Pierce is attempting to propel himself into some type of major role here. That quote, if true, can be attributed to a multitude of non-abuse related situations. For example, Danielle may have been punished for not doing her homework and, being a child, got a little dramatic in her personal diary. Notice Pierce does not reveal what the cause of Danielle's distress was.
There can be big money in salaries and perks while running a non-profit agency that garners large amounts donations. Getting your name and the name of your organization in the public eye helps alot. Pierce clearly oversteps his bounds when calling for outside protection for the renaining children. That is not his call to make and he is impeding the investigation by the San Diego PD.
I heard Pierce on KFI, disregard the note, here is what is troubling. There is no outside access to that girl's bedroom. She lives on the second floor, there is no balcony, ladder, trees, in fact it is highly lit with no natural cover.
Whoever took her out of that house, most likely knew the layout of the house. They had to go from downstairs, to her room, abduct her without waking the parents, or the family dog, and bring her back down stairs, through an exposed area with heavy lighting without being detected.
This does not sound like a stranger case. It may not be the parents, but somebody they know.
The story on KFMB was not just that they had an orgy at the house that night, but that the mother went clubbing, had sex with some strange man in the parking lot of the club, went back home with friends, then locked themselves into the garage and had a sex orgy while smoking pot.
The report of KFMB also stated that Westerfield basically confessed to the cops, stating in essence, I can take you to her, but I need a lawyer first. The theory being that her remains are his bargaining chip for life instead of lethal injection, once her body is found he is toast.
They also reported that he volunteered to host a sex orgy in his house for this swinging group. The mom knows him better than she is claiming.
Having said all this, my guess is that Westerfield had sex with the mom and her friends, maybe with the husband too for that matter, he abducted the girl, assaulted and killed her, the parents "know" he did it, aren't technically involved, but realize how bad they would look if they told the whole unvarnished truth.