FL - Somer Thompson, 7, Orange Park, 19 Oct 2009 #16

[human]

Wouldn't there be anyone at that playground? It seems strange that there would be no one there at all. Are there any locals who can comment on the playground and what they see in terms of happening there around the time Somer disappeared?

What about the soot comment? I doubt if she got soot on her from just walking into the gate at that house. Too much weather has passed since the fire in May, was it?

 

[Dee10]

You hear of serial killers keeping trophy's & like Paris-Paris (I think mentioned) he may keep the red ribbon in her hair...but a tote-bag & lunch box, seems a bit unusual or greedy perhaps. Hard to hide if he is living with someone or married. But on the other hand why would he not dispose of those items with Somer if he didn't want to keep them? Seems unusual to me.

 

[Tainted Angel]

I wish too that we knew more about the soot that they found on Somer. Where was it? On her skin, hair or clothing? Was it smudges or powdery transfer?

I am assuming that when they found and identified the soot the first place they thought of was that burned house on Gano, especially since she was last seen there and was on her route home. I wonder if it is possible that a worker at the house who had been exposed to the soot had it on their hands or clothing.

Is it possible that someone who was working at that house that day and saw and/or talked to Somer indentified a target. Could they have left after she resumed her walk home and maybe pulled up to her a little farther down the road and stopped to talk to her, offer her a ride home or anything else? With her being described as "gregarious" and "never met a stranger" she could have willingly got into that vehicle since the person offering the ride or talking to her was not really a stranger to her since she had just talked to them at the burned house. She could have gotten the soot on her by transfer from this person handling her, had it on their clothing or even in their vehicle through secondary transfer. Or maybe the soot was present on tools the perp had in the trunk or toolbox and this is where he transported her body to a dumpster.

She could have gotten the soot on her body by other means other than going inside the house. If that is the case, then the primary crime scene could have been almost anywhere.

 

[Noway]

Not quite ... but could go on forever.

 

[eyes4crime]

I wish too that we knew more about the soot that they found on Somer. Where was it? On her skin, hair or clothing? Was it smudges or powdery transfer?

I am assuming that when they found and identified the soot the first place they thought of was that burned house on Gano, especially since she was last seen there and was on her route home. I wonder if it is possible that a worker at the house who had been exposed to the soot had it on their hands or clothing.

Is it possible that someone who was working at that house that day and saw and/or talked to Somer indentified a target. Could they have left after she resumed her walk home and maybe pulled up to her a little farther down the road and stopped to talk to her, offer her a ride home or anything else? With her being described as "gregarious" and "never met a stranger" she could have willingly got into that vehicle since the person offering the ride or talking to her was not really a stranger to her since she had just talked to them at the burned house. She could have gotten the soot on her by transfer from this person handling her, had it on their clothing or even in their vehicle through secondary transfer. Or maybe the soot was present on tools the perp had in the trunk or toolbox and this is where he transported her body to a dumpster.

She could have gotten the soot on her body by other means other than going inside the house. If that is the case, then the primary crime scene could have been almost anywhere.

One night on this thread we were researching 'soot'. It is airborne, can come from a fireplace, grills, thin film can form on slides, comes from candles, etc etc. I wonder if it was found in Somer's lungs?

 

[tfrohning]

You hear of serial killers keeping trophy's & like Paris-Paris (I think mentioned) he may keep the red ribbon in her hair...but a tote-bag & lunch box, seems a bit unusual or greedy perhaps. Hard to hide if he is living with someone or married. But on the other hand why would he not dispose of those items with Somer if he didn't want to keep them? Seems unusual to me.

I think that maybe he forgot to get rid of them at the dumpster.

He could throw along the road or in another dumpster.
the items are very important and I don't understand why it just be release and not on the web site.

Since we don't know who pert is... and this very unlikely...but the pert could have kids of his own. maybe another little girl got a new bag recently.

 

[Tainted Angel]

That is a good point. Was the autopsy finished before or after they went to search the burned house on Gano? I would have to go back in the threads and look at the timeline again. If they went to search the house after finding her body, but before the autopsy then the soot had to be external.

 

[alexandra]

Not quite ... but could go on forever.

Momtective posted the pics shown on AMW on last page.

 

[Noway]

All i can hope for is something that helps them in the thousands of tips they have not yet followed up on.

Is it time for LE to show their cards and ask for help from the public? Or is that what they were doing with the AMW segment.

ORANGE PARK In their resolve to apprehend the killer of Somer Thompson, Clay County police said on 11/06 they are "ready to move," in response to additional telephone tips they hope will result following the "America's Most Wanted" TV show, to be broadcast Saturday night.

If they hope to move on tips, I think they need to release a statement with correct information. I think I know less than I did when I started following this case.

Say "We know there have been a lot of reports but THIS information is the correct stuff: backpack was ___________, lunchbox was _________, her hair was in pigtails/ponytails (and tell us which one), etc.

 

[alexandra]

I've thought and thought about the soot too. But with all the other facts morphing as we go along, it may not have even been soot. Maybe it was just dirt from the trash/dump. Who knows what the poor little thing was put in with when she was dumped?

 

[Noway]

Autopsy was scheduled for 10/22 (Thursday).
http://www.news-press.com/article/20091022/NEWS01/91022008/1075

They were in house Thursday and Friday. AFAIK

 

[alexandra]

All i can hope for is something that helps them in the thousands of tips they have not yet followed up on.

Is it time for LE to show their cards and ask for help from the public? Or is that what they were doing with the AMW segment.



If they hope to move on tips, I think they need to release a statement with correct information. I think I know less than I did when I started following this case.

