Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

CLARK COUNTY, Wash. - Authorities on Sunday were searching for a person of interest after a 13-year-old girl was found dead in a vacant lot in the Hazel Dell area near her home.

According to the Clark County Sheriff's Office, Alycia D. Nipp was walking home from a Goodwill Store on Northeast 78th Street with a friend Saturday when she decided to take a shortcut through a vacant lot north of the store about 5 p.m. Her friend did not feel comfortable going with her, and so Nipp went by herself, the sheriff's office said.

The girl never returned home, however, and family members reported the disappearance about 1 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.
 
While deputies were at the home, the girl's step-father was out looking for her. He discovered the girl's body about 2:30 a.m. in a wooded area of the same empty lot located about 200 yards east of Northeast 13th Avenue.

Investigators said Sunday they believe the 13-year-old was attacked in a part of the lot some distance from where her body was discovered. They don't know if she was murdered and then dragged to the wooded area or was killed in the wooded area after being initially attacked.

An autopsy was performed Sunday but the results were not immediately available, and investigators did not describe her wounds other than to say she died of "homicidal violence."

Authorities said they were searching for a person of interest seen in the area around the time the girl disappeared. A description of that person will be posted shortly.

Investigators said this appeared to be a random attack.

No more details were immediately released by police.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/40061212.html

Edit-typo in title.

Update: Body of missing girl found in field near Hazel Dell home
by Aimee Green, The Oregonian
Sunday February 22, 2009, 8:15 PM

The body of a missing 13-year-old Vancouver girl was found in a field this morning, shortly after her stepfather reported finding it there.

Clark County Sheriff's investigators believe Alycia D. Nipp, a student at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Vancouver, was killed. An autopsy was to be conducted Sunday.

Investigators are looking for a man who was seen Saturday evening sitting under a tree near where they think Alycia was assaulted, said Sgt. Scott Schanaker.

The man is described as in his 20s or 30s, 5 feet 9 or 10 inches tall and weighing about 180 to 200 pounds. He had short hair and no facial hair and was wearing a brown baseball cap, green fleece long-sleeved shirt, jeans, gray sneakers and a brown backpack. He had a silver mountain bike and did not appear to be a transient.

The girl's mother called deputies at about 1 a.m. Sunday to report that the girl had not returned to her Hazel Dell area home. A friend and a family member told deputies they last saw Alycia at about 5 p.m. Saturday walking through a field north of the Goodwill store at 1600 Northeast 78th Street. Investigators believe she was headed home, which is on the other side of the field.

While deputies searched the family's home, Alycia's stepfather looked for the girl. He returned at about 2:30 a.m. to report finding the girl's body in a field west of the home and set back from the road in the 8200 block of Northeast 13th Avenue.

The body was found in the open less than 100 yards from where investigators believe Alycia was assaulted.

--Aimee Green; aimeegreen@news.oregonian.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/body_of_missing_girl_found_in.html


Dammit all to hell, this makes me sick.

Edit-typo in title.

Missing 13-Year Old girl Found Dead in Clark County
Salem-News.com
Investigators say it appears that the young girl died of homicidal violence.

(VANCOUVER, Wash.) - Police say that on February 22nd at approximately 1:00 a.m., Clark County Sheriff's Deputies were called to a residence in the Hazel Dell area of Clark County on report of a missing 13-year old girl, Alycia D. Nipp of Vancouver.

Sgt. Scott Schanaker with the Clark County Sheriff's Office, says that upon arrival, deputies were told that Alycia had last been seen by family and friends around 5:00 p.m. when she had walked through a field north of the Goodwill on NE 78th Street.

"While deputies were at the residence, Alycia's step father had been out looking for Alicia," Schnaker said.

"He returned home around 2:30 a.m. saying he had located Alycia in an empty field west of the residence approximately 200 yards east of NE 13th Ave. Alycia was deceased."

Schanaker says the Clark County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene and took over the investigation. At this time it appears that Alycia died of homicidal violence.

An autopsy was set to be being conducted today.
http://salem-news.com/articles/february222009/girl_found_passed_2-22-09.php

Update: Vancouver girl died of stab wounds
by The Oregonian
Monday February 23, 2009, 10:15 AM

A 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a field early Sunday morning died of multiple stab wounds, according to the Clark County Medical Examiner's office.

Alycia D. Nipp, a student at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Vancouver, was probably killed in one location and then dragged about 100 yards away to where her stepfather discovered her, according to the Clark County sheriff's office. Her clothing was intact, police said.

Investigators are looking for a man who was seen Saturday evening sitting under a tree near where they think Alycia was assaulted, said Sgt. Scott Schanaker.

The man is described as in his 20s or 30s, 5 feet 9 or 10 inches tall and weighing about 180 to 200 pounds. He had short hair and no facial hair and was wearing a brown baseball cap, green fleece long-sleeved shirt, jeans, gray sneakers and a brown backpack. He had a silver mountain bike and did not appear to be a transient.

The girl's mother called deputies at about 1 a.m. Sunday to report that the girl had not returned to her Hazel Dell area home. A friend and a family member told deputies they last saw Alycia at about 5 p.m. Saturday walking through a field north of the Goodwill store at 1600 Northeast 78th Street. Investigators believe she was headed home, which is on the other side of the field.

While deputies searched the family's home, Alycia's stepfather looked for the girl. He returned at about 2:30 a.m. to report finding the girl's body in a field west of the home and set back from the road in the 8200 block of Northeast 13th Avenue.

The body was found in the open less than 100 yards from where investigators believe Alycia was assaulted.

-- Staff reports

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/body_of_missing_girl_found_in.html

Edit-typo in title

Murdered girl found in Hazel Dell field

09:23 AM PST on Monday, February 23, 2009

By ADRIANE HORNER and FRANK MUNGEAM / KGW.com

VANCOUVER, Wash. - The body of a 13-year-old girl was found early Sunday in Hazel Dell, a few hours after her family reported her missing, police said.

Police say they believe the girl's death was a homicide but autopsy results have not yet been released.

Family members told police that 13-year-old Alycia D. Nipp was last seen around 5 p.m. Saturday, walking through a field north of the Goodwill on NE 78th Street.

The family reported her missing at about 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

When police arrived at the home on 13th Ave in Hazel Dell, they were told the girl's stepfather was out looking for her.

At about 2:30 a.m., he returned to the home, saying he had found her body in an empty field nearby.

According to police, the girl's body had been moved from where she was murdered to where she was found.

"It appears at this point that she may have been a target of opportunity," said Sgt. Scott Schanaker of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Police spent the afternoon searching the area. They said several transients live in the area, and there were several abandoned homes.

Police said there was a "person of interest" they wanted to question in the case. He was described as a white man, 20-30 years old, about 5'9" tall, weighing around 190 pounds and "clean cut." He was last seen wearing a brown baseball hat, a green long-sleeved fleece shirt and blue jeans. Police said he rides a silver mountain bike. They did not release a name.

