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Somer Thompson, 7 (family photo)
ORANGE PARK In their resolve to apprehend the killer of Somer Thompson, Clay County police said on 11/06 they are "ready to move," in response to additional telephone tips they hope will result following the "America's Most Wanted" TV show, to be broadcast Saturday night.
The prime-time, pro-justice program airing on 11/07 will detail Somer Thompson's shocking abduction/murder, that shook a quiet suburb of Jacksonville, in northeast Florida.
Police spokesperson Mary Justino underscored the law enforcement agency's continued, intense focus on identifying the person who murdered the Orange Park, Florida first-grader, sometime between Oct.19-20, then placed her body in trash.
In announcing Sheriff Rick Beseler's concentrated efforts to identify Somer's killer, the organization's public information officer says, "Additional manpower has been assigned to the tips line phones" to respond to the public, following Saturday night's episode of the crime-fighting program.
The investigation has been a coordinated, inter-agency effort, harnessing vast resources of the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation. To help bring Somer's killer to justice, Justino says, "U.S. Marshals ... remain an active part of our team."
Resolving to find who silenced an outgoing child her church minister deemed a "community hugger," Sheriff Beseler met this week with a production crew from the successful, long-running TV show, featuring anti-crime activist and victims' advocate, John Walsh.
Walsh stated on "Good Morning America" that Somer's brutal killing may be the work of a pedophile serial murderer, which possibly re-emerged from a dormant period, after committing a series of child killings in the Jacksonville area, some 20 years earlier. Those cases remain open.
Somer Thompson was abducted while walking home from Grove Park Elementary School on Oct.19. She had been in the company of her siblings, but ran ahead, and never arrived at their Orange Park residence. Somer's twin brother and elder sister were accompanying when she disappeared from view.
On Oct. 21, Clay County detectives recovered Somer's body from a regional landfill, some 55 miles away. To enable the investigation, police have not disclosed the cause and manner of the little girl's death.
On 10/27, Somer was remembered in a memorial organized by her family and community, whose "embrace" the girl's mother, Diena, acknowledged in a public letter of thanks.
On the national level, "America's Most Wanted " airs Saturday 11/7 at 9 PM EST, 8 CST on FOX Network.
In the ongoing investigation, the tips line is staffed around the clock, and has generated over 3,000 responses so far. Justino encourages the public to contact the CCSO--via telephone or e-mail--which is actively reviewed for workable leads.
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Clay County (Florida) Sheriff's Office tips line: 1-877-227-6911
Email: cart@claysheriff.com
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Comments
although i do not know the family, it is a tragedy for what has happened.i am 16 and i believe that when some one does this type of crime,they should be sentenced to death...
This story of this little girl is so disturbing. Lets hope with new technology the police will catch this child killer and execute him or her. No mercy to child killers.
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