontation points up privacy dilemma

(http://img.optimum.net/images/ap/news/resized/66e10951-b7be-4dca-982a-10ca01e9a9a1_article.jpg)

Children's librarian Judith Flint was getting ready for the monthly book discussion group for 8- and 9-year-olds on "Love That Dog" when police showed up.

They weren't kidding around: Five state police detectives wanted to seize Kimball Public Library's public access computers as they frantically searched for a 12-year-old girl, acting on a tip that she sometimes used the terminals.

Flint demanded a search warrant, touching off a confrontation that pitted the privacy rights of library patrons against the rights of police on official business.

"It's one of the most difficult situations a library can face," said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of intellectual freedom issues for the American Library Association.

Investigators did obtain a warrant about eight hours later, but the June 26 standoff in the 105-year-old, red brick library on Main Street frustrated police and had fellow librarians cheering Flint.

"What I observed when I came in were a bunch of very tall men encircling a very small woman," said the library's director, Amy Grasmick, who held fast to the need for a warrant after coming to the rescue of the 4-foot-10 Flint.

Library records and patron privacy have been hot topics since the passage of the U.S. Patriot Act after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Library advocates have accused the government of using the anti-terrorism law to find out — without proper judicial oversight or after-the-fact reviews — what people research in libraries.

But the investigation of Brooke Bennett's disappearance wasn't a Patriot Act case.

"We had to balance out the fact that we had information that we thought was true that Brooke Bennett used those computers to communicate on her MySpace account," said Col. James Baker, director of the Vermont State Police. "We had to balance that out with protecting the civil liberties of everybody else, and this was not an easy decision to make."

Brooke, from Braintree, vanished the day before the June 26 confrontation in the children's section of the tiny library. Investigators went to the library chasing a lead that she had used the computers there to arrange a rendezvous.

Brooke was found dead July 2. An uncle, convicted sex offender Michael Jacques, has since been charged with kidnapping her. Authorities say Jacques had gotten into her MySpace account and altered postings to make investigators believe she had run off with someone she met online.

Flint was firm in her confrontation with the police.

"The lead detective said to me that they need to take the public computers and I said `OK, show me your warrant and that will be that,'" said Flint, 56. "He did say he didn't need any paper. I said `You do.' He said `I'm just trying to save a 12-year-old girl,' and I told him `Show me the paper.'"

Cybersecurity expert Fred H. Cate, a law professor at Indiana University, said the librarians acted appropriately.

"If you've told all your patrons `We won't hand over your records unless we're ordered to by a court,' and then you turn them over voluntarily, you're liable for anything that goes wrong," he said.

A new Vermont law that requires libraries to demand court orders in such situations took effect July 1, but it wasn't in place that June day. The library's policy was to require one.

The librarians did agree to shut down the computers so no one could tamper with them, which had been a concern to police.

Once in police hands, how broadly could police dig into the computer hard drives without violating the privacy of other library patrons?

Baker wouldn't discuss what information was gleaned from the computers or what state police did with information about other people, except to say the scope of the warrant was restricted to the missing girl investigation.

"The idea that they took all the computers, it's like data mining," said Caldwell-Stone. "Now, all of a sudden, since you used that computer, your information is exposed to law enforcement and can be used in ways that (it) wasn't intended.'"

© Copyright 2008 CSC Holdings, Inc.

http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?articleId=440501


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 27, 2008, 03:20:57 AM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8740829&nav=4QcS

A Vermont Rally for Jessica's Law

A small crowd turned out in Saint Albans Saturday to rally for Jessica's Law here in Vermont. The measure is on the books in 40 other states. It would require tougher sentencing for convicted pedophiles.

Supporters of a mandatory minimum sentence for sexual assault on a child say they have gathered 12,000 petition signatures gathered from around Vermont. This is not the first time that the issue has brought out calls for change. It is, though, the first one since the murder of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. The man charged with kidnapping her was a registered sex offender who was also facing charges for sexually abusing another child. But not everyone who supports tougher sentences is insisting on the 25 years contained in Jessica's law.

"These cases need to be reviewed individually, however I think we need to have a minimum fifteen year mandatory sentence for pedophiles. Jessica's Law is 25 years. That's very aggressive... But we need to take steps to set up something that's mandatory for sentencing," said Maura Kelley, a substitute teacher who lives in Hinesburg.

Rally organizer Paul Beaudry, who hosts radio talk shows, has been pushing Jessica's Law on the air. He said initially, mandatory sentencing had support from both major political parties. "We had six lawmakers sign it, three Democrats, three Republicans," he said. "So it was a bipartisan bill. And (Rep. Bill) Lippert along with (Rep. Gaye) Symington made sure it went nowhere."

Rally organizers admit they won't get anywhere with Jessica's Law unless they can elect more lawmakers who support it. Vermont's legislature recently rejected mandatory sentencing, but did enact changes that include a possible life sentence for second-time child sex offenders.




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 27, 2008, 03:42:55 AM
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8738317&nav=4QcS

Prison Officials Stand by Sex Offender Treatment
 
Waterbury, Vermont - July 25, 2008

Prison officials are standing by Vermont's sex offender treatment despite one of its graduate's suspected involvement in the murder of a 12-year-old girl. Officials say the program comes with no guarantees, but they say it dramatically reduces the risk of re-offense. And the Vermont Corrections Department says its programs have become a model for other states because they are so successful.

"It makes us safer than not doing it. It doesn't guarantee total safety," says Vt. Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann.

Hofmann says studies show that sex offenders are less likely to re-offend if they complete the state's sex offender treatment program.

About 400 of Vermont's 2,000 convicts-- about 20 percent-- are doing time for a sex crime conviction. Most will complete sex offender treatment. The great majority of the graduates will not re-offend, unlike Michael Jacques.

He completed the treatment program and was called a model prisoner by the department and released from probation in 2006 after the department categorized him as a model prisoner.

Until 12-year-old niece Brooke Bennett was kidnapped and murdered last month-- and he's the prime suspect. The commissioner says the program should not be judged by this one failure.

"Does it succeed in all cases? And make all of these people who come to us impaired and violent and criminal and make them all model citizens? No, and I think that's unrealistic," says Hofmann.

The commissioner says there have been three major changes in the treatment since Jacques completed the program in 2000.

In the late 1990s the program was re-designed to match length and intensity of treatment to the severity of the offense.

Second, the department adopted what it calls state-of-the-science testing methods to better assess the risk of re-offense.

Third, convicted sex offenders are now subject to random lie detector testing to determine if they are engaging in high-risk behavior such as viewing pornography or hanging around kids.


"The program is effective at reducing the risk to re-offend and it is effective at helping to make our community safer. It is not a total assurance that some deviant will not relapse. That's just one of the terrible realities of the criminals that we deal with," says Hofmann.

Brian Joyce - WCAX News
*********************************************************
To be effective, a safety program has to be 100% effective or it is not safe.

If a company made air conditioners and all of them caught fire while they were in use, they were then treated and only 49% of them caught fire afterwards, the treatment was effective.  Would you consider this a program that made them safe?   

How do they really know these people are not re-offending?  No one would have known that Jacques was re-offending continually until Brooke was murdered and he was one of their success stories.  What does one of their failures look like?

God bless you, Brooke. 

Help guide us from heaven to find a way to stop these sex offenders from re-offending, ever.  Please help us to identify those that will do it even once.



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Sam on July 27, 2008, 08:58:00 PM
Bearlyhere, thank you for posting that.

I guess it is good to keep trying to find a way to rehabilitate these offenders. I just wish there was a way to stop  them from offending in the first place.
Rest in Peace Brooke.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Bearlyhere on July 27, 2008, 10:35:40 PM
Bearlyhere, thank you for posting that.

I guess it is good to keep trying to find a way to rehabilitate these offenders. I just wish there was a way to stop  them from offending in the first place.
Rest in Peace Brooke.

You're welcome, Sam.  I don't understand it at all, but when it is a family member, the very protectors of our children, it somehow seems even worse.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: jaggard19 on September 18, 2008, 11:25:36 PM
Just wanted to add this link regarding Brooke Bennett Memorial Fund:

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8888332







Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: jaggard19 on September 18, 2008, 11:36:08 PM
And this link regarding regarding strong support for tougher sex offender laws in Vermont:

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=9035610




Title: Indictment: Man Drugged, Suffocated 12-Year-Old Niece
Post by: MSE on October 01, 2008, 04:41:45 PM
Indictment: Man Drugged, Suffocated 12-Year-Old Niece

POSTED: 3:20 pm EDT October 1, 2008
UPDATED: 4:30 pm EDT October 1, 2008


RUTLAND, Vt. -- A Rutland grand jury has handed up a six-count indictment charging Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, Vt., with the kidnapping and slaying of his niece, 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

Bennett's body was found buried in a shallow grave near Jacques home in July. Prior to Wednesday's announcement, investigators said Bennett was murdered but would not release a cause of death.

The indictment alleges Jacques drugged, sexually assaulted and killed Bennett.

The Vermont Medical Examiner determined Bennett died by strangulation and smothering due to a plastic bag over her head and around her neck, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

The grand jury also issued a "Notice Of Special Findings," which makes Jacques eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

The indictment alleges Jacques lured Bennett to his home with help from another juvenile by leading Bennett to believe she would be a guest at a pool party there.

Under federal law, the U.S. Attorney's Office has to make the decision whether to seek the death penalty. No decision has been made and one will not be made until the U.S. Attorney's Office has time to fully review the facts of the case, which is expected to take several months, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The U.S. Attorney's Office also announced Wednesday that it has filed a motion to dismiss an obstruction of justice charge against Raymond Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas.

