Jarred Harrell pleads guilty in murder of Florida girl Somer Thompson

FBI agents and local investigators are searching a house today just west of where slain Somer Thompson of North Florida was last seen almost four months ago, a Web site is reporting.

Somer, 7, vanished in October while walking home from her elementary school in Clay County near Jacksonville.

Her body was found in a Georgia landfill two days later.

Today, investigators began searching a house on Gano Avenue, according to Jacksonville.com.

No occupants have been seen and no authorities have said why that house is being searched, the Web site said.

No arrests have been made in connection to the girl's disappearance.

Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler will issue a statement at 7 p.m., officials said in a news release this afternoon.

"This very brief statement will be done as the result of numerous inquiries by media outlets today,'' the news release says.

"Due to the sensitivity of ongoing investigations, Sheriff Beseler will not be fielding questions from members of the media, only releasing the information contained in his statement. Media members who attend in person will be provided a copy of the statement and the statement will also be emailed afterwards,'' the statement added.
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Thanks for the update mommy! I hope they had a good tip and know a lot more than they are telling us.

I have have felt from the very beginning of this case that the LE did an AMAZING job and have always known they would find the people that took poor little Somer's live from her!!

:cheers: :LE: Justice for Somer!

Someone has been arrested.....didn't catch his name.....something like Jared Harold. I can't find anything about him on the net yet. He's 24 years old and is involved in child porn...... He is being investigated in connection with the Somer Thompson case.

involved in child porn

Does this NOT surprise me!!

OMG, that poor little Somer!!! I can't even begin to think of what she went through!!

The person has been charged with 29 counts of child porn and has a 1 million dollar bond.

Authorities have named a person of interest in the death of a 7-year-old Florida girl.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Besseler said Thursday that Jared Harold, 24, is a person of interest in the abduction and murder of Somer Thompson.
Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from school in Orange Park, Fla., a suburb of Jacksonville, in October. Her body was found two days later in a Georgia landfill.
She lived in Orange Park with her mother. The girl's father, Sam Thompson, lives in Graham, N.C.
Authorities have not said how Somer was killed, but did say the death was a homicide.
On Thursday, investigators searched an Orange Park home in possible relation to the case, WTEV reported.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Besseler planned to speak around 7 p.m.

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Dare I get my Hopes Up?

Clay County investigators have roped off a home in Florida and are searching the front yard with rakes and shovels.

According to the Florida Times-Union a search warrant has been served at the home, which is just one block west from where Somer Thompson was last seen.

Authorities, including FBI agents, are searching in the front yard of the home. A table has been set up with brown paper bags to collect evidence.

It's unclear if anyone is inside the home.

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, 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."

Somer's father, Sam Thompson lives in Graham, NC.

The Times-Union spoke to neighbors who wondered if this search has to do with Somer Thompson.

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

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 this search.

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

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.

Authorities have named a person of interest in the death of a 7-year-old Florida girl.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Besseler said Thursday that Jared Harold, 24, is a person of interest in the abduction and murder of Somer Thompson.
Harold is charged with 29 counts of possession of child pornography, Besseler said. Authorities found the child porn on a computer he left behind at the Clay County home he used to reside in.
Harold was arrested in Meridian, Miss., and was being held under a $1 million bond.
Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from school in Orange Park, Fla., a suburb of Jacksonville, in October. Her body was found two days later in a Georgia landfill.
She lived in Orange Park with her mother. The girl's father, Sam Thompson, lives in Graham, N.C.
Authorities have not said how Somer was killed, but did say the death was a homicide.

This man lives a block from where Somer disappeared.

A man arrested today in Mississippi on child pornography charges was named tonight by Sheriff Rick Beseler as a person of interest in the disappearance and slaying of Somer Thompson.

Beseler said Jarred Harrell, 24, is being held on $1 million bond in a Meredian, Miss., jail after being arrested by federal agents on 29 counts of child pornography, crimes that Beseler said occurred while Harrell lived in Clay County.

Beseler said Harrell at one time lived in a home at 1152 Gano Ave., which was searched today as part of a series of search warrants served in the case. The home is along a path that Somer, 7, disappared on Oct. 19 while on her way home from school.

Clay County investigators and FBI agents continued their search tonight of the unoccupied house in the block just west of where Beseler said Somer was last seen. Warrants were also served on the homes in Callahan, a home in Mississippi and on a car in Mississippi, Beseler said.

