FL - Somer Thompson, 7, Orange Park, 19 Oct 2009 #32

[Noway]

~snipped~
And by releasing, for example, cause of death, that’s a ... that's a key, it’s one thing that’s … it’s usually not released to us right away.

I wonder what Jennifer, with her years on the police beat, would say about the COD not being released more than 2 months after Somer was found.

 

[Noway]

http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/flsomer-thompson-funeral-rx-156/1798884561

I am posting this again and if you look to the right under "description" and click on "more" you will see it says "at the request of the investigators, the casket was closed..."

I put this here because a while back there was a discussion of why people thought the casket was closed.

Description
## Shot 10/27/2009. ## A memorial service at 11 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist of Orange Park, 1140 Kingsley Ave is open to the public. A procession to Jacksonville Memory Gardens on Blanding Boulevard will follow the memorial service, although the graveside service and a reception will be open only to invited family and friends. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rewards, Fundraisers ORANGE PARK, Fla. — While "You Are My Sunshine" played quietly, more than 1,500 mourners filed past the casket of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who vanished one week ago on her way home from her neighborhood school. Purple flowers covered the top of Somer’s wooden casket as mourners shook hands with family members seated in the front row. Several portraits of Somer were also on display, while scenes from her life were projected on two large screens. At the request of investigators, the casket was closed at a viewing Monday evening at First Baptist Church of Orange Park. After wha
(description ends even when having clicked on More)

 

[Noway]

THOMPSON HOME SEARCH, UNEDITED.

http://imagesource.cnn.com/imagesou....action.search.BrowseActionBean&damId=6372805

Just to clarify for anyone planning to watch, it's not a search of the Thompson home. It's the search of the Gano house.

And a pretty boring one at that (based on the few minutes I watched). Lift a corner of trash in the dumpster; peer around.

 

[zannah]

For whoever was asking about how funeral ended up being at that church, this article provides background:
http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=10954

 

[ccane]

Nightline 11/09/2009 video has more of extended interview

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9039594

 

[Noway]

For whoever was asking about how funeral ended up being at that church, this article provides background:
http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=10954

~snipped~
because you never know when things will go away

...

Tarkington said he was at the Thompson home speaking with her mother, Diena Thompson, for about an hour on Oct. 22, after the sheriff’s office confirmed the body found in landfill was that of her daughter, Somer. Sam Thompson, the child’s father, lives in Graham, N.C., and is estranged from Somer’s mother. Another of Somer’s siblings, Andrew Cardinal, lives in the family home in Orange Park.

“The Thompson family doesn’t have a church home,” Tarkington said, recalling that he told the grief-stricken woman: “If you let us, we would be glad to be your church family.”

His offer doesn’t come with strings, Tarkington said, or “ulterior motives” but is the acknowledgment that this is a time when the community is hurting and the community, including the church, comes together to offer what they can.

“She was receptive to that,” Tarkington said. First Baptist, along with the local Catholic church and a nearby cem­e­tery also offered a burial plot.

Tarkington officiated at Somer’s memorial service at First Baptist Oct. 27, where a public viewing was held the evening of Oct. 26. A private graveside service and burial followed a procession from the church to Jacksonville Memorial Gardens.

More at link.

 

[Noway]

Nightline 11/09/2009 video has more of extended interview

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9039594

For anyone else, it starts out with story on Fort Hood but Somer story/Diena interview at -12:19.

 

[New1]

SOmebody else prob already answered this.
Sad said that ST was the one who told the pastor DT had recently been saved and would he follow up with her. So, ST and Pastor had conversation, before or after the service or both? Maybe DT had faith but just did not belong to a church, and this is common, isn't it?

Re: church and funeral home.
Funeral home has lists of pastors of churches and works with them extensively. They go over every aspect of the funeral and the church service. The funeral home personnel is present at the service, as the casket must leave the service, etc.

If the church did indeed donate the services, and this is a high profile case, and the church had been informed that mom could not afford a funeral or didn't belong to a church or whatever...it doesn't matter. All funeral homes, churches and pastors follow the same protocols with funerals as I explained previously. A funeral of a child is especially sensitive. They would make sure they had everything beforehand because it is a highly emotional event. They would want to head off any possible outbursts that might occur. ESPECIALLY in a service that would be attended by thousands. THE PASTOR HAD TO KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

There is a photo somewhere on the web showing DT and the caption is that she was going to make the funeral arrangements. What arrangements did she need to make? What arrangements would you make? Generally, churches of various denominations have standard scriptures, even standard memorial cards (the Lord is my Shepherd, praying hands, poems, "footprints", the Virgin Mary) for people to take. They have contracts with printers who simply put the name of the deceased there. This is all routine. They interview the family and ask about any little personal anctedotes that will make the service meaningful. How does the family want the deceased to be remembered.

Then there is the standard service: opening prayer(s), homilies or sermons, songs, opportunities in some services for people to share memories, communion at some, closing prayers, etc. They go over each and every aspect with family and ask WHO WILL BE INCLUDED IN WHICH PART OF HTE SERVICE...who will follow the casket in and out, who will be pallbearers, everything.