Friends of the victim reacted to her death with shock.

"She was beautiful, she was such a cute little girl, she was so tiny, she's always really happy and smiling she was so sweet,” said Molly Warlick, friend of the victim.

“It is just so sad to think how little she is and how someone could do something like this," said Kristen Warlick, another friend. "Kids never deserve to die like that."
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_022309WAB-13yo-body-found-LJ.446f3dd9.html#

Really hard for me to copy/paste from this link....read more at the site.

HAZEL DELL, Wash. -- The 13-year-old girl found by her stepfather in a field near her Hazel Dell home early Sunday died of multiple stab wounds, the medical examiner reported Monday.

http://www.nwcn.com/topstories/stories/NW_022309WAB-13yo-body-found-LJ.446f3dd9.html

Alycia "Lici" Nipp

HAZEL DELL, Wash. - Detectives rushed back to a murder crime scene Monday, after a 9-1-1 caller reported spotting a possible person of interest. Investigators found that person, but it turned out not to be who they were looking for.

They are still trying to find out what happened to 13-year-old Alycia Nipp.

The last reported sighting of her alive was at 5 p.m. Saturday, when a friend said she started walking through a field near her Hazel Dell home.

Eight hours later, at 1 a.m. Sunday, family members called the Clark County Sheriff's Office to report her missing. While some deputies were in her family home on the 8000 block of Northeast 13th Avenue, Alycia's stepfather says he stayed out, searching for her body. At 2:30 a.m. Sunday he returned home, saying he had found it. The girl's body was in an empty field near the home, about 200 yards east of Northeast 13th.

The girl who had last seen Alycia also gave detectives a description of a young man she had seen there. He was in his 20s or 30s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall,  with short-cropped hair, and riding a silver-colored mountain bike (see description details below).

Monday, passersby saw someone who could be a person of interest - that's what led the deputies back to the scene. But late Monday afternoon, they still had not found the person described by Alycia's friend.

Alycia Nipp had been a student at Jefferson Middle School for a brief time. Counselors were at the school Monday (see related story). She had previously attended the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics.

An autopsy determined what had already been suspected - that Alycia Nipps had been stabbed to death. Her body had apparently been dragged nearly 100 yards through that field, then left there.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Tip Line at 877-274-6311.

Memorial Fund for Alycia Nipp
A memorial fund for Alycia Nipp has been set up at Washington Mutual bank, under the name of her mother, Miranda Hannah.
Who authorities are searching for
"Person Of Interest" description details:
A man who was seen Saturday evening, sitting under a tree near where they think Alycia Nipp was assaulted. He is described as in his 20s or 30s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 180 to 200 pounds, with short hair and no facial hair. He wore a brown baseball cap, a green long-sleeved shirt, jeans, gray sneakers and a brown backpack, and was riding a silver mountain bike.

http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/news/topstories/story/Hazel-Dell-Girl-Died-of-Stab-Wounds/HWnwuY2ylk6qfk-3cN_k3A.cspx

Edit-typo in title

Man arrested in stabbing of 13-year-old girl

06:55 PM PST on Monday, February 23, 2009

By kgw.com Staff

Watch the KGW report

HAZEL DELL, Wash. - Detectives from the Clark County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man for the murder of Alycia Nipp Monday evening.

Eugene Sanford is one of a number of transient sex offenders living in the Hazel Dell area.

Detectives, working in conjunction with Department of Corrections developed information regarding Sanford's whereabouts on Saturday and Sunday.

Sanford is known to frequent an abandoned house near the murder scene. Deputies familiar with the transients in the Hazel Dell area assisted investigators in locating Sanford, and detectives determined probable cause existed to arrest Sanford for first-degree murder of Alycia Nipp.

Sanford was booked into the Clark County Jail. He will go for his first court appearance Tuesday morning.

Girl died of multiple stab wounds

The 13-year-old girl found by her stepfather in a field near her Hazel Dell home early Sunday died of multiple stab wounds, the medical examiner reported Monday.

Family members told police that Alycia D. Nipp was last seen around 5 p.m. Saturday, when she separated from a friend and decided to walk alone through a field north of the Goodwill on NE 78th Street, as a shortcut to get home.

But she never made it home and her family reported her missing at about 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

When police arrived at her home on 13th Ave in Hazel Dell, they were told the girl's stepfather was out looking for her. Then, around 2:30 a.m., he returned to the home, saying he had found her body in an empty field nearby.

"Based on evidence at the scene it appears that Alicia was killed at one location and her body was dragged approximately 100 yards to the location she was recovered from. When Alicia was found, all of her clothing was intact," said Sgt. Scott Schanaker with the Clark County Sheriff's Office.

CCSO

Alycia D. Nipp

Police spent Sunday afternoon searching the area for clues or suspects. They say several transients live in the area, and there are several abandoned homes.

Police said there was also a "person of interest" they want to question in the case. He was described as a white man, 20-30 years old, about 5-foot-9, weighing around 190 pounds and "clean cut." He was last seen wearing a brown baseball hat, a green long-sleeved fleece shirt and blue jeans. Police said he rides a silver mountain bike. They did not release a name.

"It appears at this point that she may have been a target of opportunity," Schanaker said.

Friends of the victim reacted to her death with shock.

"She was beautiful, she was such a cute little girl, she was so tiny, she's always really happy and smiling she was so sweet,” said Molly Warlick.

“It is just so sad to think how little she is and how someone could do something like this," said Kristen Warlick. "Kids never deserve to die like that."

Anyone with information of Sanford's whereabouts between Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22 is asked to call the Clark County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at 1-877-274-6311.

http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_022309WAB-13yo-body-found-LJ.446f3dd9.html


(Mods, I didn't see this thread and started one in Crimes against Children.  I'm sorry about that.)

No problem....they can be merged ;)

Transient tells police he beat Hazel Dell girl after attempted rape

10:41 AM PST on Tuesday, February 24, 2009

By kgw.com Staff

Video: Murder suspect captured

HAZEL DELL, Wash. -- A transient sex offender admitted to violently beating a 13-year-old Hazel Dell girl because she "giggled at him" when he could not complete his attempted rape of her. He also confessed to moving her body afterwards.

Detectives on Monday arrested Darin E. Sanford, 30, for the murder of Alycia D. Nipp, who was found beaten in a Hazel Dell field. Sanford was arrested on probable cause based on the confession he provided Clark County investigators.

According to the probable cause statement, obtained Tuesday by KGW, Sanford confessed to meeting the young girl in a vacant field, walking her to an isolated area and attempting to have sexual intercourse with her.

When Sanford could not complete the sexual act Nipp "giggled at him," according to his statement to detectives. He went on to say that her laughter enraged him and he began to hit her, repeatedly, knocking her to the ground.

Sanford told investigators he could not recall what he beat Nipp with but that he left her lying in the vacant lot. Later, he admitted to returning to the lot in order to move her body.