Beseler refused to take any questions from reporters and wouldn't say how Harrell became a person of interest in Somer's slaying.

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.

The home on Gano Avenue was roped off with police tape as deputies and an FBI forensics team began searching in the front yard using rakes and shovels. Armed with a search warrant, they entered the home shortly befoer 3:30 p.m. A table is set up outside with brown paper bags to collect evidence.

The single-story brick house was apparently empty when police arrived. Next door neighbor Thelma Cody, 77, said a husband, wife and their two sons and a cousin who'd been living in the home moved out last year. She said she wasn't sure when the family moved or where to. Another neighbor, Tanyia Williams, said she saw people move into the home last year, clean up the property and then leave at some point later in the year.

Records obtained by the Times-Union show the listed property owner, General L. Dailey, moved out of the home late last year, possibly in mid- to late November. Dailey, 66, owned the house since 1996, according to Clay County property appraiser records. One record reviewed by the Times-Union listed Dailey's occupation at one time as an independent Baptist preacher. Neighbors said they knew little about who lived in the home.

Beseler did not say why the house is being searched and whether the search is connected to Somer's case.

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."

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.

In the days after Somer disappeared, investigators, including the same FBI forensics team on-hand today, nitially focused on a home under renovation at 1080 Gano Ave. Investigators searched a Dumpster on that 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 occurred as a number of students were walking home from Somer’s school on the route she usually took. The seasrch drew several curious neighbors from their homes.

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

Lisa Gainers, who lives near the home, aid 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.

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Wow! This is wonderful news...I bet the forensics gave them what they needed to proceed with this guy...I hope this is the beginning of justice for Somer...

Police have arrested a former neighbor of Somer Thompson, the 7-year old girl whose body was found in landfill last fall, and named him a person of interest in the girl's disappearance and murder, investigators said today.

Diena Thompson talks about investigation and the importance of safety awareness.
Jarred Harrell, 24, was arrested "without incident" on 29 unrelated counts of possession of child pornography in Meridian, Miss., Florida's Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said in a press conference today.

"We are also naming Harrell a person of interest in connection with the abduction and murder of Somer Thompson," Beseler said.

According to arresting documents, a cluster of child pornography images and video was found on several CDs and a computer Harrell used when he lived with roommates at a home in Orange Park, Fla, in August. The computer, which had a filed called "Toddler Insertion," held "a large amount of child erotica and also child pornography," documents said.

The roommates, who discovered the files, turned the computer over to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Aug. 10, two months before Thompson disappeared. If he had been arrested soon, he wouldn't have killed Somer. Just MHO. BJ

Bond was set at $1 million.

Somer's body was found in a Georgia landfill two days after she went missing on October 19, 2009. The day she disappeared, the little girl was walking to her Jacksonville, Fla., home from school with her older sister Abby and twin brother Samuel. Somer was last seen in front of a vacant house on a block she walked every day.

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I wish someone would get the name right.....I'm finding the last name of the accused as Harold in some articles and Harrell in other articles.

OMG! This is great news that they have somebody, but very disappointing that they didn't arrest him before Somer disappeared. Isn't the possession of child porn on a computer hard drive enough of a crime to arrest him? This should never have happened to Somer.

Diena Thompson's Advice for Parents
It is a struggle to balance that anger with a mother's need to stay strong for her remaining children. Thompson said the ordeal has been especially hard on Somer's twin, Samuel.

They used to play in the pool together and race each other to see who could stay underwater the longest.

"We used to nickname her 'Grace' because she couldn't really walk and chew bubblegum at the same time," Thompson said of Somer.

She loved to dance, but she had no rhythm, Thompson said.

"She was just so wonderful. And you take it for granted. You never think you're gonna be sitting here," Thompson said. "And you have a lot of regret because you may have been too busy. And you weren't really busy. You were just too busy in your head. And I'll have to live with that, and that's hard."

She said she would tell other parents to be sure and tell their children they love them every day.

It don't take but a couple seconds. And when you think you're too busy, really think about what you're saying you're too busy for. Because you don't want to live with this. That's what I regret. It's hard to live with regret and guilt," she said.

Diena understands acutely that the world's attention will move on. The flowers in her home are beginning to fade. The vigils that used to occur nightly have grown more infrequent.

But she is determined to continue the fight for justice.

"I know I'm not gonna let this monster win. I will be victorious in the end, and he will pay," she said. "We're gonna get him, and he will pay. And I hope he's scared."

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Police have asked that if you have any information about this case, contact the Clay County Sheriffs Department in Jacksonville, Fla. at (877) 227 - 6911 or the FBI.

The above statement by Somers mother is in direct contrast to how the Anthonys and Casey handled
Caylees disappearance -why have they never spoken
of the "real killer of caylee" -but we all know why!
source:
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Having a hard time with all of this. Poor Somer deserved a life. This sick thing, took it all away without a thought. Been sad all day just about life in general. Now this.Precious Somer.

Thanks for all the articles BJ! Once again I was hugging my kids and giving them LOVES tonight... Somer's mother is right on with the fact that you HAVE to tell your kids that you love them Every day. I have a rule that my kids aren't aloud to get out of the car to get on the bus with out me saying I love them and they always say... We love you to Mooooom.... LOL.. all drawn out long, like they think I am tooo much. But I have seen way too many horror stories, and I know life for anyone can end in an instance! Hold on to every moment with your loved ones that you can, cause you never know what tomorrow brings

All of the hearts falling across the page as I read, remind me of how much my heart hurts for our Treasured Angels. Like many of you, I cannot understand why action wasn't taken when the computer was first turned over to LE. But then I recall the disputes over someone thought to be innocent in a porn sting earlier.

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ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- A man who used to live in a home near where Somer Thompson disappeared is in jail in Mississippi as a person of interest in her kidnapping and murder.

Federal agents arrested 24-year-old Jarred Harrell in Meridian, Mississippi, Thursday on 29 counts of child pornography.

Harrell is being held on a $1 million bond in the Lauderdale County Detention Center.

It appears unlikely that Harrell will appear in court Friday morning because of bad weather in Mississippi. His earliest court appearance could be Tuesday since Monday is a holiday.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office said the pornography crimes occurred in Clay County.

READ THE ARREST WARRANT: WARNING -- VERY GRAPHIC DETAILS -- NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN

Investigators say Harrell once lived at 1152 Gano Avenue.

The home is one block west of Somer's home and along the route she walked to and from Grove Park Elementary school.

Somer disappeared October 19 while walking home from school with her brothers.

Authorities found her body in a landfill in Georgia several days later.

Investigators roped off the home on Gano Avenue where they've been scouring the yard with rakes and shovels.

Authorities placed paper bags of evidence on a table outside.

The home is one of several searched by authorities. The others are in Callahan and where Harrell lived in Lauderdale County, Mississippi.

Harrell currently works at the Queens City Recycling plant.

His MySpace page identified him as a former city of Jacksonville employee in the IT Department, but a city spokeswoman told First Coast News he never worked for the city of Jacksonville.

The investigation into Harrell began last August when his roommates asked him to move out of an apartment on Wells Road. They accused him of stealing an iPod. He moved out on August 4, 2009.

The affidavit for arrest warrant indicates Harrell left his computer and disks behind.

Investigators said his roommates, after being told he had been caught viewing child pornography before, searched his computer and found images and movies of child pornography.

The roommates turned over the computer to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on August 10, 2009.

The Office of the Attorney General Cyber Crimes Unit processed the computer and retrieved 24 images and five movies containing child pornography.

Diena Thompson, Somer's mother, told the Florida Times-Union Thursday 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, 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."

The Times-Union spoke to neighbors early Thursday afternoon who wondered if the search had to do with Somer Thompson.

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

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 this search.

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

Somer's father, Sam, spoke to First Coast News this evening:

AHHH, I can't watch vids at work! Can you give us the details, or another article that is not a vid? And thanks TR!! !

mommyof3kids wrote:AHHH, I can't watch vids at work! Can you give us the details, or another article that is not a vid? And thanks TR!! !

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This is the video that is uncut in which LE announces that he is a person of interest in the murder of Somer Thompson:
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PS: HLN reported earlier in the afternoon that LE suspects that Somer is pictured in at least one of the child porn pics.
I hope they retrieved some DNA from her remains and that it ties the perp to it undeniably, so that they will get one more child torturer/murderer out of our society.