Say "We know there have been a lot of reports but THIS information is the correct stuff: backpack was ___________, lunchbox was _________, her hair was in pigtails/ponytails (and tell us which one), etc.

I'm with you, Noway. It's making me think that we're the only one's paying attention to the details. Are they just overlooking all these inconsistencies?? That's just too scary of a thought

 

[Spyglass]

bbm
huh?:waitasec:

http://www.news4jax.com/news/21363638/detail.html
"Tuesday morning, one of my detectives, Bruce Owens, came forward and said, 'You know, I think it'd be a good idea to follow those garbage trucks and let's look at the garbage on the front end rather than waiting and maybe later on trying to go and uncover something,' which was a stroke of genius," Beseler said. "It was a precautionary thing. We didn't have any idea at that time that this would come about. But it was just a really good move."

Alright, I'm back to seriously considering someone in LE could be responsible for Somer abduction and murder...:banghead:

Officer Joe Jett! I've never heard that name, not even once during this entire case...WTH!

Seems like I've heard of a detective Jett in Orange Park big cases for years and years (of course, it could be the son of a retired detective Jett). So, I agree Jett could be supervisor of Owens and the one who went to sheriff with the garbage truck idea of Owens. Owens was called a detective sargeant on AMW.

 

[sorrell skye]

Are you thinking that maybe she was taken from the playground?

If so she could been taken from the playground to the house
Was there a search of the playgorund? beside what they took out of the bathroom.

Yes, I believe (and have always believed) she was abducted at the playground. After LE searched the Gano house from pillar to post and processed the items they brought out of the house, when the Sheriff gave the presser about "suspicious behavior", I was convinced right then & there that they didn't find a single shred of evidence at the house.

To my knowledge, the only place they searched at the OPAA with any intensity were the restrooms. IIRC the command post was set up at some point at the OPAA, and I think they searched the park that first night she went missing. But what was overlooked, due to the fact that they were focusing so much attention on the Gano house, since it was vacant and several witnesses reported seeing her in the vicinity of the house?

I'm convinced, unless persuaded otherwise with compelling evidence, that Somer detoured to the playground at the OPAA and that is where she encountered her killer(s).

 

[Tainted Angel]

I think the biggest piece of evidence would be the DNA (if any) found under her fingernails. And with that there are so many questions. The samples might have been compromised because of her body being found in a dump, not exactly a pristine crime scene. Does anyone know if the squabble with the classmate at school that day a physical one or was it words only? Little girls scratch when they are mad. She could have the classmates skin under her fingernails. IIRC it was released at some point that Somer may have scratched someone. That leads me to think they do have a sample. But is it a sample from the perp or maybe from the classmate?

 

[alexandra]

I know I'm probably beating a dead horse with this but what about the attempted abduction 10 days before Somer. Where and when was it said officially that it was some undercover cop or something?? I just can't get past that. Does anyone if that was an article or a video or who said that? It makes no sense to me and completely contradicts what the witness said happened. Is there some internal investigation being done and is that why there is so little information being released??

 

[lawlady84]

NOT putting down Somer's mom, but no one has a picture of Somer with the backpack/lunchbox? No 1st day of school picture?

 

[tfrohning]

Yes, I believe (and have always believed) she was abducted at the playground. After LE searched the Gano house from pillar to post and processed the items they brought out of the house, when the Sheriff gave the presser about "suspicious behavior", I was convinced right then & there that they didn't find a single shred of evidence at the house.

To my knowledge, the only place they searched at the OPAA with any intensity were the restrooms. IIRC the command post was set up at some point at the OPAA, and I think they searched the park that first night she went missing. But what was overlooked, due to the fact that they were focusing so much attention on the Gano house, since it was vacant and several witnesses reported seeing her in the vicinity of the house?

I'm convinced, unless persuaded otherwise with compelling evidence, that Somer detoured to the playground at the OPAA and that is where she encountered her killer(s).

Was that same park that DT was to pu her son.

Maybe Somer know her brother was at the park and went looking for him.

 

[Tainted Angel]

Yes, I believe (and have always believed) she was abducted at the playground. After LE searched the Gano house from pillar to post and processed the items they brought out of the house, when the Sheriff gave the presser about "suspicious behavior", I was convinced right then & there that they didn't find a single shred of evidence at the house.

To my knowledge, the only place they searched at the OPAA with any intensity were the restrooms. IIRC the command post was set up at some point at the OPAA, and I think they searched the park that first night she went missing. But what was overlooked, due to the fact that they were focusing so much attention on the Gano house, since it was vacant and several witnesses reported seeing her in the vicinity of the house?

I'm convinced, unless persuaded otherwise with compelling evidence, that Somer detoured to the playground at the OPAA and that is where she encountered her killer(s).

I agree with a lot of this. I don't think they obtained anything at first look of any consequence out of the house. I know it takes a while to process the evidence but the fact that there have been no new developments in the case leads me to think they've hit a dead end as far as that evidence goes.

Something about the soot bothers me, and something about that park bothers me...I just can't put my finger on it.

The only thing that I could think of that they would have taken out of that bathroom is the trash, or something found in the trash, and the sink trap. If someone had cleaned up in that bathroom the trap could have been processed for the presence of blood.

 

[Noway]

Momtective posted the pics shown on AMW on last page.

I saw the video with the lunch box that looked like a pig. IMO the items in that don't look anything like the pictures posted but I could not get the second link to play at all. Maybe that has better images.

Read momtective's description above and found skull with stars and hearts ... going to find again until I see the images for myself.