*Febrary 2019:
Every February for years, Carrie Cave — formerly Carrie McGonigle — would drive to a remote spot north of Escondido, where her daughter Amber Dubois died, to decorate a large tree with ribbons and lights.
This year, a decade after Amber disappeared — which shook Escondido, then gripped the region a year later with the discovery she had been murdered by a stranger— Cave said she will do something different.
She plans to visit a friend in the hospital and decorate there, a quiet celebration of her daughter’s memory.
Cave, 50, said she has forgiven the killer so she can move forward. But she never forgets Amber, who would be 24 now. She and Amber’s father, Maurice “Moe” Dubois — they divorced several years before Amber was taken — each say they are finding peace.
Wednesday marks 10 years since the 14-year-old freshman vanished while walking to Escondido High School on Feb. 13, 2009. The man who abducted her, registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III, cornered Amber on a quiet street and forced her into his car.
He drove the girl to a secluded spot, raped and stabbed her.
Inside 90 minutes, Amber was dead. It would be a year before anyone knew that for sure.
In 2010, after Gardner had abducted and killed a second North County teen, Chelsea King, he pleaded guilty to raping and murdering both girls, as well an assault on a third victim, and was sentenced to consecutive terms of life in prison without parole.
When Amber vanished, her mother was fierce and relentless. She sought clues everywhere.
After Amber’s remains were found, Cave formed a search and rescue organization. Amber’s father pushed for legislative change targeting police investigations and sex offenders.
Every February for years, Carrie Cave — formerly Carrie McGonigle — would drive to a remote spot north of Escondido, where her daughter Amber Dubois died, to decorate a large tree with …
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