Gagnon, Bennett's ex-stepfather, has already been indicted by a grand jury in Texas with transportation and production of child pornography in connection with the Bennett case and is expected to be transported to Texas to face those charges.

It had been suspected that Gagnon was involved in an Internet sex ring with Jacques and was attempting to destroy a computer in the days following Bennett's disappearance.

According to the indictment, in 2003 Jacques persuaded an 9-year-old girl into believing that a powerful organization known as "Breckenridge" would harm or kill her family if she did not engage in sex acts with Jacques. The indictment also says Jacques used the Internet and text messages supposedly associated with Breckenridge.

As a result, Jacques succeeded in causing the girl to submit to ongoing Breckenridge directives, including allowing Jacques to videotape himself having sex with the girl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to the indictment, Jacques convinced the girl that Breckenridge sometimes "terminated" girls in the program and that the juvenile might have to assist in the planning of such a termination. In early 2008, Jacques sent the juvenile a series of e-mails purportedly from Breckenridge operatives telling the girl that Bennett had been designated for termination because she was causing problems, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The indictment alleges that Jacques lured Bennett to his home on June 24 with the assistance of the juvenile and left her at a local Cumberland Farms store before picking her back up again and bringing her back to his home, where he killed her.

http://www.wmur.com/cnn-news/17600247/detail.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: MSE on October 01, 2008, 04:43:21 PM
Indictment: Man Drugged, Suffocated 12-Year-Old Niece

POSTED: 3:20 pm EDT October 1, 2008
UPDATED: 4:30 pm EDT October 1, 2008


RUTLAND, Vt. -- A Rutland grand jury has handed up a six-count indictment charging Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, Vt., with the kidnapping and slaying of his niece, 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

Bennett's body was found buried in a shallow grave near Jacques home in July. Prior to Wednesday's announcement, investigators said Bennett was murdered but would not release a cause of death.

The indictment alleges Jacques drugged, sexually assaulted and killed Bennett.

The Vermont Medical Examiner determined Bennett died by strangulation and smothering due to a plastic bag over her head and around her neck, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

The grand jury also issued a "Notice Of Special Findings," which makes Jacques eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

The indictment alleges Jacques lured Bennett to his home with help from another juvenile by leading Bennett to believe she would be a guest at a pool party there.

Under federal law, the U.S. Attorney's Office has to make the decision whether to seek the death penalty. No decision has been made and one will not be made until the U.S. Attorney's Office has time to fully review the facts of the case, which is expected to take several months, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The U.S. Attorney's Office also announced Wednesday that it has filed a motion to dismiss an obstruction of justice charge against Raymond Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, Texas.

Gagnon, Bennett's ex-stepfather, has already been indicted by a grand jury in Texas with transportation and production of child pornography in connection with the Bennett case and is expected to be transported to Texas to face those charges.

It had been suspected that Gagnon was involved in an Internet sex ring with Jacques and was attempting to destroy a computer in the days following Bennett's disappearance.

According to the indictment, in 2003 Jacques persuaded an 9-year-old girl into believing that a powerful organization known as "Breckenridge" would harm or kill her family if she did not engage in sex acts with Jacques. The indictment also says Jacques used the Internet and text messages supposedly associated with Breckenridge.

As a result, Jacques succeeded in causing the girl to submit to ongoing Breckenridge directives, including allowing Jacques to videotape himself having sex with the girl, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to the indictment, Jacques convinced the girl that Breckenridge sometimes "terminated" girls in the program and that the juvenile might have to assist in the planning of such a termination. In early 2008, Jacques sent the juvenile a series of e-mails purportedly from Breckenridge operatives telling the girl that Bennett had been designated for termination because she was causing problems, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The indictment alleges that Jacques lured Bennett to his home on June 24 with the assistance of the juvenile and left her at a local Cumberland Farms store before picking her back up again and bringing her back to his home, where he killed her.
http://www.wmur.com/cnn-news/17600247/detail.html


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: jaggard19 on October 01, 2008, 10:17:12 PM
Copy of the indictment:

http://blackpearl.wcax.com/documents/Jacques_indictment.PDF




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: jaggard19 on October 10, 2008, 04:31:06 AM
Jacques Pleads Not Guilty
 
 Burlington, Vermont - October 8, 2008

Michael Jacques lawyers entered a not guilty plea for their client Wednesday, on a charge of kidnapping and killing his niece Brooke Bennett.

The prosecution indicated it could take six months for the U.S. Justice Department to determine if Jacques could face the death penalty.

Jacques was not in court.

He is charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing the 12-year-old Braintree girl this summer.

Most of Wednesday's hearing entered on defense motions and scheduling issues.

Half a dozen of Brooke's family members and friends were outside the federal court in Burlington as Jacques' hearing was held.