I wonder was the picture from that day, and was it distributed to others? If they searched his computer in August, what has taken so long? I agree TR, I hope they get this guy off the streets, one more down and ???? to go.

This computer was turned in to LE in August, but Somer didn't disappear until Oct. 19....He took those pictures of her back during the summer!?!? What did he do to keep her quiet?! Threaten to harm her and her family?! Did her Mom or anybody else not notice that something was wrong with this child?! I just wonder if that is not just a rumor about the picture of her being on the computer... :idk:

I don't believe that it's been reported that pictures of Somer were found on the computer. I heard that it was an image of a girl between the ages of 6 and 8 and that Somer was 7. BJ

Florida's Attorney General's office says Clay County authorities made no effort to fast-track the child porn investigation of the man now named as a person of interest in the kidnapping and killing of Somer Thompson.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office was made aware of possible child pornography on a computer owned by Jarred Harrell, 24, on August 10th. By September 25th, the Attorney General's Cyber Crimes unit had the computer to assist in forensic analysis.
A spokesperson for the Attorney General says that work began on October 9th and was completed November 12th.
Seven-year-old Somer Thompson was last seen walking home from Grove Park Elementary School October 19th.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office never asked for the analysis of Harrell's computer to be fast-tracked or made a top priority, Sandi Copes with the Attorney General's office told WOKV.
Copes says had a request been made it likely would have been honored and could have cut down the time for analysis to less than a week.
"I can tell you that as it relates to Jarred Harrell's computer, it was not discussed as it relates to the Somer Thompson case," Copes said.
"I have the utmost confidence in the team working these cases and know--for a fact--that everything that could be done was done in regards to completing the Harrell child porn investigation and it was done in a timely manner and as quickly as the law allow," Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said in a written statement, in part due the reporting by WOKV.
"An investigation into any allegation of child pornography possession involves far more than simply establishing that a computer contains the illegal phots or movies. Detectives must be able to prove how it was acquired, who had possession and when," the statement continues.
In the police report released Thursday night by Clay County officials, deputies describe in vivid detail the types of video and images found on Harrell's computer.
"There was a large quantity of child erotica and pornography," the report says. "The forensic analysis also revealed that there were 15 images of child pornography that had been deleted from the computer."
Harrell was never publically named a person of interest in the Somer investigation until Thursday night and law enforcement in Lauderdale County, Mississippi tell WOKV Harrell has been living in Meridian in recent weeks.
"It certainly appears from the description in the police report that the materials were illegal," WOKV legal analyst Mark Rubin says. "And if they were, the question should be asked why it took so long to make an arrest."
The Clay County Sheriff's Office won't comment on the Somer Thompson investigation and what link there may be between Harrell and the murdered seven-year-old.
"To infer that the Harrell child pornography investigation somehow languished is unfair and inaccurate," Beseler concluded.
"If it turns out that this individual is in any way responsible for Somer Thompson's death, and it's premature to make that assumption at this point," Rubin says, "it is obviously an egregious situation and one that might have been avoidable."

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Sheriff Rick Beseler of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press conference held Thursday, February 11, 2010 that a person of interest in the October 19, 2009 abduction and murder of Somer Thompson has been arrested. Jarred Mitchell Harrell is being held on $1 million dollars bond for 29 counts of child pornography possession. Though Harrell was arrested in Meridian, Mississippi, Sherriff Rick Beseler explained Harrell’s connection to the Somer Thompson case. Here is part of Rick Beseler’s announcement yesterday.

“Earlier today, a search warrant was executed at a residence at 1152 Gano Avenue. Investigators from the Clay County Sheriff`s Office, the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted a search for evidence in which a suspect has been arrested and charged with 29 counts of possession of child pornography that occurred in Clay County recently.
That suspect is identified as Jared Harold, 24 years of age, who formerly resided at that residence. We are also naming Harold as a person of interest in connection with the abduction and murder of Somer Thompson.
Harold was arrested today on child pornography charges by federal agents in Meridian, Mississippi. He was arrested without incident, and is being held on a $1 million bond on those charges.
I cannot comment further about how Harold may be connected with the Somer Thompson case, as that would require that I discuss and comment evidence -- on evidence in an ongoing investigation.
Throughout this entire investigation, we have been very careful to protect the integrity of our investigation by not releasing details that could be detrimental to the successful outcome of our investigation or the prosecution of the person responsible for this crime. I appreciate the cooperation of the media in that regard.
Thank you very much.”

