Florida Police Confirm Body in Landfill Is Somer Thompson/ SO waiting for lab results 1-8-10

Amber Alert issued for Orange Park girl

By Karen Voyles
Staff writer

Published: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 8:29 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 8:29 a.m.

A search is underway for another missing little Florida girl.






Second grader Somer Renee Thompson did not return from her Clay County school on Monday afternoon. She lives in the Grove Park neighborhood and was seen a few block from her home at about 2:45 p.m., according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

In a news release issued about the girl's disappearance, the sheriff's office said Somer's mother was walking through her neighborhood looking for Somer when she flagged down a passing deputy and reported the 7-year-old child was missing. Somer had reportedly been walking home with her sister and friends but ran ahead of them heading toward home.

The sheriff's office issued this description of Somer:

* 7 years old

* White female

* 3 feet, 5 inches tall

* 65 pounds

* Brown hair in pony tail

* Last seen wearing a cranberry colored jumpsuit with pink striped sleeves

Anyone with information is asked to call the Clay County Sheriff's Office as (877)227-6911.

An Amber Alert, issued about the girl, added that she was wearing a black shirt under the jumpsuit and may have had a red bow in her hair with a white hat and white scarf.

Earlier this year another little girl in neighboring Putnam County disappeared from her father's home and has not been seen since.

Haleigh Cummings was reported missing by the 17 year old who was watching her and her younger brother while their father worked. A nationwide search for Haleigh was launched within hours of her disappearance being reported.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091020/ARTICLES/910209951/1002?Title=Orange-Park-girl-missing

This is so strange, ANOTHER Florida girl missing. So sad.

So I know we know Casey is responsible for Caylee's death, but this is kinda creepy to me...

Caylee is 3 was missing from FL
Haleigh is 5 still missing from FL
now Summer 7 is missing from FL

so sad!! I hope and pray they find this little girl ALIVE!!

Who would let a 7 year old walk home alone from the bus stop blocks away from her home? At the very best she would have been in the presence of 5th graders.
We live on a cul-de-sac and last year either my husband or myself would walk our then 16 year old daughter to the bus stop in the AM it was 6:30 in the AM, but still she was 16!!!! This year she drives herself and her 15 yr old brother so not an issue!!

Another Missing Child in Florida
Posted on October 20th, 2009

by Jan Barrett

Somer Renee Thompson is a second grade student that attends Grove Park Elementary School in Orange Park, Florida. She is 7 years old, a white female, 3 ft. 5 in. tall and she weighs about 65 lbs. she has brown hair and when she was last seen she was wearing a cranberry colored jumpsuit with pink striped sleeves. She also was carrying a black, pink and white colored backpack with a skull and hearts on it.

Somer was last seen walking home from school Monday with her twin brother and her sister but separated from them as she ran ahead of them heading towards her home. The sheriff’s office say they have checked with all of the immediate family including the girl’s father who lives in North Carolina.

An Amber Alert has not been issued because the investigators do not have a vehicle description but the sheriff says they may be issuing one later Tuesday.

Sheriff Rick Beseler claims this is the longest a child has been missing in his county, Clay County, in 22 years. They are asking the public if anyone has any information about a blue sedan that was seen in the area close to the school within a block from where Somer was last seen about 10 days ago. They say there was 2 Hispanic men and 1 Hispanic woman who were trying to lure a child into the car with them. They would not discuss anything else about that incident though. The Orange Park Police Department handled that incident and a report will go out later today concerning it.

First Coast News reports that Somer’s mother notified the sheriff’s office around 5 pm Monday afternoon that her daughter didn’t come home from school. “Her mother began looking for her, and after about two hours, she flagged down a patrol car and reported that Somer did not come home this afternoon,” said Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler.

“We would ask that the public assist us in providing any information that anyone may have about this little girls whereabouts…she has been missing for about seven hours now,” said Beseler.

He added, “We’re hoping that Somer has gone maybe to a friend’s house or something like that, but we’re leaving no stone unturned. We’re diligently looking right now and we need help from the public.”

Beseler says they were out all night using the infrared cameras and dog teams searching the wooded areas and they also interviewed all the registered sex offenders in the area and they will continue today to search for her. He is asking that residents in the Grove Park area to look through their yards, parked cars, and adjacent properties and if they find anything unusual that might be helpful to please call it in.