And this is very important: AS PART OF THEIR SERVICES, THE FUNERAL HOMES ALSO PREPARE THE OBITUARIES. AT least they did when I recently lost both my mother and father, I stood there telling the secretary exactly what I wanted placed there. The charge by the line (Dt's would have been free, of course) DT must have made a specific request of THE FUNERAL HOME to edit ST out of the obituary. I can't believe that the funeral home would not have shared this sensitive subject with the Pastor. REMEMBER, IT IS A HUGE VISIBLE CRIME.

So, yes the pastor would have known about ST if he watched media or had been told. But he also would have been clued in by the funeral home. It's a network of people that work very closely together in an intense world.

Part of the arrangements would be picking out the casket; the date and time she would like the funeral to be; date and time of the visitation at the funeral home; what clothes to bury Somer in, etc., not just paying for the funeral.

 

[camcneishg]

IIRC....this church is the one that had the vigil the night that Somer's body was found....I think that this is when they volunteered their services, from the very beginning....

 

[sadnpod]

Has anyone here been following the sarah haley foxwell case? They found her body. I am so saddened by this.. I havent finished reading the thread... but it says that they have an RSO in custody and he once lived in OP. Im gonna read more.. another poor sweet child.. gone.

 

[ccane]

Noway, I did listen to the 911 call of the mother and what was thought to be an attempted abduction 10 days before. The 911 operator mentions that someone else called it in also and caller presumed it to be the other woman who helped the child get home.. so they both called and reported it

 

[3angelsrmine]

Has anyone here been following the sarah haley foxwell case? They found her body. I am so saddened by this.. I havent finished reading the thread... but it says that they have an RSO in custody and he once lived in OP. Im gonna read more.. another poor sweet child.. gone.

Interesting post (#14) by Winterose (sp?) on the Sarah Haley Foxwell thread. I'd bring it over but don't know how. There is a connection to Orange Park. Thoughts? I'm not good at digging for info:blushing:

 

[ccane]

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/10/22/body-of-girl-discovered-in-georgia-landfill/

Also, investigators say the clothes found on the body fit the description of what Thompson was wearing when she was last seen.

A source close to investigation says that this may turn into a federally-lead investigation by Thursday morning.

 

[camcneishg]

Interesting post (#14) by Winterose (sp?) on the Sarah Haley Foxwell thread. I'd bring it over but don't know how. There is a connection to Orange Park. Thoughts? I'm not good at digging for info:blushing:

I have found nothing on him in Duval or Clay Counties Court records....

 

[ccane]

http://us.cnn.com/video/?/video/crime/2009/10/27/jvm.somers.dad.samuel.cnn

Vinnie Politan talks to the father of seven-year-old murder victim Somer Thompson.

 

[passionflower]

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/10-ways-catch-liar

found this interesting about liars.........

 

[Rhyme & Reason]

I guess no one saw my various posts, asking about the basic facts here..

cause of death?

sexual assault or NOT???

and why would LE keep this info secret??? is this SOP in the Jax area? How were other cases handled...did they give out this info?

why might they be holding back that info in the case of Somer???

anyone?? thanks

You always put out great posts LogicalMinds, I always read them. I just have no answers to your questions! I go back & forth on the sexual assault or not issue, it's hard to say since LE has released zero info. I'm leaning more towards no sexual assault because I think they really would have said so. IDK.

See, I'm not much help here!

 

[ChickenPants]

ST had talked to DT after somers body was discovered and that is when the topic of her recently being saved was discussed, at least thats what ST told me and ST told the pastor. And Im with you that I dont think the pastor knew the family prior to this.

Alll I can say is I am glad SP and DT talked then, and again, recently, and that Somer brings them together in peace again, and that they experience forgiveness and closure, that the killer is found. I don't care what has happend thus far unless any or all of it is pertinent to finding closure to this. I am all for forgiveness, moving on, and learning from things that have happened to save others from suffering if possible.

 

[Chili Fries]

I have found nothing on him in Duval or Clay Counties Court records....

You can find records of Sarah's mom in Clay County. She also has records in Duval County. She went by both her maiden name Wechsler and the name of her first husband, Hahn. I can't tell if the latest record in Clay County is from 1995 or 2004. In 2004 she is on a nolle prosequi list from Clay County. I'm not sure if she had to be currently or recently living in Clay County for the prosecutor to make that decision. Her latest record from Duval is 1997. The guy who is believed to be responsible for Sarah's death, Leggs, was her mom's (the woman we are talking about who lived in OP) boyfriend. Also, it looks to me like Wechsler's family is from south Florida so I haven't been able to tell if she has family in OP.

 

[ChickenPants]

Just to clarify for anyone planning to watch, it's not a search of the Thompson home. It's the search of the Gano house.

And a pretty boring one at that (based on the few minutes I watched). Lift a corner of trash in the dumpster; peer around.

Yes, I know, sorry about that. I posted somewhere back a few threads just WHAT THE HECK WAS THIS WOMAN DOING? It seemed liek the photographer was having fun watching her do absolutely nothing. What's up with the cardobard? Weird.