Somer Renee Thompson #2 10/29/09 - 4/26/10

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/22/crimesider/entry6128691.shtml
January 22, 2010 9:14 AM
Somer Thompson Murder: Mom Warned a Year Before 7-Year-Old's Abduction (Photos)

[Cardinal]

Hi Monkeys. 

I am brand new here and just had to join as I live only 10-15 minutes away from Somer and an hour and a 1/2 from Haleigh, I am so angered by this! Having something happen so close to home just breaks my heart.

In our neighborhood right down the street, a couple of teenagers from my school have been "breaking" into (really the cars were never locked in the first place) vehicles and stealing things in the middle of the night. The cops soon came by as our car was one of them. They took fingerprints, then returned twice more to interview.

My dad was incredibly impressed with how hard they were working to catch them, and decided to ask what in the world is going on with Somer's case. He asked if it was transience or just a homeless guy passing through, and the cop shook his head and said, "Nope. We're focused in on a local." He then told my dad that we should hear something "very soon."

Not sure what this means but I am hoping they lock into an arrest here. The fact that it's a local just disgusts me more as little kids still walk home on Debarry all the time.

Hopefully Justice is coming for Somer - soon! 

[no rose colored glasses]

Hi Monkeys. 

I am brand new here and just had to join as I live only 10-15 minutes away from Somer and an hour and a 1/2 from Haleigh, I am so angered by this! Having something happen so close to home just breaks my heart.

In our neighborhood right down the street, a couple of teenagers from my school have been "breaking" into (really the cars were never locked in the first place) vehicles and stealing things in the middle of the night. The cops soon came by as our car was one of them. They took fingerprints, then returned twice more to interview.

My dad was incredibly impressed with how hard they were working to catch them, and decided to ask what in the world is going on with Somer's case. He asked if it was transience or just a homeless guy passing through, and the cop shook his head and said, "Nope. We're focused in on a local." He then told my dad that we should hear something "very soon."

Not sure what this means but I am hoping they lock into an arrest here. The fact that it's a local just disgusts me more as little kids still walk home on Debarry all the time.

Hopefully Justice is coming for Somer - soon! 

WELCOME and thanks for that info.

[Brandi]

Hi Monkeys. 

I am brand new here and just had to join as I live only 10-15 minutes away from Somer and an hour and a 1/2 from Haleigh, I am so angered by this! Having something happen so close to home just breaks my heart.

In our neighborhood right down the street, a couple of teenagers from my school have been "breaking" into (really the cars were never locked in the first place) vehicles and stealing things in the middle of the night. The cops soon came by as our car was one of them. They took fingerprints, then returned twice more to interview.

My dad was incredibly impressed with how hard they were working to catch them, and decided to ask what in the world is going on with Somer's case. He asked if it was transience or just a homeless guy passing through, and the cop shook his head and said, "Nope. We're focused in on a local." He then told my dad that we should hear something "very soon."

Not sure what this means but I am hoping they lock into an arrest here. The fact that it's a local just disgusts me more as little kids still walk home on Debarry all the time.

Hopefully Justice is coming for Somer - soon! 

Hi Cardinal and



I am glad that your dad was impressed by your local LE. Personally, I thought by now, they'd have arrested someone or appear closer to solving this case by now.

But Sheriff Beseler did state that it may take a long time to get forensic test results. I am hoping that they are still waiting and an arrest will come from them. And I am hoping that will be VERY soon, as this person or these persons need to be apprehended and Somer deserves justice.

Again, welcome to the cage!

[can]

Welcome Cardinal!   

I too hope there will be an arrest soon. 

Please keep us posted.

[Nut44x4]

Team Somer Gives Look At Killer Search
15 Clay County Detectives Assigned To Finding 7-Year-Old Girl's Killer

UPDATED: 6:26 pm EST February 1, 2010
 
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- For more than three months, 15 Clay County detectives have made it their primary focus to find Somer Thompson's killer.

The 7-year-old disappeared from her Grove Park neighborhood in October as she walked home from school. Her body was discovered three days later in a Folkston, Ga., landfill.

On Monday, Team Somer, as the detectives are called, showed Channel 4 where they're working and what they're doing in their search.

"This is our main conference area where we are going through our leads right now. Close to 5,000 leads right now," Sgt. Dan Mahla said.

The detectives have received 4,477 tips, to be exact.

Video: 15 Detectives Continue Search

"One of the things that we do any time there is an abduction, we go back through our leads again and make sure that we didn't miss anything," Mahla said. "Part of our team is working on that. ... All our neighborhood canvass we completed. (It's) very, very time consuming knocking on everyone's door making contact with people who live in the area of the abduction.