If anyone has seen a little girl fitting this description PLEASE call 911, or the CCSO non-emergency line at (904) 264-6512. You can also call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS. You will remain anonymous and could receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.

This is really scary. This child is the fourth one in Florida that we have reported on. First Caylee Anthony who’s remains were found 6 months later, then Adji Desir and Haleigh Cummings who are both still missing and now Somer Renee Thompson. What is going on in this state? This is the United States of America. Aren’t we supposed to be the land of the free yet our children are not even safe on the streets walking home from school. Some families live in areas where public busing is not offered so the children have no choice but to walk back and forth to school. Something needs to be done to protect these children more.

My prayers will be with this family that this adorable little girl is found soon and is safe and returns home. God please look after her.

Jan Barrett

Update - An Amber Alert has now been issued. Read about it here.

http://www.bloggernews.net/122665

I have a feeling they will not find her immediately. I hope I am wrong. I would think both JVM & NG w/be covering this tonight.

You are correct, Jeanne. WHY would the parents allow this girl to walk home from school by herself? I do have to add though, by 5th grade, I was walking to and from school with my friends..but this was in the late 50's. Times have changed and they are NOT for the better!!

This is horrific to say the least. Cherylz I completely understand how you feel about letting kids walk home from school or a bus stop. I drive the boys to their bus stop, wait for bus to get there, then watch them get onto the bus. Then the hubby is there waiting for them when they get off after school. I HAND deliver my daughter and even have to use a security key card to unlock the front door of her pre-school.

I do have to say that in this case, I feel so bad for this family. She was running ahead of the other kids and just happened to be an easy target!

I have to share something that happened to me the other day because I feel that sometimes when things like this happen, it is not always the parents fault.

The boys love to ride their bike to the park and I take them as often as I can, well this time I had not only all 3 of my kids, but also my BF's 2 year old daughter. The boys know the rules that they can only go up a 3 drive ways or so, then stop and wait for me, which they had been doing this very day, well about 3/4 way home a dog got loose and about ate my BF's daughter from licking her to death.. LOL, but it slowed me down and the boys kept getting further and further. I yelled at them to stop but they couldn't hear me, then they had turned the corner and were out of my site.. OMG, I have never been that PO'd at them in my life. I started running with Mackenzie in my arm and pushing that stroller... I turned the corner to find Zach but NO Tyler, my heart sunk and I felt ill to my stomach, I yelled at Zach for getting out of my site and asked where his brother was.. he said that he kept going! Come to find out he decided he was almost home, why not just ride the rest of the way. Needless to say, he was grounded from his bike the rest of the day and learned a lesson, that being that ANYTHING could have happened to him with in that short of a time frame out of my site.

The point I am trying to make is, Things like this happen every day. Kids think they are safe just running ahead a short distance. In this case I am sure the mother had always trusted the kids to walk directly home from the bus stop in a group and this one time, this little girl decided to run ahead of the group, she gets snatched up!

It breaks my heart and scares the crap out of me that these sickos are literally snatching our kids right under our noses! When will this ever STOP!!

crap

i used to walk 5 blocks home every day in elementary school, 3 blocks to the bus stop in middle school, and 5 blocks all the way to high school alone, until i bought a car

I wonder why the Mom waited until 5 pm to notify LE?
It really sucks that our kids are being napped right under our noses like this.

The little girl went missing at 2:45 and the mom called home at 4:00 to make sure the kids were all home. Then from reading the above posts she must have come home from work and was looking for her herself in the neighborhood. NG said she was walking with her little twin brother, an older sister 10 years old and some neighborhood children. Something happened between then and she left the group.
They said last night it smelled of trafficing because of the woman and two men in the other car trying to lure that other little into the car a week ago.
My heart goes out to this family. The grandma was so sad pleading for her granddaughter.
She said "you never, never expect this to happen to you but now it has happened to us". Then she cried some more. Its true..it can't happen to us...right???

I saw the Grandma pleading and crying as well. Of course my heart broke for her being a Grandma myself. If the Mom knew at 4 pm little Somer was not home then why did she wait until 5pm? I know she was at work and maybe a good distance away. However valuable time was lost by the delay in calling LE.

They had Somer's mom on the Today show and she was crying while holding her little girl picture. It just made my heart ache watching her. My prayers are with the family and I hope LE finds her alive soon.

I feel so sorry for her family, she is an adorable little girl. Her siblings will need to be in therapy soon, IMO...the guilt that they will feel about fighting and picking on her and then having her vanish? Stop the war on women and children!!!

NG is on HLN right now saying they are searcing a landfill in Georgia only because that is where the trash where they live in Florida goes to. I do not think this is good news.

Moving this to the Lounge.

Here is a video of part of the press conference where Somer's mom is talking. You can literally see the agony in her face. Also, an article of the latest below the video:

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Nation/2009/10/21/Mother-recounts-last-seeing/1256132343.html

BREAKING NEWS / Clay Co. lawmen searching Charlton County landfill

Published:
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 1:39 PM EDT

The Herald has confirmed that law enforcement officials --- including some from Clay County, Florida, where missing seven-year-old Somer Thompson is from --- are searching the Chesser Island Road Landfill outside of Folkston.

At least one Charlton County Sheriff’s patrol car has been seen entering the site, but officials at Waste Management, the owners of the landfill, are denying media access to the private property.

According to a report on Channel 4 news today, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said this is a routine part of any investigation. Garbage from the missing child’s neighborhood is dumped at the Charlton County facility.

C.C.S.D. Chief Deputy Kenny Jones confirmed the search to the Herald and classified the effort as “routine”.

http://www.charltoncountyherald.com/articles/2009/10/21/news/doc4adf473a0119f714918762.txt

$25,000 Reward For Info on Somer Thompson
By Rich Jones, News Director @ October 21, 2009 12:52 PM

A public reward is now being offered for information that leads to Somer Thompson.

WOKV has learned the Justice Coalition is offering the reward of $25,000 dollars for information that can help locate the girl.

Here is information from the Justice Coalition:
Somer has been missing since around 2:45 p.m. on Monday, October 19.

The little girl walked away from her sister, twin brother and other children as they were walking home from school. The Grove Park Elementary student was last seen near the intersection of West Gano and Debarry Avenues.

Somer is three feet, seven inches tall and weighs 65 pounds. She has brown hair, which was in a ponytail with a red bow at the time of her disappearance.

Somer was last seen wearing a cranberry colored sweatsuit with pink stripes on the sleeves and pants and a black undershirt. She was wearing rainbow tennis shoes and was carrying a black, pink and white Hannah Montana backpack with a skull and hearts.

Anyone with information on Somer's whereabouts is asked to call either 911, the Clay County Sheriff's Office at 877-227-6911 or CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS where you can remain anonymous.

http://wokv.com/localnews/2009/10/25000-reward-for-info-on-somer.html

Child's Body Found In S.E. Georgia Landfill
BREAKING NEWS: Clay County authorities report that the body of a small child was found in a landfill near Folkston, Ga., where Orange Park's garbage is dumped.

Video

http://www.news4jax.com/video/15505198/index.html

OMG, we all know it is her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dear God, my heart goes out to her mother!!! This is just unreal! W/in 20 minutes, she vanished!!!!

Child's Body Found In S.E. Georgia Landfill
Clay County Sheriff 'Fears' It Is Body Of 7-Year-Old Somer Thompson
POSTED: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
UPDATED: 4:29 pm EDT October 21, 2009
ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- Clay County authorities report that the body of a small child was found in a landfill near Folkston, Ga., where Orange Park's garbage is dumped.
"We hope and pray that it's not the body of Somer, but the garbage that was in that area was collected from Orange Park," Beseler said.
Clay County detectives found the body about 3:30 p.m. at a the Chesser Island Landfill in Charlton County.
"This was just a hunch -- a standard investigative tactice -- and discovered what we feared we were going to find," Beseler said.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/21363638/detail.html

I pray they find the person or persons that did this!! Another little body thrown away like she is trash! When does this end?

What a darling girl she was!!

NOOOOOOO!! This is why I am soo scared of my kids running just feet in front of me out of my view! THis is why I am such an Anal mom when it comes to physically watching my kids play in the front yard. This is why I hand deliver my boys to their bus stop and my daughter to her pre-school!!

I just want to cry so hard right now and my heart goes out to this little girls family!!

The girl's parents were notified to the discovery and are on their way to the landfill. The remains were partially buried, so a positive identification was delayed, Beseler said.