Detectives said the sex offender was being monitored and tracked by the Department of Corrections with a GPS ankle monitor. That device confirmed he was in the area and his movements at the time of the murder.

Sanford had been living in a nearby abandoned house, according to police. He spoke to KGW on Monday afternoon, just before police finished questioning him but before his arrest.

During that brief exchange, Sanford said he was in the area "off and on" around the time detectives believed Nipp was murdered. He had an obvious injury on his left hand but claimed it was due to a bicycle accident.

"They [police] just asked me a bunch of questions because of my past criminal history," Sanford told KGW.

Sanford was convicted in 1997 for attempting to lure children from a Vancouver playground. He is currently listed as a Level 3 Sex Offender, a classification that indicates a high probability of repeat sexual offenses, according to the state of Oregon.

Young girl's body found by stepfather
Nipp was discovered by her stepfather in a field near their family home early Sunday. She died of multiple stab wounds, the medical examiner reported Monday.

Family members told police that Nipp was last seen around 5 p.m. Saturday, when she separated from a friend and decided to walk alone through a field north of a Goodwill Store on NE 78th Street, as a shortcut to get home.

Nipp never arrived. Her family reported her missing at about 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

When police arrived at her home on 13th Avenue, they were told the girl's stepfather was out looking for her. Around 2:30 a.m. he returned to the home, saying he had found her body in an empty field nearby, according to police.

"Based on evidence at the scene it appears that Alycia was killed at one location and her body was dragged approximately 100 yards to the location she was recovered from. When Alycia was found, all of her clothing was in tact," said Sgt. Scott Schanaker with the Clark County Sheriff's Office.

Police: Several transient sex offenders living in area
Neighbors expressed frustration with the condition of the area where she was found. Police said Sanford was one of several transient sex offenders living in the area.

“It just tells me that … the city needs to do something about this, because cops are here two, three times a week chasing drug addicts” neighbor Gary Craft said.

"It appears at this point that she may have been a target of opportunity," Schanaker said.

Friends of the victim reacted to her death with shock.

"She was beautiful, she was such a cute little girl, she was so tiny, she's always really happy and smiling she was so sweet,” said Molly Warlick, a friend of the victim.

“It is just so sad to think how little she is and how someone could do something like this," said Kristen Warlick, another friend. "Kids never deserve to die like that."

Sanford was scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday in Clark County.

KGW Reporters Kyle Iboshi and Teresa Yuan contributed to this report.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_022209_news_body_of_13yo_found.400c913c.html


Nut, thanks for fixing the threads! 
Edit-typo in title

Sex Offender Admits To Killing 13-Year-Old Girl
Tuesday, February 24, 2009

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Investigators said Tuesday that a GPS tracking unit that a homeless sex offender is required to wear corroborates his story that he killed a 13-year-old girl in a field in Hazel Dell, Washington.

Court papers said Darrin Eugene Sanford was being monitored by the state Department of Corrections, and the GPS unit shows he was in the field when Alycia Nipp was killed Saturday night.

Detectives identified the 30-year-old Sanford from descriptions by people in the area.

The documents say Sanford confessed.

He told detectives he tried to have sex with her and that she laughed when he could not, so he hit her with something--he could not. Death was attributed to stab wounds.

He later moved the body to where it would be found.

He is charged with first degree murder and has a March 11 court date.
http://www.kirotv.com/caughtoncamera/18787456/detail.html

(http://www.clark.wa.gov/sheriff/sorsearch/mugshot.aspx?image_number=289088)
Previous conviction...
http://ml.waspc.org/offender.aspx?pid=460000&name=Sanford,%20Darrin%20Eugene&address=0xx%20Incarcerated&city=Clark%20CO%20&zip=98666
Level III  
These offenders pose a potential high risk to the community and are a threat to re-offend if provided the opportunity. Most have prior sex crime convictions as well as other criminal convictions. Their lifestyles and choices place them in this classification. Some have predatory characteristics and may seek out victims. They may have refused or failed to complete approved treatment programs.
 
Level III

Convictions
LURING W/ SEXUAL MOTIVATION (2 counts) 04-15-1998 CLARK COUNTY COMMUNICATION W/ A MINOR 04-15-1998 CLARK COUNTY
Public Flyer Narrative (Level III only)
On 04/15/1998 Sanford was convicted in Clark County Superior Court for Communicating with a minor for Immoral Purposes and 2 counts of Luring with Sexual Motivation. According to the Vancouver Police report for the listed charges, on 10-22-97, Sanford contacted a group of minors, between the ages of 8-11, on the playground at Harney School. He pushed an 8 year old male on a swing. The 8 year old reported that he become uncomfortable because Sanford pushed him on his buttocks and pushed him high on the swing. According to the report, Sanford offered the victims money for oral sex but they refused. The victims fled Sanford and he contacted them later in a sparsely wooded area on the playground. He invited them and tried to convince the victims to come with him to his house to `play house`. By his comments, tone and delivery, the victims believed that his motivation for the invitation was of a sexual nature. He is registered in Clark County as homeless. He will be monitored by the Department of Corrections, the Vancouver Police Sex Offender Tracking Unit, and the Clark County Sheriff`s Office Sex Offender Registration Unit.

http://www.clark.wa.gov/sheriff/sorsearch/detailsheet.aspx?offenderkey=5597&mugshotkey=289088
Edit-typo in title

VANCOUVER -- The suspect in the weekend stabbing death of a teenage girl in Vancouver confessed to repeatedly striking her with an object after trying to rape her, according to Clark County court documents released this morning.

Darrin Eugene Sanford, 30, was arrested about 6:30 p.m. Monday in connection with the stabbing death of Alycia Nipp, 13, who was killed on her way home from Wal-Mart. Sanford is a registered sex offender.

Sanford made his first appearance in Clark County Superior Court this morning and the court appointed a public defender to the case. Prosecutors said they plan to file charges, including aggravated murder, in the next few days and a arraignment was set for March 11.

According to a probable cause affidavit submitted in support of Sanford's arrest, Sanford told a pair of Clark County detectives that he met Nipp near a vacant home and "walked with her to an isolated area in the field" where he tried to rape her.

He told the detectives he "wasn't able to complete the sexual act" and that Nipp "giggled at him." At that point he said he "was overcome with a violent rage and hit her with something in the back."
Accused killer appears in court
(http://blog.oregonlive.com/news_impact/2009/02/medium_PX00248_9.JPG)

He continued hitting her, knocking her to the ground. He told police he could not recall what type of object he used to strike her, according to the document, which was written by Clark County Detective Rick Buckner.

He said he returned later that evening and moved her body "to an area where she would be found."

As a sex offender, he is monitored by corrections authorities and his GPS unit confirmed he was in the area at the time of the crime.

Sanford is a registered sex offender convicted of approaching children in 1997 between the ages of 8 and 11 outside Harney Elementary in Vancouver and offering them money to come to his house for sex, according to public records.

Sheriff's deputies said he is a transient and has been seen at an abandoned house near where Nipp was slain.

Anyone with information about Sanford's whereabouts between Saturday and Sunday is asked to call the Clark County Sheriff's Office at 360-992-9213.

Sanford told reporters Monday that he'd been homeless for about four or five months, and before that he'd been in prison.

He said he had been staying in an abandoned house in the field where Nipp's body was found Sunday. He also told reporters that he'd spoken with investigators on the case.

He said he was in the area "off and on" on Saturday but didn't see anything suspicious. As he spoke, the pinky finger on his left hand was wrapped in gauze.

He explained that he was biking at night and hit a mailbox in the dark.

Nipp and her best friend were walking home Saturday afternoon when they came to the field that many in their Hazel Dell neighborhood used as a shortcut.

The overgrown acreage, which spanned several blocks, bordered abandoned homes and was a hangout for transients.

It was off-limits to Nipp, her family said. But that day, the 13-year-old told her friend she wanted to take the shortcut.

The friend did not want to, according to Nipp's family. So Nipp, whose nickname was "Lici," proceeded alone. Several hours later, the seventh-grader was found stabbed to death.

"To this person, whoever he is, you can run, but you can't hide for long," her aunt, Amber Hager, said a few hours before the arrest. "Justice will be done, and you better pray I don't find you first."

Nipp was last seen about 5 p.m. Saturday. She did not have her cell phone with her; the battery had died, and she had left it at home, family members said at a news conference Monday.

Her family did not initially know she was missing. But when her mother, Maranda Hannah, called home at 11:30 p.m. from her job and Nipp was not there, she came home immediately and called police.

Nipp's stepfather, Jason Hannah, then went out searching with a neighbor in the field. After he and the neighbor split up, he came across Nipp's body.

Jason Hannah is "having a hell of a time right now," Hager said. "The pictures in his brain will probably never go away."

Nipp died of stab wounds, according to the medical examiner's office. She was killed in an area partially blocked off with orange construction fencing and which backed up against a two-story dirt berm from excavation work. Her body was dragged about 100 yards to another location and left in an exposed area next to a heavily wooded section. Her clothing was intact.

Friends and relatives remembered the teen as an active, bouncy girl who would make art projects out of buttons and straws she found on the ground.

"She brought a confidence to our family that none of us other women had," Hager said. "When we lost her, we lost our strength."

The Hannahs have been married and living in the house for several years. The house is owned by Jason Hannah's mother, according to public records.

The field was popular as a shortcut, said Nick Holden, a resident whose daughter was friends with Nipp.

"It's a kid highway," he said. "You ask the kids to not go alone," but the area was never viewed as being unsafe.

He added that he just recently saw Nipp walking with Jason Hannah. The two were talking about a movie they thought was so scary, they needed the lights on. Jason Hannah knew the field well, having played paintball back there, Holden said.

"Jason would be the guy you want" to search for a lost child, he said.

A funeral fund for Nipp has been established with the Washington Mutual branch at 200 N.E. 78th St. Donations may be made under Nipp's mother's name, Maranda Hannah.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/dead_vancouver_girl_died_tryin.html
Edit-typo in title

GPS corroborated WA sex offender's confession

A GPS tracking unit that a homeless sex offender is required to wear corroborates his story that he killed a 13-year-old girl in a southwest Washington field, investigators said Tuesday.

By GENE JOHNSON

AP Legal Affairs Writer
SEATTLE —

A GPS tracking unit that a homeless sex offender is required to wear corroborates his story that he killed a 13-year-old girl in a southwest Washington field, investigators said Tuesday.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court, Darrin Eugene Sanford was being monitored by the state Department of Corrections, and the ankle bracelet shows he was in the field, in Hazel Dell near Vancouver, when Alycia Nipp was killed Saturday night.

Detectives investigating the case identified Sanford, 30, based on descriptions provided by people who had seen him in the area. The affidavit says that when they questioned him, he confessed. He told detectives he met the girl near some vacant homes and walked with her into the field, where he tried to have sex with her.

"Sanford said that he wasn't able to complete the sexual act and after she 'giggled at him' that he was overcome with a violent rage," Detective Rick Buckner wrote in the affidavit.

The man didn't recall what he hit her with - a knife, stick or beer bottle. An autopsy determined she was stabbed to death.

Later that evening, Sanford moved the body to an area where the girl would be found, Buckner wrote.

More at link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008782128_apwahazeldellhomicide3rdldwritethru.html
Edit-typo in title

While i completely and totally happy this freak is in custody, I am bothered by his supposed confession. 

A 13 yr old is grabbed, an attempted rape occurs, is not consummated and the child giggled?  Weird.  And then he hit her with "something"?  He knows not what?  This child was stabbed to death.  ::MonkeyWaa::  ::MonkeyNoNo::

I'm praying this is just his way of justifying what he has done and some forensics can prove this.  Otherwise, a child killer (breaks my heart to say) is still walking the streets of Vancouver.
Edit-typo in title

Dagger seized as evidence in Hazel Dell girl's murder

09:20 AM PST on Wednesday, February 25, 2009

By kgw.com Staff

HAZEL DELL, Wash. -- A search warrant obtained by KGW reveals new details and new evidence into the arrest of the convicted sex offender who, court documents say, admitted to police he violently beat and tried to rape 13-year-old Alycia Nipp.
Raw video: Murder suspect in court

Monday, detectives from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at the home of Darrin Sanford’s mother, Shirley Newman.

In an interview with Newschannel 8, Newman said, "I want to hurt my son. I want to take his life so bad and make him feel what he did to this girl."

More evidence collected

Newman provided Newschannel 8 with a copy of the search warrant and the inventory list of evidence taken from her property by police on Monday. “I knew in my heart. Something just told me he did it,” Newman said.

The inventory list had 31 items seized by investigators, including a brown, extra large hoodie with stains, black and brown gloves, a large black jacket with stains, blue jeans with stains, a splint with wrap bandage, underwear with stains and a silver dagger.

 Video: Police search suspect's mother's home

Shirley Newman says she has not spoken to her son since his arrest. He hasn’t called and she can’t bring herself to visit him in jail. Instead, she says her thoughts are with Alycia Nipp’s mother. “I want to hold her. I want to hold the mom. I want to hold her and take the pain away. I would just give anything if I could just bring her daughter back,” said Newman.

Sanford arrested after confession

Detectives on Monday arrested Darin E. Sanford, 30, for the murder of Alycia D. Nipp, who was found beaten and stabbed to death in a Hazel Dell field. Sanford was arrested on probable cause and charged with aggravated murder in the first degree, based on the confession he provided Clark County investigators.

The transient sex offender admitted to police that he violently beat Nipp after attempting to rape her and then moved her body afterwards to "an area where she would be found," according to a court document.

Some of Nipp’s family members attended Sanford’s first court appearance Tuesday morning. “They had to look at him and they had to see this monster that did this," Alycia’s aunt, Amber Hager said. “I want to see him sentenced to death, honestly. I think, he took a life and for that he deserves to give a life, his life.”

 More: Read court affidavit (.pdf)

According to the probable cause statement obtained by KGW Tuesday, Sanford told police he met the young girl in a vacant field, walked her to an isolated area and tried to have sexual intercourse with her.

In a search warrant investigators said they seized several items of stained clothing and a silver dagger during a search of Sanford's mother's house in Vancouver.

Detectives said a Global Positioning System anklet helped them track down Sanford's whereabouts at the time of the killing.

Nipp died of multiple stab wounds

When Sanford could not complete the sexual act Nipp "giggled at him," according to his statement to detectives. He went on to say that her laughter enraged him and he hit her repeatedly, knocking her to the ground.

Sanford told investigators he could not recall what he beat Nipp with but that he left her lying in the vacant lot, and returned later in order to move her body so that she would be found.

A medical examiner determined that Nipp died from multiple stab wounds.

Detectives said the sex offender was being monitored and tracked by the Department of Corrections with a GPS ankle monitor. That device confirmed he was in the area and his movements at the time of Nipp's death.

Sanford talked to KGW

Sanford had been living in a nearby abandoned house, according to police. He spoke to KGW on Monday afternoon, just before police finished questioning him but before his arrest.

During that brief exchange, Sanford said he was in the area "off and on" around the time detectives believed Nipp was murdered. He had an obvious injury on his left hand but claimed it was due to a bicycle accident.

"They [police] just asked me a bunch of questions because of my past criminal history," Sanford told KGW.

Suspect convicted of attempting to lure kids from playground
Sanford was convicted in 1998 for attempting to lure children from a Vancouver playground in October 1997, according to a registered sex offender detail report from Clark County. He is currently listed as a Level 3 Sex Offender, a classification that indicates a high probability of repeat sexual offenses, according to the state of Oregon.

In 1997, Sanford attempted to lure a group of children from a Harney Elementary School playground in Southeast Vancouver, according to police reports.

Sanford touched an 8-year-old boy on the buttocks and offered other children money in exchange for oral sex; they refused, according to the report.

He then attempted to lure them to his house so that they could "play house," the report said.

More at link: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_022209_news_body_of_13yo_found.400c913c.html

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Here's a much more detailed article, I'll copy some and include the link.  And, as an aside, thanks Nut for fixing my boo boos.
I appreciate it!

I am so glad this freak is in custody.  This is so sad, a beautiful girl just walking home to her family has her life taken by this perverted version of a human being.  I am so sick of perverts today, there are so many among us.



Dagger seized as evidence in Hazel Dell girl's murder
   
By kgw.com Staff
KGW-TV
updated 6:15 p.m. PT, Thurs., Feb. 26, 2009

HAZEL DELL, Wash. -- A search warrant obtained by KGW reveals new details and new evidence into the arrest of the convicted sex offender who, court documents say, admitted to police he violently beat and tried to rape 13-year-old Alycia Nipp.

Monday, detectives from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at the home of Darrin Sanford’s mother, Shirley Newman.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here

In an interview with Newschannel 8, Newman said, "I want to hurt my son. I want to take his life so bad and make him feel what he did to this girl."

More evidence collected Newman provided Newschannel 8 with a copy of the search warrant and the inventory list of evidence taken from her property by police on Monday. “I knew in my heart. Something just told me he did it,” Newman said.

The inventory list had 31 items seized by investigators, including a brown, extra large hoodie with stains, black and brown gloves, a large black jacket with stains, blue jeans with stains, a splint with wrap bandage, underwear with stains and a silver dagger.

 Video:Police search suspect's mother's home

Shirley Newman says she has not spoken to her son since his arrest. He hasn’t called and she can’t bring herself to visit him in jail. Instead, she says her thoughts are with Alycia Nipp’s mother. “I want to hold her. I want to hold the mom. I want to hold her and take the pain away. I would just give anything if I could just bring her daughter back,” said Newman.

Sanford arrested after confessionDetectives on Monday arrested Darin E. Sanford, 30, for the murder of Alycia D. Nipp, who was found beaten and stabbed to death in a Hazel Dell field. Sanford was arrested on probable cause and charged with aggravated murder in the first degree, based on the confession he provided Clark County investigators.

The transient sex offender admitted to police that he violently beat Nipp after attempting to rape her and then moved her body afterwards to "an area where she would be found," according to a court document.

Some of Nipp’s family members attended Sanford’s first court appearance Tuesday morning. “They had to look at him and they had to see this monster that did this," Alycia’s aunt, Amber Hager said. “I want to see him sentenced to death, honestly. I think, he took a life and for that he deserves to give a life, his life.”

More at link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29403411/
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I really find it hard to believe that a scared innocent 13 yr old girl would "giggle" because her attacker could not rape her....how stupid does he think that the public is? She would be way too scared to giggle about anything...fricking pervert! hate them all...
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I agree Cookie, that story he told is bizarre.  But I found a new article that may be closer to the truth, that he was in a violent rage.  I am just grateful this pervert is in custody.


Police: Sex offender in violent rage before killing

Suspect Darrin Sanford appears in arraignment court Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009 in Vancouver, Wash. The 30-year-old Vancouver man is under investigation for first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a field in Hazel Dell, Wash. (AP Photo/The Columbian, Troy Wayrynen)

Story Published: Feb 24, 2009 at 11:28 AM PST

Story Updated: Feb 24, 2009 at 11:31 PM PST
By KOMO Staff & News Services
Watch the story
VANCOUVER, Wash. - A transient sex offender accused of stabbing a 13-year-old girl to death told detectives he killed the teen after trying to sexually assault her, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Darrin Eugene Sanford, 30, faces an aggravated murder charge in the death of 13-year-old Alycia D. Nipp, a Thomas Jefferson Middle School student.

The girl was walking home with a friend Saturday when she decided to take a shortcut through an overgrown field alone and disappeared.

Her mother called 911 late that night, and her stepfather found her body in a wooded area of the field soon after.


Alycia D. Nipp

Nipp had been stabbed multiple times and police believe her body was dragged to a wooded area and left there.

The Clark County Sheriff's Office on Monday initially questioned Sanford in the field, where he was known to frequent an abandoned house. They let him go but later arrested him in connection with the killing.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Sanford told investigators he tried to sexually assault the girl and then went into a violent rage.

He admitted to killing her and said he later moved her body to a place where it would be found.

Sanford made his first court appearance on Tuesday in a Clark County courtroom and was ordered held without bail. His arraignment was set for March 11

He is a Level-III registered sex offender, which means he was identified as a sex offender who could pose a potential high risk to the community and who might re-offend.

Sanford was convicted in 1998 for communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and two counts of luring with sexual motivation.

Investigators said Sanford was being monitored by the state Department of Corrections and was wearing a GPS tracker, which shows he was in the field when Alycia Nipp was killed Saturday night.

Department spokesman Chad Lewis said that Sanford had been on GPS monitoring because he did not have stable housing.

Sanford also had been complying with requirements that he check in daily with his community corrections officer and pay court-ordered restitution, Lewis said.

He passed at least his last two drug tests and there was no indication he had tried to tamper with his GPS locator, at least not recently, Lewis said.

http://www.komonews.com/news/40233967.html

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This poor baby girl.  I am so heartsick tonight.


Remembrance For A Murdered Girl

Last Update: 3/01 8:05 pm
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HAZEL DELL, Wash. - While investigators continued looking for evidence in the murder of a 13-year-old girl, family members, friends and classmates gathered to say goodbye to her.

Alycia Nipp was murdered the night of Feb. 22. Her stepfather, who had looked for her all night, found her stabbed body in a field near the family home.
Monday evening, Feb. 23, police arrested a transient who was living near that field. Darrin Sanford was a convicted and registered child sex offender.
The case is not closed, and police are still filling in the gaps of information.

Meanwhile, Alycia's classmates joined with family members, friends and others for a Sunday evening remembrance. It was held at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, where Alycia was a seventh-grader.

More than 200 people attended the Sunday night remembrance, which was held in the school's gymnasium.

A formal memorial service for Alycia Nipp was set for 4 p.m. Monday at the Living Hope Church in Brush Prairie.

An account at Washington Mutual has been established for the benefit of Maranda Hannah, Alycia's mother. Lairie Nemes, the manager of the Hazel Dell branch of Washington Mutual, says the public outpouring of support has been tremendous.

Financial help has come from many other businesses and individuals. Sunday, co-workers of Alycia's parents held a fund-raiser outside the Hazel Dell Wal-Mart. They sold hot dogs, chips, sodas and cookies. Most of those sale items were donated, and more donations poured in from people who just stopped by and wanted to help out.

While the fund-raiser and remembrance were going on Sunday, detectives were back out in that field, looking for more clues. They were also interviewing potential witnesses and others who had knowledge of Sanford's activities during the weekend of the murder.

http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/news/topstories/story/Remembrance-For-A-Murdered-Girl/a9cH1VcDukOjcesVT8jPzA.csp
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Hazel Dell residents outraged over sex offenders in area

HAZEL DELL, Wash. – Hazel Dell residents are outraged that they weren’t warned about a sex offender living as a transient in their neighborhood.

Now that sex offender stands accused of murdering and trying to rape a 13-year-old girl found dead in a field last weekend.

Accused killer Darrin Sanford was identified by police as a Level 3 sex offender – which means he is most likely to offend again, according to the courts. He was living in the area as a transient but had a GPS tracking anklet so police knew where he was at all times.

However, neighbors didn’t know he was living in their community – they were never warned.

  Background: Sex offender arrested in murder

"They should not be transient. If they get out and they are homeless the state should do something,” said Chris South, who lives near where Alycia Nipp was found dead.

Three blocks away, residents at Sam’s Good RV Park are furious that no one told them a sex offender was nearby.

"I think that's ridiculous. I mean, like, I have a daughter and I just think it’s crazy that there's some guy running around doing this, raping kids and molesting kids and we're not notified about it,” said Katie Perez.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of notifying neighbors but a spokesman said deputies typically only alert neighbors within a block’s radius.

“We will go out and flier an area if it's a known place that these transients are at… Mostly if it’s a commercial facility we won’t do that,” said Sgt. Scott Schanaker with the Clark County Sheriff's Office

Most of the area around the field where Nipp’s body was found is commercial, although a daycare is located in the strip mall right across the street.

Sgt. Schanaker said it's unlikely that Sanford posed a threat to the daycare since the children are always behind locked doors. He added that once sex offenders like Sanford have served their prison time, the state cannot force them into housing.

“I would like them [police] to control it better if they could. If not, find some empty island and put all them suckers on it, okay? Let them kill each other, I don’t care. Just get them away from children."

There are currently nine other Level 3 sex offenders listed as transients in Clark County.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_022609_news_hazel_dell_sex_offenders.665b0fa.html
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This just appeared on CNN, interview with the aunt. It seems this poor family had tried to do everything possible to protect her. With the increase in unemployment the homeless will be surely be escalating........

Can LE or probation officers have the resources to track the GPS reporting for sex offenders daily? By the hour? What is the value if this offender ended up living in an open field? I think these are issues that will need to be addressed but within the constraints from our current economy, my gut tells me there just will not be funds to address it.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/12/sex.offender.gps/index.html

By Eliott C. McLaughlin and Patrick Oppmann
CNN
     
VANCOUVER, Washington (CNN) -- When 13-year-old Alycia Nipp didn't come home from a trip to Wal-Mart, her family had no idea where she was, but a tracking device was transmitting the location of her alleged killer.

The quirky seventh-grader, who went by "Licy," could tell you the origin of every neon drinking straw in her collection and she "sewed buttons on everything," said her aunt, Amber Hager.

Her family thinks her free-spirited nature may be the reason she walked through a field popular with transients -- a field she'd been warned to stay away from and where her body was found February 22.

Licy's family had reason to be cautious. Hager was raped twice as a teen and Licy's grandmother was kidnapped as a child, Hager said, so the family was extra vigilant with Licy and Hager's young daughters.

"We all made Licy the promise that it would never happen to her. The cycle would end," said Hager, who is acting as family spokeswoman. "Now we're left wondering: What didn't we say? What didn't we do? How come she didn't listen?"  Watch Hager advise parents to keep kids close »

Darrin Sanford, 30, was one of several homeless people living near the field in an abandoned home slated for demolition, police said.

He was convicted in 1998 of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and luring minors with sexual motivation; he was sentenced to probation, said a Clark County sheriff's report. When he was released from jail in January, following a November probation violation, Sanford was fitted with a global positioning tracking unit on his ankle, according to the Washington Department of Corrections.  Learn more about the device Sanford wore »

Sanford was wearing the device seven weeks later when he tried to rape Licy before beating and stabbing her in a field a couple of blocks from the street where she lived, according to police.

Authorities said they used GPS to corroborate Sanford's confession. A Clark County judge this week postponed his arraignment until June so the defense and prosecution can prepare for death penalty arguments.

Sanford's defense attorney Michael Foister declined to comment on the allegations against his client.

Debate over GPS

The slaying rocked the enclave of Hazel Dell in Vancouver, a 15-minute drive from Portland, Oregon, and serves as fodder for those who claim GPS is used too broadly and bluntly as a tool for keeping tabs on offenders.

"They can't monitor it live, and even if you could monitor it live, him being in the field wouldn't have told you [if] he was murdering the girl," said Evan Mayo-Wilson, an Oxford University lecturer who has studied the use of GPS.

There are two types of GPS monitoring: active, in which the offender's whereabouts are surveyed in real-time, and passive, in which probation or parole officers check an offender's movements after the fact.

Sanford was passively monitored, said Anmarie Aylward, the Washington DOC's program administrator.  Watch Aylward explain how Sanford was monitored »

Both types of GPS are important tools for law enforcement, Mayo-Wilson said, but the technology must be coupled with other efforts to reduce recidivism, including treatment programs, personal visits and interviews with neighbors, family members and employers.

Sex offenders should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and supervision programs must be based on fluid assessments that weigh the likelihood of reoffense, said Peter Ibarra, a sociologist at the University of Illinois-Chicago who studies the use of GPS in stalking and domestic violence cases.

"You have to use it very responsibly," Ibarra said. "It's a technology that cannot stand alone, especially if you're thinking about using it with offenders who imperil the public."

Sanford was registered as a Level 3 sex offender, the category considered most likely to reoffend, according to the Clark County Sheriff's Office. He was listed as homeless on the state sex offender registry, one of 34 transient sex offenders in Clark County. There are eight homeless Level 3 offenders registered in Clark County.  See how each state handles GPS monitoring of sex offenders »

Sanford was living in a vacant home near an overgrown field where Licy's parents sometimes played paintball. The field, littered with trash, has "No Dumping" signs along its periphery and is buttressed by fast-food joints, Chinese restaurants and strip malls. The air smells of frying oil.

Resident Nick Holden, whose daughter was Licy's friend, told The Oregonian newspaper that the field was a popular shortcut -- "a kid highway." Though it wasn't necessarily deemed unsafe, he told the paper, "you ask the kids to not go alone."

Licy was told just that, but on February 21, as she and a friend returned from Wal-Mart, Licy said she wanted to cut through the field. Her friend declined, Hager said.

Police: Sanford unsure of his weapon

Sanford told detectives he met Licy near the vacant homes and walked with her to an isolated area of the field, police said. There, he attempted to have intercourse with her "but wasn't able to complete the sexual act," according to the probable cause affidavit filed in court.  Watch Sanford's mother say she wishes he was dead »

"After she giggled at him," continued the affidavit, "he was overcome with a violent rage and hit her with something in the back. She turned to face him and he kept hitting her, knocking her to the ground."

Sanford told police he wasn't sure what he hit her with -- maybe a stick, knife or beer bottle, the affidavit said. The 180-pound Sanford left the body but came back later and moved Licy, a scant 100 pounds, to an area where her stepfather found her early the next morning, according to the affidavit.

"His GPS unit verified that he was in the area and his movements," the affidavit said.

Attempts by CNN to reach Licy's mother and stepfather, Maranda and Jason Hannah, were unsuccessful.

On the day before his 20th birthday in 1998, Sanford was placed on probation. According to a sheriff's office report, a group of minors, ages 8 to 11, reported that Sanford had offered them money for oral sex. The youngsters fled, but Sanford approached them again in a sparsely wooded area of the playground, asking them if they wanted to go home with him to "play house," the report said.

Sanford violated his probation three times between November 2006 and November 2008, the DOC said. When he was released in January, he was required to check in daily with a probation officer, which he did the day before Licy's murder and the day after her body was found.

Technology, offenders misunderstood

Experts say GPS can create a false sense of security because its capabilities are overestimated. Jill Levenson, an associate professor of human sciences at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, said many people believe it is "some magic bullet or panacea that prevents crimes."

Levenson also concurs with other experts who say the technology is used too sweepingly. Twenty-seven states have some mandatory requirement that the devices be used on sex offenders, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Only six states have no specific provisions for such monitoring.  See data »

Most sex offenders are neither violent nor pedophiles, and they re-offend in about one of 20 cases, said Levenson, who studies sex crime policy.

Because the media focus on the most sensational crimes, politicians often focus their energies on combating the violent incidents rather than the more common occurrences, such as people being sexually assaulted by those they know, she said.

UIC's Ibarra called it a "knee-jerk reaction" by lawmakers. He said he notices that "legislators often propose this kind of [GPS] requirement in the aftermath of some notorious act."

Added Oxford's Mayo-Wilson, "[GPS] could be used effectively to help shape behavior, but it's being used too bluntly."

GPS is more likely to work with low-level offenders while the technology's deterrent effect on the most dangerous perpetrators is limited, Levenson said.

"[GPS] is not necessarily going to deter people from having sexually deviant intentions," she said. "Many crimes are more impulsive and opportunistic, and that level of thinking may not go into it."

Homelessness itself poses problems among sex offenders because unstable living conditions can increase recidivism, Levenson said. Many states have enacted laws limiting where sex offenders can live, forcing more offenders to the streets.

According to a 2007 report by the Council of State Governments, 29 states have residency restrictions for sex offenders. Washington, which the DOC says is home to about 300 homeless sex offenders, forbids them from living within 880 feet of a school or daycare.

An example of residency restrictions exacerbating the problem is in California, said Robert Coombs of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Since 2007, when California implemented its version of Jessica's Law -- which bars registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school, park or places where children congregate -- homelessness among paroled sex offenders spiked 800 percent, Coombs said.

In large metro areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco, "the concentration of schools and parks is so high, the entire jurisdiction becomes largely off limits for housing," Coombs said.

The Justice Department did not respond to repeated requests to discuss the number of homeless sex offenders in the nation, but in California there are about 65,000 registered sex offenders, of which 3,267 are homeless, according to California's Sex Offender Management Board.

It's not only costly and unfeasible to monitor sex offenders, but allowing them to remain homeless increases their stress levels and instability, Coombs said. It makes for a "really dangerous cocktail when it comes to public safety," he said.

Connecticut reviews GPS policy

Bill Carbone, executive director of the Court Support Services Division of Connecticut's Judicial Branch, said the state recently reviewed its use of GPS.

Connecticut, which monitors more than 2,000 offenders, revamped its GPS monitoring after acknowledging the technology had its shortcomings, including error messages, lost signals and susceptibility to manipulation, Carbone said.

Coombs and Carbone also note that charging the devices can be problematic when the offender has no home.

"To some extent, it's been oversold and misunderstood," Carbone said. "I think it is a tool -- not the sole tool -- needed for proper supervision of offenders."

Hager said she is pleased authorities were able to use Sanford's GPS bracelet to make a swift arrest in her niece's slaying, but it makes her angry that a homeless, convicted sex offender was allowed to hang out in a field frequented by children.

Licy's family may never know why she cut through the field, and many other questions about her murder may remain unanswered. Hager said her niece's accused killer should answer one of them.

"My daughters keep asking, 'Why did the angels take Licy? If we pray hard enough will they bring her back?' " Hager said. "I just want to tell him, 'You explain to my daughters what happened to their cousin.
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Just 3 weeks after the brutal murder of 13 year-old Alycia Nipp across the Columbia River from Portland, we are told of a known, dangerous predator that "escaped" from a "treatment center."

When will we wake up that these predators cannot be "treated" and must be put away forever?




Violent sex offender escapes Portland treatment center

08:14 AM PDT on Friday, March 13, 2009

By KGW Staff

PORTLAND -- A dangerous and violent sex offender escaped a Portland treatment center Thursday, police warn.


William Dale Surrat, 40, has a long history of sexually abusing young girls and fantasizing about mutilating others.

Investigators said he could be anywhere but he has ties to Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Aloha and Beaverton.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_031309_news_sex_offender.2f5c4d94.html
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At least in this one case, this situation resolved rather quickly.  Thank God!



Escaped sex predator turns himself in

Last Update: 12:30 pm
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PORTLAND - Washington County deputies say a predatory sex offender who walked out of a Portland treatment center Thursday, William Dale Surratt, turned himself in Friday.

Surratt, 40, has a long history of abusing young girls. He is considered a dangerous man with violent tendencies.

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Escaped-sex-predator-turns-himself-in/vQ-FhVX950a6vfs836ZT5Q.cspx
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Mom of murdered girl hopes fire will bring some closure

01:40 PM PDT on Monday, March 30, 2009

HAZEL DELL, Wa. -- Friends and family members of a girl murdered last month in Clark County are hoping that a blaze set by firefighters will help them begin to come to terms with the horrible loss of the 13-year-old girl.

Twenty-two fire recruits from Clark County Fire District 6, the Vancourver Fire Department and Camas Fire Department set six abandoned homes ablaze late Monday morning, near the 8400 block of Northeast 13th Avenue, including the area where police say Alycia Nipp was killed.

With Nipp's mother standing nearby, along with a crowd of community members, firefighters bowed their heads and held a moment of silence on bended knees for Nipp before starting their training exercise.

“I'm hoping for a sense of closure,” Maranda Hannah, Alycia's Mother said. “I don't think I expect peace from it, I'm just hoping every little step just brings us closer to healing."

The crowd of people erupted in applause when the fire was lit. Most of the abandoned homes were boarded up and "no trespassing" signs were posted after the high-profile murder case. Many residents told KGW it was a site where transients camped out and the area should have been cleared out a long time ago.

“I think it should be done everywhere to protect the children. Kids shouldn't be scared to walk through their neighborhood and parents shouldn't be scared to let their kids walk through their neighborhood,” said Rebecca Parker, who lives nearby.

Alicia's body was found in the area last month. Police said she was walking home from a friend's house when she was killed. Police arrested homeless sex offender Darrin Sanford for the murder. They say he confessed to the crime. More: Nipp murder investigation ( http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_022209_news_body_of_13yo_found.400c913c.html )

Firefighters told KGW they acknowledged the sensitivity and emotion surrounding the area and hoped their training effort would make it a safer place, too.

“For us it's hopefully an opportunity for the community to move forward. None of us are going to forget. And the other side is you have 22 rookies who are going in and getting invaluable training,” said Jim Flaherty with the Vancouver Fire Department.
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_033009_news_fire_training_nipp.86c89c94.html
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VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Washington state prosecutors have delayed arraignment of a homeless sex offender accused of killing a 13-year-old Hazel Dell girl as they decide whether he should face the death penalty, The Columbian newspaper reported Wednesday.

Darrin Sanford was to be arraigned on aggravated murder charges Wednesday. The state now has until June 5 to determine whether to pursue the maximum penalty.

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_022209_news_body_of_13yo_found.400c913c.html
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Man who killed Alycia Nipp pleads guilty; likely to get life sentence
Tuesday June 09, 2009, 6:01 PM

VANCOUVER - The man charged in the Feb. 21 death of a 13-year-old Hazel Dell girl pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated murder Tuesday during a hearing in a Clark County courtroom.

Darrin Eugene Sanford, 31, is expected to face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole after he changed his plea to guilty in the murder of Alycia Nipp.

Sanford killed Nipp as she walked home from a Wal-Mart. He was arrested two days after her body was found.

On Tuesday, Sanford quietly told a judge that he understood the terms of the guilty plea as Nipp's family held hands in the courtroom.

"This whole incident has brought our families together," said Nipp's stepfather, Jason Hannah. "We've had our difference in the past, but we're a lot closer."

Hannah added that seeing Sanford at the hearing was "frustrating."

Sanford is a registered sex offender convicted of approaching children in 1997 between the ages of 8 and 11 outside Harney Elementary in Vancouver and offering them money to come to his house for sex, according to public records.

He had been released from prison about seven months before he killed Nipp after completing a sentence for various crimes, including failing to register as a sex offender. Sanford had relocated to a house near an overgrown acreage, which spanned several blocks, and was bordered by abandoned homes and was a hangout for transients.

Nipp and her best friend were walking home on Saturday, Feb. 21, when they came to that field that many in their Hazel Dell neighborhood used as a shortcut.

The friend did not want to take the shorter route, according to Nipp's family. So Nipp, whose nickname was "Lici," proceeded alone. Several hours later, the seventh-grader was found stabbed to death.

Sanford confessed to detectives that he stabbed Nipp to death after trying to rape her.

J.R. Yoseph and Michael Foister, defense attorneys for Sanford, released this statement in response to the guilty plea: "The defense team thanks the prosecutor, Art Curtis, and his staff for coming to a reasoned and reasonable resolution that insures the public safety and is in the best interests of justice in this tragic case."

Sanford will be sentenced in the Clark County Courthouse on June 22.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/man_who_killed_alycia_nipp_ple.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/man_who_killed_alycia_nipp_get.html
Man who killed Alycia Nipp gets life sentence
by Gillian Frew, The Oregonian
Tuesday June 23, 2009, 5:22 PM
Judge Robert Harris this week sentenced the man who pleaded guilty to killing a 13-year-old Hazel Dell girl to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Darrin Eugene Sanford , 31, killed Alycia Nipp on Feb. 21 as she walked home through a field that many in her neighborhood used as a shortcut. He confessed to stabbing the seventh-grader after he tried to rape her and pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated murder.
Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in exchange for Sanford's guilty plea. The defendant made a brief statement expressing remorse at the sentencing, said a representative for the prosecutor's office. Nipp's family members also spoke.

Sanford, a registered sex offender, was released from prison about seven months before he killed Nipp, and authorities worried he might reoffend.

He was convicted in 1997 of approaching children outside Harney Elementary School in Vancouver and completed a sentence for crimes including failing to register as a sex offender.

Defense attorneys J.R. Yoseph and Michael Foister released a statement earlier this month in response to the guilty plea that thanked the prosecutor, Art Curtis, for resolving the case in a just way that upholds public safety.

Sanford, a registered sex offender, was released from prison about seven months before he killed Nipp, and authorities worried he might reoffend.

I don't know the answer to this growing problem.  Yet, there has to be one.