"Up here on the wall is a blown-up map of where the Thompson family lives," Mahla added. "(It) shows a lot more of the streets of where Somer was at, walking down Gano (Avenue) from her school."

Investigators did not give any detail's in the case but said they are determined and optimistic Somer's killer will be identified and arrested.

If you know anything that could help investigators find Somer's killer, you're asked to call the Clay County tipline at 877-227-6911 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. You can also send an e-mail to cart@claysheriff.com.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/22402963/detail.html

[Nut44x4]

This plaque hangs on the wall outside a room where 15 detectives meet every day in the search for Somer's killer.

[klaasend]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/22414234/detail.html

Somer's Mom: Pain Now Just As Intense
Search For Killer Continues More Than 3 Months After Girl Killed

POSTED: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
UPDATED: 5:49 pm EST February 2, 2010

ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- It's been more than three months since 7-year-old Somer Thompson disappeared walking home from her Orange Park school. Her body was discovered three days later in a Georgia landfill, and her killer still hasn't been caught.

Diena Thompson, Somer's mother, talked with Channel 4's Jennifer Waugh Tuesday about how her life has changed since that unforgettable day in October.

Thompson said her pain even now is just as intense as it was the day her daughter disappeared.

Diena Thompson Talks To Jennifer Waugh
Three months after her daughter was killed, Diena Thompson says the pain she feels is just as intense.
"I do a lot of my crying in the afternoon. I don't want to make anyone sad," Thompson said.

She said picking her children up from school can be incredibly difficult.


"It's painful because I don't know what happened," Thompson said. "I don't know exactly where she went missing, and every time I drive down that road, all I can do is think about those things. I literally feel like I'll have a panic attack just knowing that that's the last place she was."

Thompson said she talks with investigators every week, and while they have not told her a lot about the investigation, like how her daughter was killed, they have hinted about who may have done it.

"I think that they think it's not someone I know and if I know them, I know them by chance, just a chance meeting, not someone who's in my inner circle of friends," Thompson said.

Thompson said she wants to get the word out about what happened to her daughter because it's her way of keeping hope alive -- hope that Somer's killer will be caught.

"If this person is watching, I don't want them to see my cry, because they don't deserve to get to see me, or to assume that I'm week, because I'm not. I'm strong," Thompson said.

If you know anything that could help investigators find Somer's killer, you're asked to call the Clay County tipline at 877-227-6911 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. You can also send an e-mail to cart@claysheriff.com.

[Heart]

Verna and Robert Midgett of Macclenny

Banner will fly until killer is caught      Print      E-mail
The Paper - News
Written by Kelley Lannigan   
Thursday, 04 February 2010 11:42

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office continues to process thousands of leads in the investigation of Somer Thompson’s murder. The 7-year-old’s body was recovered from a Georgia landfill last October.

For Verna and Robert Midgett of Macclenny, the day Somer’s killer is caught can’t come soon enough. Their son, Charles Currier, is the boyfriend of Diena Thompson, Somer’s mother.

The Midgetts experienced firsthand the nightmarish anxiety after Somer’s abduction and the emotional upheaval following news of her death.

“The horror of it can’t be described,” said Mrs. Midgett. “There is just no way to really describe what it was like. At one point, my husband had to take me to Fraser Hospital to be treated for stress.”
Last Updated on Thursday, 04 February 2010 11:54

http://www.bakercountypress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=59&Itemid=57

[Brandi]

Detectives Follow More Leads in Somer Thompson's Death
 Taren Reed  Jackelyn Barnard     Created: 2/8/2010 4:12:46 PM    Updated: 2/8/2010 6:36:21 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrested a 21-year-old man Feb. 5 for kidnapping and sexually battering a 16-year-old girl on her way to school last Thursday morning. This is about 10 miles from where Somer Thompson disappeared.

Now, JSO has spoken with the Clay County Sheriff's Office and passed along information to those investigating Somer Thompson's death, said Assistant Chief Tom Hackney with JSO.

Police say they believe Matthew Watson was waiting in the woods in the 10,000 block of 103rd Street near Connie Jean Road to commit the crime. This is on the Westside.

"We made them aware of this individual, his motives and a little bit of his criminal history. They are aware of it and they are looking into it," said Hackney.

Watson made his first court appearance Saturday morning and will be held without bond. He has been arrested in the past and was linked to the Westside crime through DNA.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office released a statement on Monday which said:

"We can confirm that we were notified by JSO because their case involved a juvenile. As with many cases that occur near our border, they shared information about their case with us. We remain committed to not discussing any of the specific details of the Somer Thompson case and ask that no one make any assumptions about Somer's abduction and death based on JSO's comments."

Somer was abducted and murdered back in October 2009. Her body was found two days later in a Georgia landfill. Police have sifted through thousands of leads looking for her killer. Somer's mom, Diena, spoke to First Coast News recently and believes the killer is local and spoke to Somer at least once to gain her trust.

The reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the Somer Thompson case has grown to $64,000.

Call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS if you have any information. You will remain anonymous. You can also send tips to the Clay County Sheriff's Office at 1-877-227-6911 or via email at cart@claysheriff.com.

You can donate to the Somer Thompson reward fund at Ameris Bank. It has two locations. One is at 888 Lane Avenue and the other is at 4835 Town Center Parkway. The account number is 3123504437.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=151755&catid=3

[Heart]

Jacksonville police 'strongly think' cases of missing girl, body found are connected
University Christian student went missing Wednesday afternoon; sheriff waiting on medical examiner's report

    * By Jim Schoettler
    * Story updated at 11:11 AM on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010


The missing student attends University Christian School in Jacksonville. Police have not said if a body found 3 miles from the school is that of the missing student.


Makia Coney

Jacksonville police believe but cannot confirm that the case of a missing University Christian student and the discovery of a body several miles away are connected.

Lt. Larry Schmitt of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said late this morning that police will be unable to say that the cases are linked until the medical examiner submits a report on the body, which was found Wednesday night near the 7600 block of Powers Avenue.

"We strongly think that the two cases are connected," Schmitt said.

School pastor and superintendant Frank Ciresi said earlier this morning school officials are hoping for the safe return of a missing student who has been identified as 17-year-old Makia Coney.

Ciresi said parents at the K-12 private school on University Boulevard near Interstate 95 should be confident their children will be safe. He said school is open and a school officials are prepared to answer calls from concerned parents.

"We are hoping for the safe return of our student who is missing as we speak. We don't have any further information," Ciresi said. "We would like to let our parents know that the security at University Christian school was not breached and you can feel safe about sending your children to school."

A news release put out by the school at 8:20 a.m. stated the missing student is a high school upperclassman who went missing after finishing the school day and leaving campus. The press release did not identify the student further.

Police said the student was reported missing to police about 6 p.m. A bicyclist reported finding a body shortly after 6 p.m. while riding near Baker Skinner Park on Powers Avenue, about three miles from the school.

In a late-night press conference, police said foul play was suspected as there were obvious signs of trauma to the body, but gave no other details.

Schmitt said the student attended school and disappeared after leaving when school had ended.

"We're still very early into the investigation, but foul play is suspected," Schmitt said Wednesday night. "We have not found the student. That is part of our follow-up investigation, to try to determine exactly what happened to her after leaving the school."

Two Sheriff's Office vehicles are parked this morning on the sidewalk just north of the park and a strip of crime scene tape is up along a clearing. Police officials have not scheduled any new briefings in their death investigation.

The student is one of about 800 who attend the school. Ciresi said the school will post a statement on the school's Web site.

"A student who we love, we don't know her whereabouts. Our hearts are heavy," Ciresi said.

Parent Lillian Green said she hopes authorities will release more information soon. Green said she's had one daughter graduate from the school and another who's been there for seven years.

"We've never had anything like this," Green said. "They haven't said anything to us; that it happened here, that she was walking home, that she got on a bus or a car. Let us know something."

Another parent, Nancy Bennett, said she's also hopeful to learn more. Bennett's 13-year-old son attends the school.

"You can only do so much to keep your children safe," Bennett said. "All I can say is my thoughts and prayers are with this young lady's family."

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 630-0500 or First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

http://localsearch.jacksonville.com/community/southside/2010-02-11/story/jacksonville_police_strongly_think_cases_of_missing_girl_body_f

[FlGRLFVR29]

this story also hits close to home, several of my co-workers actually knew Somer, it's so sad and so tragic, I pray that justice will be served for her death and her family gets the answers that they seek.

[Nut44x4]

I am not sure why Makia Coney's story is posted in here....am I missing something that may be connected to Somer?

In any case...it has been confirmed the body is Makia's.

University Christian School Confirms Death of Student, Homicide Probe Continues
Our hearts are heavy as we deal with the loss of one of our beloved University students. Junior, Makia Coney tragically lost her life early yesterday evening.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=151896&catid=3&GID=OtpxWo3VjgvMLzvdsQmPuV8AchZUpvioenrRpYpSawI%3D

[Nut44x4]

Sheriff's Office, FBI converge on house near Somer Thompson's disappearance
'I'm going to put my faith in God,' Somer's mother said; one search warrant is served a block from where the Orange Park girl was last seen

By Jim Schoettler
Story updated at 3:24 PM on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

ORANGE PARK - Clay County investigators and FBI agents served a search warrant this afternoon on a house in the block just west of where Sheriff Rick Beseler has said Somer Thompson was last seen before her disappearance and slaying nearly four months ago.