Afterward, Brooke's stepmother said she is of two minds about the death penalty-- she said she really wants to see Jacques suffer and thinks the death penalty may not be punishment severe enough.



http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=9147352&nav=menu183_2_4



Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: jaggard19 on October 10, 2008, 04:35:16 AM

Michael Jacques' Other Victim
 
 Burlington, Vermont - October 7, 2008

Channel 3 News has uncovered more evidence that Michael Jacques has a long history of sex crimes-- and another victim. We are just learning about this part of Jacques' past because a legal loophole helped hide his record-- even from authorities. But Channel 3 News confirmed the information on the eve of Jacques' federal arraignment for the kidnapping and killing of his niece, Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree.

In July, a woman contacted Channel 3 News claiming she had been raped by Michael Jacques in Barre in 1987 when he was 20 and she was 13. She claimed he was arrested and convicted but she couldn't prove it because all public record of the case had disappeared and public officials refused to talk about it. Tuesday we finally confirmed her story.

"He got off. I don't think he got any jail time," said the woman, who asked to be identified only by the initial L.

L admits she remembers few details about how she claims Michael Jacques raped her in his family's apartment in Barre in 1987.

She remembers she lived down the street. She was 13. He was about 20 and he was a predator who lured many troubled girls to his apartment with alcohol and drugs.

"I don't recall any kind of physical aggression but I do remember me obviously saying no and not having any kind of say in the matter and him masterminding the whole thing, and you know, this is how it's going to be and this is the way it's going to go and you're just going to comply," she said.

Here's the timeline:

In 1985, Jacques is charged with impregnating a 13-year-old family member. The state drops the charge because the victim refused to testify.

Two years later, in 1987, he rapes the woman we call L. He pleads guilty to a lesser charge and gets a deferred sentence. All records are sealed and unavailable.

Then in 1992, Jacques was convicted of kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old girl in Rutland.

He completed sex offender treatment. He remained on the registry but got off probation ahead of schedule. His probation officer told the judge Jacques was fully rehabilitated and a model prisoner.

But that probation officer and the judge could not know that Jacques had been convicted of lewd and lascivious conduct with L because all record of his arrest and conviction for that crime has been sealed by law. It took us two months to find out why. This week, sources told us Jacques received a deferred sentence under a plea agreement. And by law, if an offender stays clean on a deferred sentence, all public record of the case are supposedly obliterated.

We do know that L wished her case had gone to trial so there might have been a record that could have been used to keep Jacques behind bars and save others.

"That maybe if he was punished the first time around when my case happened that maybe somebody would be not hurting, somebody's mother wouldn't be missing her daughter right now and you know somebody wouldn't be wondering why their baby isn't at home," she said.

L was ecstatic when we were able to confirm her story and the state has indicated the records have been found.

She also had a message for Michael Jacques: "I'm in control now and I'm not going to let you, you're not gonna, I'm not gonna shed any more tears over this anymore. It's not my fault. I didn't do this."

Key lawmakers have already indicated that one of their top priorities will be to enact a statute that would prohibit deferred sentences for sex offenders so that records of previous offenses will never be expunged.

The prosecutor in L's case has died so we may never know the exact reason the sentence for Jacques was deferred in 1987. But L herself told us that she believes she was tripped up when she was deposed by Jacques' attorney and the prosecutor decided she would not be a good witness.

Brian Joyce - WCAX News

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=9137103&nav=menu183_2_4


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on October 10, 2008, 12:02:26 PM
RUTLAND, Vt. -- A Rutland grand jury has handed up a six-count indictment charging Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, Vt., with the kidnapping and slaying of his niece, 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.
 ::MonkeyDance::

THANKS 4 all the updates!!!


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Rob on October 18, 2008, 09:00:57 AM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,440383,00.html

Texas Man Allegedly Helped Destroy Evidence in Slain Vermont Girl Case

Friday, October 17, 2008


MONTPELIER, Vt —  A Texas man was arrested Friday on allegations that he helped destroy evidence implicating the former stepfather of a 12-year-old Vermont girl who was abducted and killed.

Authorities say Brooke Bennett was to be inducted into a child sex ring by her uncle on the day of her disappearance in June. Her body was found in a shallow grave days later, and the uncle has been charged with killing her.

According to an affidavit obtained by the San Antonio Express-News, Brooke's former stepfather called 58-year-old Kevin D. Grosenheider and asked him to throw away a safe containing evidence that implicated him and someone else in the sexual assault of a minor.

Grosenheider was renting a room to the stepfather, 40-year-old Raymond Gagnon, at the time.

The affidavit said Gagnon apparently called Grosenheider on June 30, the day he was arrested in Vermont on an obstruction of justice charge during the investigation of Brooke's disappearance. The obstruction charge was dismissed, but Gagnon has been indicted in San Antonio on charges of producing and possessing child pornography.
Related

   
The affidavit said Grosenheider initially lied to investigators about the phone call but later acknowledged it. He also told agents that Gagnon showed him images of child pornography on a cell phone and a home computer.