The Thompson family released a statement through their attorney, Michael R. Freed stating that they are monitoring the developments in the case.

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We are planning to have a significant update tonight about a heart wrenching story we first reported in November.
There was an arrest yesterday of a 24-year-old man authorities are calling a “person of interest” in the murder of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, a Florida child abducted on her walk home from school last fall. Authorities, following the path of local trash trucks, discovered her body two days later in a Georgia landfill 50 miles away. Somer vanished Oct. 19 as she was walking home from school, sparking a search that lasted for two days. Investigators sorted through more than 225 tons of garbage at a landfill some 50 miles away, across the state line in Georgia, before their worst fears were realized: Sticking out of the rubbish were a child’s lifeless legs.
Authorities have checked into thousands of tips in the case in the nearly four months since, but no one has been charged in the killing.
Jarred Harrell was charged with 29 child pornography counts in Meridian, Miss., Florida’s Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said at a press conference late yesterday. “We are also naming Harrell a person of interest in the abduction and murder of Somer Thompson,” the sheriff said, refusing to comment on specifics given the ongoing investigation.

Court documents say that a “large amount of child erotica” found on CDs and a computer the suspect allegedly used when he lived with roommates at a home neighbouring Somers. The roommates discovered the files and turned them over to authorities two months before Somer disappeared. Harrell’s bond has been set at $1 million.
Chris Cuomo interviewed Somers’s mother, Diena Thompson, earlier this week. Authorities are calling Harrell POI in the kidnapping and killing of Somer Thompson, the 7 year old Florida girl whose landfill after she vanished on her way home from school. Jared Harrell lived at a home on 1152 Gano Avenue in Orange Park, FL just a few feet from where Somer Thompson was last spotted. He moved out a few weeks after Thompson’s murder.

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Haven't commented on this because it makes me so damned mad that the roommate turned over this perv's computer files back in Oct and nothing was done.

This just reeks of another case in Florida where a child loses their life and LE doesn't (IMO) do their job in a timely fashion!!

This is another sickening case of an innocent child's life snuffed out for the perverted "pleasure" of some sicko! (I'm thinking also of little Shaniya Davis) Since when did those two words: "child" and "erotica" go together? Children are innocent & should be kept that way. There is nothing "erotic" about children!!

I have had enough of all this "child porn"... there must be some way to stop it!! Innocent children's lives are being brutalized to make these images, just so some sicko can look at them, and then go out & destroy more innocent lives. We all need to be more aware of what is going on around us & especially to make sure that our children are kept safe!! I, personally, don't trust very many men around children anymore (sad to say). :mad:

I agree, Rainbow. I personally don't trust many strangers (if any) around my grandchildren anymore.

Rainbow wrote:This is another sickening case of an innocent child's life snuffed out for the perverted "pleasure" of some sicko! (I'm thinking also of little Shaniya Davis) Since when did those two words: "child" and "erotica" go together? Children are innocent & should be kept that way. There is nothing "erotic" about children!!

I have had enough of all this "child porn"... there must be some way to stop it!! Innocent children's lives are being brutalized to make these images, just so some sicko can look at them, and then go out & destroy more innocent lives. We all need to be more aware of what is going on around us & especially to make sure that our children are kept safe!! I, personally, don't trust very many men around children anymore (sad to say). :mad:

I agree wholeheartedly with what you have written and I truly believe that blogs like VH, just by tracking these cases and commenting on them on the threads, can help advance the cause of diminishing this pervasive evil done to innocent children. Too long has this subject been swept under the rug! I rejoice when LE makes a bust, sending a loud warning to all the pervs that this is serious business, not just some perverted phantasy that is private, and that this is NOT their right under the first amendment to have any part in this abuse, torture, and possible murder of innocent children. There were those who tried to shut these threads down (relatives of accused individuals). If anything, we need more discussion, more awareness, and more support for the fine job that LE has just recently been able to do to go after these criminals.

lisette wrote:This computer was turned in to LE in August, but Somer didn't disappear until Oct. 19....He took those pictures of her back during the summer!?!? What did he do to keep her quiet?! Threaten to harm her and her family?! Did her Mom or anybody else not notice that something was wrong with this child?! I just wonder if that is not just a rumor about the picture of her being on the computer... :idk:

I vaguely recall that Somer's mother was warned by children's services prior to her abduction about the children's need to be more supervised coming home from school. I think it stemmed from them being in the woods with a stranger previously. Maybe someone else can remember better than I or find the article or report that stated this incident. This would explain discrepancies of time in the case I think. It was only yesterday, however, when they were searching his present home and taking things as evidence.

PS: HLN reported earlier in the afternoon that LE suspects that Somer is pictured in at least one of the child porn pics.(Terry Rose)

I don't believe that it's been reported that pictures of Somer were found on the computer. I heard that it was an image of a girl between the ages of 6 and 8 and that Somer was 7. BJ

BJ, I was referencing the PS posted by TerryRose with this:

This computer was turned in to LE in August, but Somer didn't disappear until Oct. 19....He took those pictures of her back during the summer!?!? What did he do to keep her quiet?! Threaten to harm her and her family?! Did her Mom or anybody else not notice that something was wrong with this child?! I just wonder if that is not just a rumor about the picture of her being on the computer...

I wanted you to know why I made those comments...It was reported by HLN which doesn't make it official...That's why I hope that it was just a rumor!!

by lisette Today at 12:11 pm Sorry, I haven't figured out how to "Quote" yet

Just copy and paste text in the comment box, run your cursor over what you want to QUOTE to turn it "blue" and then click on the icon with the 2 little quote bubbles in it and [quote] will be at the beginning and the end of what you pasted. Try it. :)

by lisette Today at 12:11 pm, I was referencing the PS posted by TerryRose with this:

TerryRosse said: This computer was turned in to LE in August, but Somer didn't disappear until Oct. 19....He took those pictures of her back during the summer!?!? What did he do to keep her quiet?! Threaten to harm her and her family?! Did her Mom or anybody else not notice that something was wrong with this child?! I just wonder if that is not just a rumor about the picture of her being on the computer...

I'm not convinced that the pics were of Somer. BJ

by BJ in OR on Sat Jan 16, 2010 3:34 am A social worker at Somer Thompson's school warned about the danger of the 7-year-old girl's walks from school a year before a killer snatched her on her way home, according to state records obtained by the Florida Times-Union.

The unidentified worker told the Department of Children and Families that Somer and her three siblings got lost at least once walking from Grove Park Elementary School and were found in woods with a stranger. The worker indicated that Somer's mother needed to pay more attention to the children's safety and get them into day care at the school.

But a two-week probe by Children and Families concluded the allegation about the children getting lost and being found with a stranger had no basis. It also found Diena Thompson properly arranged for her children to be taken to and from school, about a mile away, and that it was acceptable for them to walk home when necessary. Day care was suggested to her as an option, but not required.

The case was closed without any findings of wrongdoing, according to the records provided to the Times-Union last week.

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Rainbow wrote:This is another sickening case of an innocent child's life snuffed out for the perverted "pleasure" of some sicko! (I'm thinking also of little Shaniya Davis) Since when did those two words: "child" and "erotica" go together? Children are innocent & should be kept that way. There is nothing "erotic" about children!!

I have had enough of all this "child porn"... there must be some way to stop it!! Innocent children's lives are being brutalized to make these images, just so some sicko can look at them, and then go out & destroy more innocent lives. We all need to be more aware of what is going on around us & especially to make sure that our children are kept safe!! I, personally, don't trust very many men around children anymore (sad to say). :mad:

It makes me just want to cry thinking about what she and Shaniyah and other little girls went through by these sick perverted ba$tards before their death released them from the agony.
I agree about trusting many men around young children like we used to. If I were single I would keep men from living with me, and my children. Look how many times lately the monster's that kill these children live there in the HOME!

In an interview at her Meridian home, Kriss Mizelle, Jarred Harrell's aunt, told First Coast News Harrell is a gentle young man who "couldn't hurt a flea." However, locals in the small town are talking about two things: the arrest of Jarred Harrell and the snowfall.

Harrell, 24, has been named a person of interest in the disappearance and murder of Somer Thompson. He was arrested Thursday in Meridian on 29 counts of child porn. The Clay County Sheriff's Office said the pornography crimes occured in Clay County.

Harrell was initially scheduled to make an appearance in court on Friday morning, but a large amount of snow delayed that.

Mizelle said the family has been inundated with questions.

"It looked like a bee's nest around here. It was the very furthest thing from my mind that my nephew was in any kind of trouble," said Mizelle.

She said she understands the fear in Jacksonville and the need for answers in the tragic disappearance and murder of Somer Thompson.

But Mizelle said officials are questioning the wrong man.

"Anybody can take a mug shot and sling it up on a television set. This man was arrested for this, this man is suspected of this, this man was living here. Well, so were countless other people."

Mizelle said the reason for Harrell's arrest is shocking, but said others had access to her nephew's computer. Regardless, she said he is no killer. Right.... it was SOD (some other dude). It always is.

"I do not believe with all of my heart. I do not believe it was my nephew. At all, I just do not."

Mizelle said she is speaking out because Harrell's immediate family is shell shocked by all the media attention. She said they are afraid whatever they say will be twisted.

Harrell is originally from Lucedale, Miss. but lived in Meridian. He was homeschooled before moving to Florida. Police say he lived in a home on Gano Ave., which was just one block west from where Somer Thompson disappeared.

His family said Harrell just moved back to Mississippi a few weeks ago.

Harrell will face an extradition hearing in Mississippi next week. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Meridian.

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In an interview at her Meridian home, Kriss Mizelle, Jarred Harrell's aunt, told First Coast News Harrell is a gentle young man who "couldn't hurt a flea."

I'm sorry, but a

gentle young man who "couldn't hurt a flea."

doesn't have child porn on his computer! What is wrong with these family members that are in such denial? It would be different if the victim was someone in their family.

Kriss Mizelle, Jarred Harrell's aunt

According to the arrest report, Jared Harrell lived in an apartment in Orange Park until August, when he was kicked out by his roommates after they suspected him of stealing a cell phone. He left behind his computer. The roommates had been suspicious of Harrell using the computer to access child pornography and, after finding evidence that he was looking at young girls, turned the computer and accompanying discs over to Jacksonville Police on August 10. State investigators would later confirm the pornographic contents.

Police are uncertain exactly when Jared Harrell moved into the house in the Orange Park neighborhood where Somer Thompson lived and went missing. Dawn Nuss, a resident whose daughter walked home from school with Somer, told the Associated Press that Somer would often stop at that particular house and pet a white dog kept there. Nuss said she had never seen anyone come out of the house.

The arrest of Jared Harrell might be an indication that the Clay County Sheriff's Office have enough evidence to begin building a case of kidnapping and perhaps murder against the 24-year-old man. The Sheriff's Office has never disclosed the details surrounding Somer Thompson's death, including the cause of death, but given his proximity to the place of disappearance and his alleged predilection for child pornography, Clay County authorities will no doubt attempt to build at least a circumstantial case against Harrell. At the very least, Harrell may have information that could lead to those responsible for the abduction and death of little Somer Thompson.

At present, no one has been charged in the disappearance of the second grader.

There is as yet no indication from authorities when Harrell will be extradited to Florida.

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I think I already posted this link, but I will put it again here. It is not practical to tell young children and make them really understand the ugliness of this world, but until we can put an end to it, every parent of young children needs to be aware of that ugliness and give their children as much advise and information as the child can comprehend. This video is a good one for young children. I wish they would show it at all schools and churches. I am just sick about this case.

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Thanks for the lesson on "Quote" BJ...Now I know how!! :cheers:

lisette, :cheers:

Thanks Wrap, Terry Rose, and Critter! I'm sure we all are upset when innocent children suffer & are murdered... sorry if I got a bit carried away in my response! I just really wish that there was more that I could do to help these children. But, I guess being a part of this website is at least bringing attention to it.

laga wrote:I think I already posted this link, but I will put it again here. It is not practical to tell young children and make them really understand the ugliness of this world, but until we can put an end to it, every parent of young children needs to be aware of that ugliness and give their children as much advise and information as the child can comprehend. This video is a good one for young children. I wish they would show it at all schools and churches. I am just sick about this case.

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Laga, thanks for sharing that website! It is very true that we need to educate our children more on being cautious around strangers, and at the same time not letting them get overly fearful/worried. Quite a challenge for us mothers!

lisette wrote:Thanks for the lesson on "Quote" BJ...Now I know how!! :cheers:

You are smarter than me, I tried yesterday, no luck!!!! Ended up quoting the same thing three times so deleted it!!!