The home at 1152 Gano Ave. is roped off with police tape and authorities, including an FBI forensics team, are searching in the yard using rakes and shovels. They were also seen looking about the foundation of the house. They have also set up a table with brown paper bags to collect evidence.

Investigators have yet to enter the front of the house and no occupants of the house have been seen through windows or coming outside. It's unclear if anyone is in the house.

Clay County deputies, FBI agents from their evidence response team and other officials converged on the home about 2:20 p.m. Clay County property records show the home is owned by General L. Dailey, 66, who has owned the house since 1996. One record reviewed by the Times-Union lists Dailey's occupation as an independent Baptist preacher.

It’s unclear whether any arrests were made as police served the search warrant and at least one other warrant at a separate location. It’s also unclear why investigators are searching the home and what they are looking for. Neither Beseler nor Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Mary Justino were immediately available to comment.


Investigators have said that they have been waiting for tests on hundreds of evidence samples taken from the landfill where Somer was found. About half of those tests have come back; a number of the results were received recently, investigators have said.

Somer, 7, disappeared ,Oct. 19 while walking home from Grove Park Elementary with her brother and sister. Hundreds of people scoured the neighborhood after she vanished. Her body was found in a Folkston landfill two days later.

Police initially focused on a home under renovation at 1080 Gano Ave., just west of the home now being searched. Investigators searched a Dumpster on the property and also gathered evidence from inside the home, which had been damaged in a fire and has not been reoccupied.

Today's police activity has drawn several neighbors and occurred as a number of students were walking home from Somer’s school on the route she usually took.

“Does this have anything to do with the little girl?” asked Joey Smith, 24, who lives about a block away.

When told it may, Smith said, “It’s good. I’d like to know more information.”

Lisa Gainers, who lives near the home being searched on Gano Avenue, said she hopes police will be able to learn more about Somer's disappearance and death from their search.

"If they find something pertaining to Somer, that's good," said Gainers, 49.

Check back with Jacksonville.com and read Friday’s Times-Union for more.


Diena Thompson, Somer's mother, told the Times-Union this afternoon she supports whatever work authorities can do to bring Somer's killer to justice.

"I'm not speculating on anything. I don't want to get my hopes up and I don't want to get my hopes down,"said Thompson, 35, said of the search. "I'm going to put my faith in God and hope the Clay County Sheriff's Office does what they're good at.

http://jacksonville.com/news/2010-02-11/story/sheriffs_office_fbi_converge_on_house_near_somer_thompsons_disappearance

[Nut44x4]

Here is the home, from the link above

[Heart]

Home Near Somer Thompson Disappearance Searched

By Jeff Hess
@ February 11, 2010 3:22 PM

Police and FBI have swarmed a home in Clay County near where Somer Thompson disappeared.
Investigators served a search warrant Thursday at a home just four blocks from where Thompson was last seen before her killing.
The home at 1152 Gano avenue is roped off with police tape while forensic teams search the home. The search started shortly after 2 p.m.
County property records show that the home belongs to General Dailey, who has owned it since 1996.
At this point, it is unclear if police have made any arrests or why they are searching the home.
Thompson disappeared while walking home from school with her brother and sister. Her body was found in the Folkston Landfill two days later.

http://wokv.com/localnews/2010/02/home-near-somer-thompson-disap.html

[Brandi]

Home Near Somer Thompson Disappearance Searched[/b]
By Jeff Hess
February 11, 2010 3:22 PM

Police and FBI have swarmed a home in Clay County near where Somer Thompson disappeared.
Investigators served a search warrant Thursday at a home just four blocks from where Thompson was last seen before her killing.
The home at 1152 Gano avenue is roped off with police tape while forensic teams search the home. The search started shortly after 2 p.m.
County property records show that the home belongs to General Dailey, who has owned it since 1996.
At this point, it is unclear if police have made any arrests or why they are searching the home.
Thompson disappeared while walking home from school with her brother and sister. Her body was found in the Folkston Landfill two days later.

http://wokv.com/localnews/2010/02/home-near-somer-thompson-disap.html

[Brandi]

Search Warrant Possibly Related To Somer Thompson Case
Investigators Searching Home On Gano Avenue

POSTED: Thursday, February 11, 2010
UPDATED: 3:38 pm EST February 11, 2010

ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- A search warrant was issued Thursday afternoon on a house on Gano Avenue near where Somer Thompson was last seen before she disappeared and was found killed in October.

The 7-year-old's body was discovered three days later at a Georgia landfill.

Clay County deputies and the FBI are currently searching the home.

It's unclear if any arrests have been made.

Investigators searched a separate, vacant home in the days after Somer's body was found. They collected evidence from the home and have been waiting for lab results to return.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/22535336/detail.html

[Brandi]

[Brandi]