Grosenheider was charged with misprision of a felony -- not reporting or helping cover up a crime.

He was released on $40,000 bond, and another hearing was set for this month. He doesn't have an attorney yet, federal court clerk Aurora Cisneros told The Associated Press.

Brooke disappeared June 25 and was found dead a week later. Her disappearance triggered Vermont's first Amber Alert.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on February 25, 2009, 09:25:41 AM
Brooke’s stepdad seeks deal in porn case   ::MonkeyNoNo::
February 22, 2009

The stepfather of Brooke Bennett, the 12-year-old Braintree girl whose disappearance and slaying last year sparked national attention and stronger sex-offender legislation, wants to settle federal child pornography charges pending against him in two Southern states.

The disclosure of the potential plea deal was included in papers filed in U.S. District Court in San Antonio Texas, by lawyers for Raymond Gagnon requesting a delay in his trial on four child pornography charges, set to begin March 2, so work on the plea deal could continue.


"The parties continue to negotiate a resolution of the case involving multiple federal districts," Gagnon’s Feb. 13 request for the delay said. On Friday, the presiding federal judge in the case issued an order agreeing to put off Gagnon’s trial until April 20.

Gagnon’s court-appointed attorney in Texas, Kurt May, did not respond to a request for comment, but federal prosecutors in both Texas and Alabama, where Gagnon is facing two child pornography counts, confirmed that discussions on a plea deal are ongoing.

"He wanted to have more time to see if he could wrap everything up," Tracy Braun, an assistant U.S. attorney in San Antonio, said of Gagnon. "I can’t imagine this is going to take very long."

Mary Stuart Burrell, an assistant U.S. attorney in Huntsville, Ala., agreed. "That’s my understanding of what’s going on," she said.

Gagnon’s child pornography charges stem from information gathered by police during the massive investigation into Brooke’s death. Her body was found July 2 covered with dirt in the woods a mile south of the home of her uncle Michael Jacques, in East Randolph.

Jacques is facing federal charges in Vermont that he kidnapped, drugged, raped and strangled Brooke after luring her to his home June 25. Police found evidence Jacques plotted his niece’s kidnapping a month in advance and made it look like she had run away to rendezvous with someone she had met on the Internet.

Gagnon, who was divorced from Brooke’s mother, traveled to Vermont in late June after learning from Jacques that Brooke was missing. Police said Jacques talked with Gagnon by telephone several times the night Brooke was initially reported missing.

Gagnon, a resident of San Antonio, was arrested while in Vermont on state charges that he and Jacques had engaged in a simultaneous sex act with a minor in 2007 in South Royalton.

Those charges were set aside when federal prosecutors charged him with obstruction of justice after he allegedly called a friend in San Antonio and asked him to get rid of a computer that contained a collection of child pornography.

The Alabama case against Gagnon emerged after investigators there, acting on a tip, went to a home Gagnon owned in Cullman, Ala., and found child pornography stored on two computers.

According to court papers, Gagnon passed through Alabama in late June while on his way to Vermont and a neighbor saw him "enter his home with computers." Police said when they examined the computers they found a number of images involving minors performing various sex acts.

A superceding indictment unsealed in San Antonio in October contained new charges that Gagnon also engaged in, produced and transported child pornography over a four-year period, between 2003 and 2007.

U.S. Attorney Tom Anderson said late last week he was not a party to the plea deal discussion going on in Texas and Alabama.

Gagnon’s Vermont charges were dismissed after he was indicted in Texas. He has been in federal custody since his July arrest in Vermont and was transferred to Texas authorities in October.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090222/NEWS/90222003


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on April 12, 2009, 04:09:19 PM
San Antonio Express-News
 
April 11, 2009 Saturday

Men take plea in federal case

Two former Toyota Tundra contract workers have pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a child pornography ring linked to the death of a Vermont girl last summer.

As part of an agreement with federal prosecutors, Raymond Gagnon, 41, on Thursday pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography.

His former landlord, Kevin Grosenheider, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, meaning not reporting or helping cover up crimes, related to Gagnon.

As part of the plea agreement with Gagnon, authorities dropped charges of producing and possessing child pornography. He still faces those charges in Alabama, where he lived before moving to San Antonio in 2007 to work with Grosenheider for Avanzar Interior Technologies, a Toyota Tundra plant contractor.

Gagnon faces five to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Grosenheider, 58, faces a maximum of three years in prison. According to court records, Grosenheider last July disposed of Gagnon's safe that contained child pornography images before FBI agents arrived at their home.

Attorneys for both men declined to comment.

The FBI began investigating Gagnon last summer after his former stepdaughter, Brooke Bennett, 12, was abducted and found dead in Vermont.

The case sparked national attention after authorities said she was to be inducted into a child sex ring by her uncle, Michael Jacques, on June 24, the day she disappeared.

Jacques was charged with her abduction and possession of child pornography.

Court records said Gagnon helped Jacques change Bennett's MySpace page to throw off authorities after her disappearance.

Before Bennett's death, Gagnon had traded child pornography with Jacques via e-mail, authorities said.

An underage girl who said she had sex with both Gagnon and Jacques last year told authorities Jacques planned to initiate Bennett into a sex ring called Brackenridge, according to court documents.

Court records said Gagnon flew to Vermont around the time of Bennett's disappearance.

After the FBI began questioning Gagnon, he called Grosenheider on June 30 from Vermont and told Grosenheider to throw away a safe because it contained evidence that implicated Gagnon and someone else in the sexual assault of a girl, according to records. 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:954822590&start=10


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on August 25, 2009, 07:41:18 PM
Feds want death penalty for slain Vt. girl's uncle
By WILSON RING (AP) – 26 minutes ago

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday they'll seek the death penalty for a convicted sex offender charged with luring his 12-year-old niece to his home with the promise of a pool party before molesting and strangling her.

Michael Jacques is accused of kidnapping and intentionally killing seventh-grader Brooke Bennett, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave near his home in July 2008 a week after she went missing.

Prosecutor say Jacques, 43, had drugged Brooke before killing her and disposing of her body in Randolph, the small town where he lived just south of Montpelier and about a five-minute drive from her home in Braintree.

The documents filed Tuesday list five findings that prosecutors contend make Jacques eligible for the death penalty under federal law and 19 aggravating factors, including that he killed Brooke after "substantial planning and premeditation."

The decision to seek the death penalty was made Aug. 14 by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, prosecutors said. On Tuesday the required notice of intent to seek the death penalty was filed in federal court in Burlington.

Vermont U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin, who took office last week, declined further comment.

Brooke's father, Jim Bennett, said Tuesday the family was told about the decision to seek the death penalty before it was released.

Jacques pleaded not guilty last fall to a variety of charges, including kidnapping with death resulting. His attorneys did not return telephone calls seeking comment Tuesday.

Vermont does not have a state death penalty, but Jacques is being charged under federal law. If the case goes to trial it would be the third capital case tried in federal court in Vermont in the last decade.

In 2005, Donald Fell was sentenced to death for the 2000 murder of a North Clarendon woman who was kidnapped from her job at a Rutland supermarket and was beaten to death in Pawling, N.Y. Fell, who admitted everything in great detail but claimed he was the victim of a horrible childhood, is on the federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind.

In 2000, an Indiana man, Chris Dean, was charged with sending a bomb that killed a Fair Haven teenager in 1998. He agreed to plead guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.

When Brooke disappeared in June 2008, investigators thought she had been abducted by someone she met online. But investigators said they soon determined that Jacques had created the cyberspace trail to throw them off.

Jacques' indictment, handed down last October, alleges he used a 14-year-old girl to lure Brooke to his home by getting her to believe she would be a guest at a pool party there. The indictment and supporting affidavits make it clear prosecutors believe the 14-year-old left the home and Jacques drugged, sexually assaulted and then strangled Brooke.

The 14-year-old told police she believed Brooke was destined for a child sex club the teen had been in since she was 9.

Brooke was found buried about a mile from Jacques' house. Her death prompted the Vermont Legislature to revamp the state's sex offender laws.

Jacques had been sentenced in 1993 to six to 20 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a teenager he supervised at a Rutland restaurant, court records show. He completed the state's sex offender treatment program in 2000 and was released from probation in 2006.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hxedH0kW8u9zRHX40_XLYlNo8awQD9AA6T081


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: trimmonthelake on September 11, 2009, 02:59:50 PM
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,549301,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a4:g4:r1:c0.000000:b0:z5
Murdered Vermont Girl's Ex-Stepfather Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

Friday, September 11, 2009
(http://www.foxnews.com/images/386106/2_63_bennett_brooke_myspace1.jpg)
SAN ANTONIO —  The former stepfather of a murdered 12-year-old Vermont girl was sentenced Friday to more than 16 years in prison on child pornography charges.

U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez sentenced Raymond Gagnon in San Antonio to 16 years and eight months in federal prison.

Gagnon expressed grief and remorse in accepting the sentence.

Click here to view photos.

The FBI found child pornography while searching Gagnon's San Antonio home after his former stepdaughter, Brooke Bennett, disappeared in Vermont last summer
Gagnon had been married to Brooke's mother for four years before the couple separated in 2004.

Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, is accused of molesting and strangling Brooke in July 2008.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Jacques pleaded not guilty last fall to a variety of charges, including kidnapping with death resulting.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: San on September 12, 2009, 03:53:48 PM
Thank you for the update.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Nut44x4 on May 21, 2010, 08:16:54 AM
Texas man with Cullman ties pleads guilty to possession of child porn
Posted: May 20, 2010 4:49 PM EDT
Updated: May 20, 2010 5:14 PM EDT

 HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) – A former resident of Cullman County who was investigated in connection with the disappearance and murder of a Vermont girl in 2008, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to possessing child pornography.

U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley announced.

42-year-old Raymond Alfred Gagnon of San Antonio, Texas, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge C. Lynwood Smith Jr. to the one-count indictment returned in 2008.

The indictment charged Gagnon with possessing a computer and related media containing images of child pornography.

A Vermont man, Michael Jacques, is charged with the child's murder in federal court in Vermont.

As part of Gagnon's plea hearing in Huntsville, the government presented facts establishing that in the summer of 2008, Gagnon was part of an ongoing investigation regarding the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl who was last seen at a convenience store in Vermont.

The girl was later found murdered and buried in a shallow grave. During the initial investigation, Gagnon admitted that after he learned of the disappearance of the Vermont girl, he flew from San Antonio to Vermont by way of Cullman where he owns a house.

The charges he pleaded guilty to Thursday involve child pornography found on a computer and related media at the Cullman home.

Gagnon admitted to possessing those computers. He also admitted that while in Cullman, he went to the Cullman Public Library to attempt to access the missing girl's MySpace account and Amber Alert information.

He further admitted to engaging in sexually explicit contact with a different underage girl in Vermont.

During the investigation, Gagnon told an acquaintance to dispose of a safe in his San Antonio house.

He said the safe contained a laptop computer that was used to access the missing Vermont girl's MySpace page, and contained vast amounts of child pornography he had downloaded from the internet.

Gagnon admitted to possessing sexual images of children as young as five years old.

"The facts of this case remind us how people who are interested in sexually exploiting children put a high value on child pornography collections," Vance said. "Gagnon maintained residences in two states and had child pornography at both residences. These people threaten our children and must be taken off the streets."

In 2008, as part of the investigation, a federal grand jury in Texas indicted Gagnon for transporting child pornography.

He pleaded guilty to that offense and was sentenced to almost 17 years in prison.

Gagnon is scheduled for sentencing in the Alabama case on September 22.

He faces a maximum of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He has remained in custody since his arrest in 2008.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell is prosecuting the government's case.

http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?s=12516718&clienttype=printable


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Sister on May 21, 2010, 12:19:14 PM
I hope this POS falls over his shackles and knocks his eyeballs out.  Maybe that's the remedy -- blind the bas***ds!
(Sorry, I am still in a rage over Ethan Stacy.)
:2brickwall:


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: no rose colored glasses on May 21, 2010, 12:33:07 PM
I hope this POS falls over his shackles and knocks his eyeballs out.  Maybe that's the remedy -- blind the bas***ds!
(Sorry, I am still in a rage over Ethan Stacy.)
:2brickwall:
I do also, this case took it's toll on me. Always think about Brooke along with many others that left a mark on me.  ::MonkeyNoNo::


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: MuffyBee on May 23, 2010, 04:08:33 PM
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100521/NEWS01/5210348
Feds say Jacques tried to manipulate investigation
May 21, 2010

(http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BT&Date=20100521&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=5210348&Ref=AR&MaxH=290&MaxW=445) Michael Jacques

BURLINGTON – Michael Jacques, who is in jail awaiting trial for allegedly raping and killing his 12-year-old niece Brooke Bennett, is accused of being a master manipulator in the months leading up to the 2008 crime.

Court documents filed this week by U.S. Attorneys prosecuting Jacques allege he continued to try and thwart the investigators in his case even while in prison after his arrest in late June 2008.

"During July, 2008, while incarcerated, he devised a new scheme to undermine the investigation," according to a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Burlington.

Jacques' alleged jailhouse scheme involved planning a series of coordinated e-mails that were to be sent to the media, law enforcement officials, and a female juvenile other than Bennett whom Jacques had allegedly been sexually abusing, who is referred to in court papers as "J1."

A message Jacques allegedly wrote from prison "…threatened that J1's little sister (then nine years-old) would 'die like Brooke' if J1 did not continue to give false statements to officials," court papers state.

The message written from prison intended for J1 was made to look like it was from the "Breckenridge Program," a "powerful cartel" that purportedly provided sex training to girls, which police later determined was a fabrication, court papers show.

Leading up to Bennett's murder, Jacques used the threat of the Breckenridge Program to strike fear into J1 so she would help lure Bennett, of Braintree, to Jacques' house, according to authorities. Once Bennett was at his house in Randolph, authorities say, Jacques drugged and repeatedly raped her over a 12-hour period before murdering her and burying her body in the woods about a mile from his house.

To help him carry out the scheme from prison, Jacques allegedly tried with phone and handwritten letters to enlist an adult friend in Arizona to help send the e-mails.