A criminal investigation has been opened. There is no suspect.

http://wdbo.com/localnews/2009...html/url]

ALSO.. if it turns out to be the 2 male and 1 female hispanics that took her, I want to know WTF is wrong with these women that go along with these sicko male killers and help?

moving this here:

Body found in Florida landfill likely Somer Thompson

Post by artgal16 Today at 16:35
from the orlandosentinel.com
Detectives searching for a missing 7-year-old north Florida girl said they found the body of a young child in a Georgia landfill Wednesday, but it has not yet been identified.

Clay County, Fla., Sheriff Rick Beseler first said the partially covered body was a female, but then corrected himself and said he couldn't yet confirm the gender. The parents of Somer Thompson, who has been missing since Monday, have been notified.

The body was found by Clay County detectives who followed garbage trucks from the girl's neighborhood to Folkston, Ga., just north of the Florida border in Charlton County, Ga.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said the agency was assisting with the investigation and would conduct an autopsy on the body Thursday morning in its Savannah office.

"We all need to say a prayer for Somer's family," Gov. Charlie Crist said at a press conference.
link:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/orl-bk-missing-somer-thompson-body-found-102109,0,4303649.story

Well unless you personally walk your kids to school
and pick them up, I guess there is just no safe way to make sure they are ok - and who can really do that?
Its not realistic. This is so out of hand, and the fact that she was only a block or two ahead of her sister and brother and friends and she was snatched so fast means someone was watching the school children before hand and knew there were kids walking home on that route and was waiting for a single child to come along.

Thanks for posting the updates.

omg I don't know what to say this just makes me sick. I feel so sad for her family.

Her poor family, her twin will be lost without her. So TRAGIC, so evil, a promise of a future taken away. I hope and pray that she did not suffer very much, that she was not tortured. What is going on in America with these sick people??

Mommy, you can never be too vigilant, never!!! Keep up what you are doing watching your kids like a hawk!

Her mother was so distraught - will every case from now on be a comparison to that b ch Casey Anthonys reactions when we finally heard Caylee was missing?
We know genuine grief when we see it.

I completely agree with all of you. Artgal, you are so right. I think we WILL compare any mother who loses a child to Casey. We cannot help it.

Somer's parents are truly grieving. Her father said that he does not know if he will be able to go on. OMG, I feel for them!

And, yes..her poor twin...how heartbreaking!

I just hope and pray they catch the people responsible for this ASAP.

I will say..Clay County in Florida worked this case the way PCSO should have worked the Haleigh Cummings case. It really pisses me off!

http://www.examiner.com/x-7403-Tampa-Crime-Examiner~y2009m10d21-Somer-Thompson-case-Childs-body-found-in-Georgia-landfill-video

Video and article here.

Hundreds of people gathered in front of Somer Thompson's home this evening for a candlelight vigil just hours after police found the body of a little girl in a landfill in Georgia.

"I don't know if anyone has lost anybody...you guys have been amazing," said Diena Thompson, the mother of Somer Thompson.

Seven-year-old Somer Thompson was walking home from Grove Park Elementary School Monday afternoon when she was separated from her friends and brother and sister, then disappeared.

Surrounded by supporters in a massive hug, Thompson huddled on the ground sobbing. The community came out to the house on Horton Street holding candles, singing "Amazing Grace," and crying. Officials have not yet identified the remains found in the landfill; confirmation could come later tonight or Thursday.

Thompson thanked the community for its support during the past few days, telling them she didn't know how she would ever be able to repay them. "I never expected this...you guy's have been amazing."

"I love her and I'll miss her," Thompson said.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=147039&catid=3

OMG! Haven't kept up with news today and now I have learned this horrible news as I come here to read new posts! I am so very sad, I cannot express it in words. I agree with all the above posts. Is it her in the trash? It is equally sad no matter whose child it would be identified as---just dumped in the garbage, how utterly horrific!

Sheriff Rick Besseler said the body has not been positively identified, The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville reported. But Somer's father told the newspaper police the body had a tattoo like one on his daughter.

"I'm angry. I'm so angry. I'm so hurt," Samuel Thompson said. "My baby daughter laying in trash. Discarded like a piece of trash. God help the sons of bitches who hurt my daughter. They better find them."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/10/21/Body-found-may-be-missing-girl/UPI-26421256150331/

sucks ass

An identification may not come until Thursday morning. The medical examiner in Georgia will do an autopsy in Savannah tomorrow.

Beseler said law enforcement has switched to a "criminal investigation" rather than a search and recovery. There is only, "one chance to do an investigation correctly," emphasizing that the process was painstaking.

http://www.11alive.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=136630&catid=165

why why why do these things happen???
Im sick from this tonight

"But Somer's father told the newspaper police the body had a tattoo like one on his daughter"

I do not understand this statement.

Juanita wrote:sucks ass

ditto

I have faith that LE will find the killer(s). This is NOT like PCSO, thank goodness. So far, LE has done everything right in this case. I think they were ultra-smart to go to the landfill where the family garbage is dumped.

Did PCSO do this in the Haleigh Cummings case? I think not...because according to Cobra..the trailer trash (pardon the pun) was not picked up for five weeks and the neighbors were complaining of the smell.

I cannot stress enough how sad I feel for Somer's parents. This is just horrific!!

And, I would love to know what is going on in Naveah Buchanan's case. We never hear anything and I always look for updates.

Wrapitup wrote:"But Somer's father told the newspaper police the body had a tattoo like one on his daughter"

I do not understand this statement.

I think they are talking about a birthmark.

There was a vigil outside of her house and the crowd sang "You are my Sunshine". It was her favorite song, too. How many more obscenities like this are we going to have to read and hear about? Something, anything has to be done to protect our innocent children our future..... If it means branding every SO with an SO on their forehead....something.

Florida police have tentatively identified a child's body found in a landfill as that of a missing 7-year-old girl who vanished while walking home from school on Monday.

Sheriff Rick Beseler said that the identification was based on clothing on the body and a birthmark that matched an "odd-shaped" mark on Somer Thompson's left shin.

The partially covered body was found in a Georgia landfill near the Florida state line, after investigators followed garbage trucks leaving the neighborhood where Somer disappeared.

Beseler said investigators searched through 100 tons of garbage before finding the body.

"We were able to make a positive identification," Beseler said. "Based on a birthmark on the lower extremity and clothing the child was wearing. I gave the mother the sad news that we had made an identification of the body."

Beseler told reporters it was the hardest call he has ever had to make.

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568982,00.html?test=latestnews

A news conference was scheduled for 7:15 a.m. EDT to make the official announcement.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Clay County deputies and teams from the FBI are processing the crime scene at the Chesser Island Landfill. A van carrying something covered by a sheet pulled out of the landfill shortly after midnight.

An autopsy, scheduled to be performed Thursday at the Medical Examiner’s office in Savannah, is expected to help determine a cause of death.

www.news-press.com/article/20091022/NEWS01/91022008/1075

"

I'm angry. I'm so angry. I'm so hurt," Thompson told Florida Times-Union as he wept. "My baby daughter laying in trash. Discarded like a piece of trash. God help the sons of bitches who hurt my daughter. They better find them."

I feel the same way Somers father feels. My heart goes out to Somers family. They had better find out who did this to her and spare any more kids the same fate.

This old heart is no longer able to feel the sadness. Just cannot take learning of yet another innocent child being murdered witout feelinf flat out RAGE. WHAT will it take to make our judicial system recognize murder of children MUST have HARSH PUNISHMENT. I support the death penalty for punishment of any person who murders or rapes any child or person whom requires guardian or parental care. (I'm thinking of persons who are handicaped and must be cared for as a child. There have been instances where people were abusive to adult aged individuals whose intelectual level was that of a child. I feel it must be made very clear that not only little children but also physically grown up children need to be protected as well. .)

Agree with every word that you wrote, friend. Elder abuse is on the rise as more of our elderly live longer....
You would think we would become immune to the tragedy's reported on the news every night. Somer's death hit me hard. No child deserves to have her life ended so cruelly and suddenly.

I just watched snippet's of the parents getting the word that the body is, in fact..their daughter. Even typing these words makes me so damned angry!!

That poor mother, OMG..she is truly grieving. They are talking about it on HLN right now w/Mike Brooks.

This is sooo horrific! my heart seriously goes out to that mother! OMG, I can't even begin to imagine what she and the father are going through right now

There will be another new conference Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. First Coast News will carry it live on air and online.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/mostpopular/news-article.aspx?storyid=147047&provider=top