It can happen anywhere. Every parents nightmare. Horrific.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,57900,00.html
Kidnapped 5-Year-Old Girl's Body Identified
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
STANTON, Calif. — The nude body of Samantha Runnion, the 5-year-old girl kidnapped while playing outside her home, was identified on Wednesday, police said.
The girl's body was discovered Tuesday in a heavily forested area in Riverside County, about 50 miles from where Samantha was snatched by a kidnapper while playing outside her Stanton home.
Officials said a stranger lured the girl into his car with a story about needing help finding a missing dog.
Her playmate, 5-year-old Sarah Ahn, said Samantha kicked and screamed, "Call my mommy!" when she realized what was happening.
Samantha's body was found by two men Tuesday at a hang-gliding launch site off a state road. When their cell phone failed to work, they drove to a pay phone to call police.
"I cannot describe the area in which she was found and I cannot describe for you what her body looks like," Carona said. "I can tell you we have a crime scene and we have a young girl out there between the ages of 4 and 6."
A massive manhunt for Samantha, which began minutes after Sarah told adults of the abduction, continued throughout the day Tuesday as neighbors posted flyers and rushed to set up a Web site.
More than 130 deputies and 30 FBI agents were involved in the investigation, Carona said.
Erin Runnion wept as she begged for the return of her daughter.
"We don't want vengeance, we just want our baby back," she said.
By Tuesday night, authorities had limited access to the Runnion home with police tape and by placing deputies around the perimeter. A police chaplain was seen entering the home at one point.
Samantha, who stood only 42 inches tall and weighs about 40 pounds, was playing a guessing game with Sarah Ahn when the man drove up in a two-door light green car after making a U-turn, police said. Authorities described the car as either a Honda or Acura.
The children were sitting on a short wall about 150 feet from Samantha's home in the complex, which is not gated, when the man got out and asked for help finding his puppy, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.
"Today I cried because I missed my friend," said Sarah, apparently the only witness to the kidnapping.
Hannah Diaz-Jacobs, 13, placed flowers Tuesday night on a table at the complex that has become a makeshift memorial for Samantha.
"If that was her body they found, it's in memory of her," Diaz-Jacobs said of her offering. "If it wasn't, let's hope she comes home."
Investigators have received hundreds of tips from the public that have been "very helpful," Carona said.
"We are confident we are going to catch the individual involved in this," he said.
Samantha's abductor has been described by police as a Hispanic man with slicked-back black hair and a thin black mustache, wearing a powder blue button-down shirt.
Samantha, who is white, has long, curly brown hair and was wearing a white blouse and red checkered pants when she was taken.
Her abduction follows the high-profile kidnap cases of Elizabeth Smart in Salt Lake City and Danielle van Dam in San Diego.
Samantha's family said they moved from nearby Garden Grove to Stanton a year ago because they wanted a safer environment for their three children, one where they could play outside without fear.
"On a given day you can see 20 to 30 kids playing out there," said Ken Donnelly, Samantha's stepfather.
Samantha and her friend were playing outside while her parents were at work. Her grandmother, who was inside the house, called police within minutes.
"Do we know whether it is Samantha?" Donnelly said of the found body. "We don't know. [We know] only what we saw on TV and what investigators told us."
Samantha's biological father, Derek Jackson of Sunderland, Mass., was contacted by authorities and ruled out as a suspect, Runnion said.
The once vibrant apartment complex that used to be full of children riding bicycles and skateboards was nearly empty Tuesday night, with the exception of reporters on the scene and adults who streamed to the table to leave flowers.
The heavily Hispanic, working class city of about 38,000 people located 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles is a mix of industrial sites, single-family homes and apartments, and is among the safest areas of the county, Carona said.
Erin Runnion said she heard about the kidnapping from her mother and fought back tears while driving home Monday evening from her job as an administrator at British Petroleum in Long Beach.
"I would never have thought this would happen here," she said.
Two rewards have been posted in the case: British Petroleum is offering $50,000 for the safe return of Samantha. The Coalition of Police & Sheriffs posted a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the kidnapper.
At the Stanton townhome complex, Alex Quintanar, 34, held his 3-year-old daughter, Alexa, who used to play with Samantha.
He said that he did not know how he would answer her questions when she asked for her Samantha.
"When she can understand, I'll tell her she went to heaven," Quintanar said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,57900,00.html
Kidnapped 5-Year-Old Girl's Body Identified
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
STANTON, Calif. — The nude body of Samantha Runnion, the 5-year-old girl kidnapped while playing outside her home, was identified on Wednesday, police said.
The girl's body was discovered Tuesday in a heavily forested area in Riverside County, about 50 miles from where Samantha was snatched by a kidnapper while playing outside her Stanton home.
Officials said a stranger lured the girl into his car with a story about needing help finding a missing dog.
Her playmate, 5-year-old Sarah Ahn, said Samantha kicked and screamed, "Call my mommy!" when she realized what was happening.
Samantha's body was found by two men Tuesday at a hang-gliding launch site off a state road. When their cell phone failed to work, they drove to a pay phone to call police.
"I cannot describe the area in which she was found and I cannot describe for you what her body looks like," Carona said. "I can tell you we have a crime scene and we have a young girl out there between the ages of 4 and 6."
A massive manhunt for Samantha, which began minutes after Sarah told adults of the abduction, continued throughout the day Tuesday as neighbors posted flyers and rushed to set up a Web site.
More than 130 deputies and 30 FBI agents were involved in the investigation, Carona said.
Erin Runnion wept as she begged for the return of her daughter.
"We don't want vengeance, we just want our baby back," she said.
By Tuesday night, authorities had limited access to the Runnion home with police tape and by placing deputies around the perimeter. A police chaplain was seen entering the home at one point.
Samantha, who stood only 42 inches tall and weighs about 40 pounds, was playing a guessing game with Sarah Ahn when the man drove up in a two-door light green car after making a U-turn, police said. Authorities described the car as either a Honda or Acura.
The children were sitting on a short wall about 150 feet from Samantha's home in the complex, which is not gated, when the man got out and asked for help finding his puppy, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.
"Today I cried because I missed my friend," said Sarah, apparently the only witness to the kidnapping.
Hannah Diaz-Jacobs, 13, placed flowers Tuesday night on a table at the complex that has become a makeshift memorial for Samantha.
"If that was her body they found, it's in memory of her," Diaz-Jacobs said of her offering. "If it wasn't, let's hope she comes home."
Investigators have received hundreds of tips from the public that have been "very helpful," Carona said.
"We are confident we are going to catch the individual involved in this," he said.
Samantha's abductor has been described by police as a Hispanic man with slicked-back black hair and a thin black mustache, wearing a powder blue button-down shirt.
Samantha, who is white, has long, curly brown hair and was wearing a white blouse and red checkered pants when she was taken.
Her abduction follows the high-profile kidnap cases of Elizabeth Smart in Salt Lake City and Danielle van Dam in San Diego.
Samantha's family said they moved from nearby Garden Grove to Stanton a year ago because they wanted a safer environment for their three children, one where they could play outside without fear.
"On a given day you can see 20 to 30 kids playing out there," said Ken Donnelly, Samantha's stepfather.
Samantha and her friend were playing outside while her parents were at work. Her grandmother, who was inside the house, called police within minutes.
"Do we know whether it is Samantha?" Donnelly said of the found body. "We don't know. [We know] only what we saw on TV and what investigators told us."
Samantha's biological father, Derek Jackson of Sunderland, Mass., was contacted by authorities and ruled out as a suspect, Runnion said.
The once vibrant apartment complex that used to be full of children riding bicycles and skateboards was nearly empty Tuesday night, with the exception of reporters on the scene and adults who streamed to the table to leave flowers.
The heavily Hispanic, working class city of about 38,000 people located 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles is a mix of industrial sites, single-family homes and apartments, and is among the safest areas of the county, Carona said.
Erin Runnion said she heard about the kidnapping from her mother and fought back tears while driving home Monday evening from her job as an administrator at British Petroleum in Long Beach.
"I would never have thought this would happen here," she said.
Two rewards have been posted in the case: British Petroleum is offering $50,000 for the safe return of Samantha. The Coalition of Police & Sheriffs posted a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the kidnapper.
At the Stanton townhome complex, Alex Quintanar, 34, held his 3-year-old daughter, Alexa, who used to play with Samantha.
He said that he did not know how he would answer her questions when she asked for her Samantha.
"When she can understand, I'll tell her she went to heaven," Quintanar said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
