Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Florida Authorities Search for Girl, 7, Who Vanished After School
FoxNews ^ | October 20th 2009

Posted on 10/20/2009 9:38:15 AM PDT by Steelfish

Florida Authorities Search for Girl, 7, Who Vanished After School [Pic in URL]

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Florida officials have expanded their search for a missing 7-year-old girl who vanished while walking home from school Monday afternoon.

Somer Thompson was last seen about 2:45 p.m. while walking home from Grove Park Elementary school in Grove Park, northern Florida. She was with her twin brother, 10-year-old sister and friends and reportedly ran ahead of them after getting into a fight. When her brother and sister returned home, they said she was not there.

When Somer did not return home, her mother and her mother's boyfriend searched up and down the block. Somer's mother reported her daughter missing two and half hours later to a police officer.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: amberalert
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-55 next last
To: La Lydia
Hope this isn’t another one of those horrific child-abduction stories.

Whatever happened; it does not sound good. Do pray that she is safe. These things should not be happening; the first right of children is to be able to grow up safely and happily.

21 posted on 10/20/2009 10:00:01 AM PDT by cricket
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: brytlea

I don’t know, there was a report in the neighborhood of another abduction attempt, and she is only 7. An older girl I would have maybe started calling a few people she knew, but at 7 (first grade) I would have been calling the police after about 15 minutes tops.


22 posted on 10/20/2009 10:00:46 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Abathar

You make a good point. My 3 boys did walk to school sometimes, but they walked in a group. But it was a little different time. I am glad I don’t have little kids now.


23 posted on 10/20/2009 10:03:53 AM PDT by brytlea (Jesus loves me, this I know.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: brytlea
Walking in a group is a good idea. But of course there's this --

She was with her twin brother, 10-year-old sister and friends

But she ran ahead. Such a small thing. Hard to even call that "a mistake". But apparently it made all the difference.

What a world we live in.

24 posted on 10/20/2009 10:06:55 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Play the Race Card -- lose the game.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

Yup....my boys knew tho, they had to stay together. Of course, it was one long street they had to walk up and then go one more block over, it would have been difficult for them to be out of each other’s eyesight for more than a minute. Still, if they would incinerate these predators when they convict them, there would be very little of this going around. I suspect it is a tiny # of people who do this stuff.


25 posted on 10/20/2009 10:09:36 AM PDT by brytlea (Jesus loves me, this I know.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: brytlea

Grove Park Elem. dismisses at 2:32. She was missing by 2:45. It takes a few minutes to meet up with siblings and get off school property. She couldn’t have been more than a block or two from school. Surely, other kids saw something. Clay County provides bus transportation to kids who live over 1 1/2 miles from school so they weren’t walking as a group too far. There’s a railroad beside the school and it appears to be an industrial area with water nearby - not good. From maps, there appear to be three schools within a few blocks from each other, so prime location for pervs. Sex offender map doesn’t show that many perverts in the area but many don’t register and it might be out of date. Still, it only takes one monster scouting out kids leaving school to act in a second.

http://www.clay.k12.fl.us/gpe/parent_guide.htm#School%20Hours

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=grove+park+elementary+orange+park+florida&fb=1&gl=us&hq=grove+park+elementary&hnear=orange+park+florida&cid=0,0,13418266996512815119&ei=GurdSviZEIHP8QaoorVs&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBAQnwIwAA

http://www.familywatchdog.us/ShowMap.asp?frm=0


26 posted on 10/20/2009 10:26:18 AM PDT by bgill (The framers of the US Constitution established an entire federal government in 18 pages.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Abathar

Do you want a thrill? Do a Meagan’s Law search centered on your own house. I bet it’s more than 50 in a three mile radius.

My closest is two doors down.

*sigh*


27 posted on 10/20/2009 10:29:27 AM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 271 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: bgill

Very scary...


28 posted on 10/20/2009 10:30:50 AM PDT by brytlea (Jesus loves me, this I know.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Steelfish

AT least we know where Philip Garrido is.


29 posted on 10/20/2009 10:34:35 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Abathar

I live about 13 miles from there. A town or two over from Orange Park.
Our news is reporting that on Oct. 10 a little 5 year old on her bicycle was trying to be lured into a vehicle in that same area. Luckily, a woman was able to return her home.