"Jacques wrote out each of the e-mails, along with explicit instructions to his friend, about how and when to send them," court papers state.

The plan fell apart when the friend from Arizona cooperated with authorities, records show.

Jacques, 43, was first incarcerated on state charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl other than Bennett and spent months in Vermont correctional facilities before being indicted with a federal kidnapping charge in October 2008 and sent to federal prison.

Andy Pallito, the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections, said Jacques was jailed in state prison – mostly in St. Albans — from June 30 to Oct. 23, 2008.

It appears Jacques' attempt to disrupt the investigations was concocted in state prison; it was "devised" in July, court papers say.

Pallito said he was not sure whether Jacques' mail was being monitored from prison.

"The feds were more involved in this than we were," he said.

But Jacques would have been allowed to send letters from prison, Pallito said.

"He certainly would have been able to write letters within a pretty short period of time after being incarcerated," said Pallito.

Jacques would not have had access to e-mail, said Pallito, and federal court papers state that he used handwritten letters and a telephone to try to get his Arizona friend to send the messages via e-mail.

The court papers do not give many details about how the letters were discovered, and don't give the identity of Jacques' friend in Arizona.

Craig Nolan, one of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys prosecuting Jacques, said he could not comment on the pending case.

The newly released information about Jacques is in a 91-page court memo filed by the government that is the latest in the arguments between the defense and prosecution about applying the death penalty in Jacques' case.

Jacques is facing a federal capital kidnapping charge for allegedly using a means of interstate commerce – the Internet and text messages – to commit the crime, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

A motion filed on Jacques' behalf in March asks the court to "strike or modify the notice of intent to seek the death penalty," saying the federal death penalty "…operates in an arbitrary, capricious, irrational and discriminatory manner."

The counterargument prosecutors made this week called Jacques' attorneys' characterization of the death penalty law flawed.

"For all its various theories and angles of argument, the Motion suffers from one consistent and fatal problem: lack of support in the law," prosecutors wrote.

A judge has not yet ruled on the motion.

In addition to the death penalty argument, Jacques' defense attorneys have filed a motion to have the case tried outside Vermont and are challenging federal jurisdiction in the case. The defense argues that because the crime took place entirely in Vermont, it should be a state case.

Jacques, 44, is now jailed in the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.




Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: MuffyBee on May 23, 2010, 04:09:09 PM

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Slain_girls_stepdad_admits_having_porn_94676799.html
Slain girl's stepdad admits having porn
May 23, 2010

A San Antonio man, the former stepfather of a 12-year-old girl who was abducted and killed in Vermont in 2008, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Alabama to possessing child pornography.

Raymond Gagnon, 42, of San Antonio was sentenced last year to nearly 17 years in prison for transporting child pornography from Alabama to San Antonio.

The charges surfaced while authorities investigated Brooke Bennett’s disappearance. Her uncle Michael Jacques is charged with kidnapping, assaulting and killing her.

While in custody in Vermont, Gagnon called his then-landlord in San Antonio, Kevin Grosenheider, and asked him to throw out a safe FBI agents believe contained evidence of child pornography.

The safe was never found. Grosenheider pleaded guilty in April to charges of not reporting a crime or helping cover one up. He was sentenced in July to a year and a day in prison, and a $1,000 fine.

Prosecutors said Gagnon collected many child porn images when he was living in Alabama, before moving to San Antonio.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: no rose colored glasses on May 23, 2010, 04:27:36 PM
This case just keeps getting more alarming  ::MonkeyNoNo:: Even in prison Michael Jacques is a monster.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: carolb on November 09, 2011, 08:24:50 PM
Federal prosecutors say murder suspect Michael Jacques once hung the body of a dog in the cellar of the home of an underage girl to convince her she would be killed if she did not engage in sex acts with him.

 ::snipping2::

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111109/NEWS02/111109034/Michael-Jacques-Brooke-Bennett?odys ::snipping2::sey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: Sister on November 10, 2011, 09:11:39 AM
Federal prosecutors say murder suspect Michael Jacques once hung the body of a dog in the cellar of the home of an underage girl to convince her she would be killed if she did not engage in sex acts with him.

 ::snipping2::

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20111109/NEWS02/111109034/Michael-Jacques-Brooke-Bennett?odys ::snipping2::sey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
This POS is beyond sick . . . I don't even know the right word for him.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: KittyMom on November 10, 2011, 09:15:54 AM
Please, please, please let him get justice in prison.


Title: Re: Brooke Bennett 12yrs old missing 6/25/08 Randolph Vermont(BODY FOUND)
Post by: alagary on December 15, 2011, 09:56:19 AM
Vermont girl's ex-stepdad sentenced on porn charge
 

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20111215/NEWS/111215007/Vermont-girl-s-ex-stepdad-sentenced-porn-charge-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage