ORANGE PARK, Fla. - Authorities have tentatively identified a body found in a landfill as that of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, a north Florida girl who disappeared on her walk home from school, the sheriff in charge of the case said Thursday.

Sheriff Rick Beseler said the tentative identification was based on clothing and on a birthmark that matched the girl's.

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

Somer's father and other family members were "torn up" after hearing the news, aunt Laura Holt said. She hopes authorities will find her niece's killer.

"I don't think they deserve to live," Holt said. "I don't think there's anything worse that a person can do — to kill a child and dump her in the dump like a piece of trash?"

Beseler wouldn't talk about what evidence police have recovered, or whether investigators believe the crime was committed by one or more people. He said police have questioned more than 70 registered sex offenders in the area, and that process was continuing. Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show 161 offenders live in a 5-mile radius of Somer's home.

"I fear for our community until we bring this person in. This is a heinous crime that's been committed," Beseler said. "And we're going to work as hard as we can to make this community safe."

The sheriff said he told the girl's mother to prepare for the worst, and called her after receiving the news Wednesday night.

"Needless to say, she was absolutely devastated," he said. "It was the hardest phone call I've ever had to make in my life, and I hope I never have to make another one like that."

Two deputies stood guard at mother Diena Thompson's home early Thursday morning. It appeared to be full of supporters. An oak tree across the street was decorated with flowers, candles and pictures of Somer.

"This has been so unreal for the neighborhood," said Sharon Galloway, who lives across the street from the Thompsons. "I just hope they get that son of a gun and tie him up by his short hairs."

An FBI forensic unit is helping process evidence from the landfill in Folkston, Ga., about 48 miles from where the girl disappeared.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation planned an autopsy Thursday in Savannah.

Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from school in Orange Park. She was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. The girl got upset, walked ahead of the group and wasn't seen again.

Authorities launched a countywide search involving helicopters, dogs and volunteers walking arm-to-arm through wooded areas.

Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville just south of Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The area where the girl disappeared is a heavily populated residential area with homes, apartment complexes and condominiums.

The girl's father, Sam Thompson, lives in Graham, N.C.



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2...atively_id.html

Jesus! Nice neighborhood!

I defy anyone to come up with a punishment for the fuck who did this that I'd consider too harsh. If I were in control, he'd be on his knees screaming for me to kill him in a few weeks. I think I'd also kill his mother just for good measure. :realmad:

More thoughts on this: This should probably go on the rant page, but it's related to this current event. Anyway, there are sex offenders, and then there are sex offenders. When I was 18, I was caught "having my way" with my 16-year-old girlfriend :drool: and arrested for statutory rape. I languished in a felony tank in LA for four days while the DA tried every way he could think of to get her dad to press charges. Needless to say, I'd cut plenty of slack to that sort of "sex offender."

On the other hand we have those sick fucking adults who play touchy-feely with little kids. These warped individuals NEVER "recover." In their case, I say permanent removal from society or physical castration. If they penetrate the kid and there's hard evidence—death—and pronto! :realmad: But if they use a kid for their perversions, then murder it and throw the body away like a piece of garbage, a whole new world of long-term, highly creative, indescribably brutal punishment should open up. :angry: I didn't want anyone to think I'd arbitrarily butcher all sex offenders, given the opportunity. :rolleyes:

:iagree: with what you're saying Pearl. I think one factor that may skew the sexual offenders list, is that it probably includes people caught urinating in public and other such offenses.

I found this at another board, it's from Nancy Grace on CNN:

7 years old and walking a mile to school with no adults??? :WTF?:

You can go to web sites and type in your address and see how many perverts are living in your area. Trouble with this is, it only shows the ones that have been caught and convicted.. I know of a certain aparment in the Tampa area and you'd be surprised at all the sex offenders living in a 5 mile area of that place------ ever see all the towel heads walking around the Kaaba in Mecca??? at least that many. Hordes of perverts in Tampa. If and when they catch the bastard, they ought to have his mother slit his throat, she brought him into this world, she can escort him out of it. I'm trying to figure how the body got to the dump, in a garbage truck?? Did somebody put her in a baggie and let her go out with the trash ? Did somebody take a pick up load of trash to the dump-- if so they had to pay a fee and check in at the gate, was there a security cam?? If the poor kid was molested, did they get DNA, if so it may match a listed perv, they have to give DNA samples now don't they when caught ????