We are just hearing about this now. They are saying they don’t know if there’s a connection or not.

Apparently with this story they are saying Somer was walking with her twin brother, sister and some friends.
There was a little spat with Somer and someone else and she ran ahead.

I am hearing conflicting reports about this. FOX NEWS reported she was walking behind the group. And when they looked back she was gone.

I have a granddaughter the same age and in second grade. When I heard this on the news last night I was practically in tears. I just thought of her and how devastating it would be if she went missing.

It is really hard watching the coverage without tearing up. I hope they find this little girl and she is safe. One never knows, but you just don’t get a good feeling when you hear something like this.

As a side note. One of our local newscasters sounded surprised when she mentioned how many predators were in that 3 mile radius. As if: “Could that be possible?”

They are continuing to extend their search outward and will be interviewing 30 more predators.

Keep your fingers crossed everyone and pray that no harm has come to her.


30 posted on 10/20/2009 10:37:55 AM PDT by Firecracker74
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Abathar

“Beseler said 57 sex offenders have been interviewed within a three-mile radius”
Good grief, is that place pervert central or something??”

With the court6s releasing sex perverts on the basis of them ‘registering’ with local authorities, it would scare you plenty to look up the registered ones in your area. The liberal courts have been convinced that these creeps can be “fixed”. I do NOT believe that. I think they are broken eggs, and should be put to death or put into jail permanently. NO parole.

In a 3 mile radius, that is a 6 mile diameter, IIRC. In a large populated area, that is a small number by comparison to the population as a whole.

ONE square mile is 640 acres. Lots of developments that are single family homes are 6 or 7 to the acre.
That is alot of places for sex offenders to live and the direct neighbors do not know.


31 posted on 10/20/2009 10:38:39 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: null and void

One of the nice things about living in the rural mid-west, I have ran the check for my area and the closest is about 4 miles away.


32 posted on 10/20/2009 10:41:38 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: bgill

Philip Garrido took Duggan from South Lake Tahoe streets.

He lived in Antioch, over by San Francisco.


33 posted on 10/20/2009 10:41:56 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Abathar
I have ran the check for my area and the closest is about 4 miles away.

Make that the closest one who 1) got caught, 2) got convicted, 3) actually registered and 4) who showed up on the check list.

34 posted on 10/20/2009 10:46:56 AM PDT by bgill (The framers of the US Constitution established an entire federal government in 18 pages.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Abathar

I did a search and found a church member. I taught his kids. They have moved to another church.


35 posted on 10/20/2009 10:47:56 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: null and void
My closest is two doors down.

The closest one to me is across the park, a distance of probably 3 or 4 blocks and she's female. I down loaded and posted a picture of her once at F.R. and the mods threatened me with bodily harm so I'll not do it again. Suffice to say, she makes Helen Thomas look like a raving beauty.

36 posted on 10/20/2009 10:50:22 AM PDT by Graybeard58 ( Selah.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: null and void

When I tried that all I got were sites that want to charge for this info. Where do you go to search for free by address?


37 posted on 10/20/2009 10:51:17 AM PDT by brytlea (Jesus loves me, this I know.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: bgill

I agree, the whole system needs to be revised. Grouping the guys who got caught in the backseat with a younger girlfriend 10 years ago with the dangerous predators is stupid, they need a separate list or a rating system. (actually they need to castrate the serious offenders, period)


38 posted on 10/20/2009 10:56:13 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: AppyPappy

What was he guilty of, and how long ago. That’s the big question the lists need to tell people. Some of the people on there are not dangerous predators, just stupid and horny guys who made a mistake years ago with a willing girl and would never touch a kid or woman violently.

I guess separating them and making a mistake would open someone up to liability, so they clump them all together, diluting the dangerous ones with the harmless.


39 posted on 10/20/2009 11:02:10 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: brytlea

Your state should have a free web site. They may not call it Megan’s Law, perhaps a state specific name.

Bing your state and meagan’s law and .gov

The .gov sites should be free.

Good luck...


40 posted on 10/20/2009 11:03:45 AM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 271 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-55 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson