FL - Sarah Lunde, 13, murdered, Ruskin, 9 April 2005

[richandfamous]

CNN Link

The search teams were there at that fish farm Thursday as I recall. I guess her body surfaced between then and now.
Fox is also reporting that the mother was away with a boyfriend for the weekend when Sarah was abducted. I hope that piece of a$$ she got was worth it.

 

[SandyBee]

Police have found an 'unidentified' body approx. 1/2 mile from Sarah's house.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,153672,00.html

Anyone else wonder about that Mom leaving her kid on her own 24/7? I also find it very strange this 'ex' boyfriend (also a sex offender) just happened to be at the home the day Sarah was missing. Nothing is confirmed yet but it sure sounds like an almost identical Jessica Lunsford case.

 

[SandyBee]

The mother is an idiot. The older brother is an idiot. If they find out Sarah lived through Sunday, her brother should be locked up with the perp.

He didn't even contact his mother to say that Sarah never came home.

What kind of people are these Lundes? They are despicable, IMO.

AMEN!!!! Those are my exact thoughts! Who the hell leaves a 13 year old on her own 24/7?

Sarah's friend was on Greta the other day and a comment she made disturbed me greatly. She said something to the effect that Sarah would sleep over at her house, but she'd never sleep there, nor did anyone really know the parents. Sounds like Mom was more concerned about her own life rather than her daughter. I have a 10 year old and make it mandatory that I not only talk to the parent(s) where she sleeping over, but to meet them as well. You don't just let your kid sleep over at someone's house that you don't know. Her friends never slept over by her house nor did they even ever ENTER the house. Red flags right there.

 

[kk's mom]

Sad Day! I wish they would stop referring to her as having a history of running away....she didn't ever run away...she would go to the preachers house for a while when she argued with her mother! This whole family makes me mad as hell. Sounds like she was a good girl despite her family!

jmo

I was going to say the same thing. She's not a repeat runaway kid. I watched Greta last night who interviewed the youth counselor from the church and his sister (who is Sara's best friend). They said she never ran away, never got in trouble. The young man said that all the younger kids at church looked up to her, that she was a role model for them.

This is soooooo sad. I'm still mad as hell at the mom and the brother. I was watching the brother on tv the other, "I hope she calls someone...." duh.....What kind of older brother leaves his 13 year old sister home at night, alone @ midnight and then returns at 4:00 and finds the door open and doesn't think anything of it? Her family certainly let her down big time.

 

[richandfamous]

AMEN!!!! Those are my exact thoughts! Who the hell leaves a 13 year old on her own 24/7?

Sarah's friend was on Greta the other day and a comment she made disturbed me greatly. She said something to the effect that Sarah would sleep over at her house, but she'd never sleep there, nor did anyone really know the parents. Sounds like Mom was more concerned about her own life rather than her daughter. I have a 10 year old and make it mandatory that I not only talk to the parent(s) where she sleeping over, but to meet them as well. You don't just let your kid sleep over at someone's house that you don't know. Her friends never slept over by her house nor did they even ever ENTER the house. Red flags right there.

I missed the Greta interview...and I'm confused about what you said. She was suppose to be at her friends house but never was???

 

[kk's mom]

AMEN!!!! Those are my exact thoughts! Who the hell leaves a 13 year old on her own 24/7?

Sarah's friend was on Greta the other day and a comment she made disturbed me greatly. She said something to the effect that Sarah would sleep over at her house, but she'd never sleep there, nor did anyone really know the parents. Sounds like Mom was more concerned about her own life rather than her daughter. I have a 10 year old and make it mandatory that I not only talk to the parent(s) where she sleeping over, but to meet them as well. You don't just let your kid sleep over at someone's house that you don't know. Her friends never slept over by her house nor did they even ever ENTER the house. Red flags right there.

The comment bothered me too. I don't let my daughter go over anyone's house (even just for a play date) unless I meet the family first. If I'm uncomfortable, she doesn't go. I still can't believe this mother was gone all weekend and doesn't realize her daughter is missing until mid-Monday? WTF?

 

[Beffie]

AMEN!!!! Those are my exact thoughts! Who the hell leaves a 13 year old on her own 24/7?

Sarah's friend was on Greta the other day and a comment she made disturbed me greatly. She said something to the effect that Sarah would sleep over at her house, but she'd never sleep there, nor did anyone really know the parents. Sounds like Mom was more concerned about her own life rather than her daughter. I have a 10 year old and make it mandatory that I not only talk to the parent(s) where she sleeping over, but to meet them as well. You don't just let your kid sleep over at someone's house that you don't know. Her friends never slept over by her house nor did they even ever ENTER the house. Red flags right there.

This is really sad. At least, I find peace in knowing that Sarah is in the arms of our Lord and FINALLY loved like she should of been her whole life. She will never feel lonely, abandoned or not important EVERY AGAIN. Rest in peace sweetheart.

 

[Beffie]

This is soooooo sad. I'm still mad as hell at the mom and the brother. I was watching the brother on tv the other, "I hope she calls someone...." duh.....What kind of older brother leaves his 13 year old sister home at night, alone @ midnight and then returns at 4:00 and finds the door open and doesn't think anything of it? Her family certainly let her down big time.

I think her parents let the whole family down. I do not think the kids knew normal behavior, this is the way they probably lived their whole lives. It was probably nothing for them to leave poor Sarah alone, her own mother did it, why shouldn't they. I just cannot imagine not knowing where my child was and who they were with, but obviously it was done alot with them. :furious:

 

[kk's mom]

I think her parents let the whole family down. I do not think the kids knew normal behavior, this is the way they probably lived their whole lives. It was probably nothing for them to leave poor Sarah alone, her own mother did it, why shouldn't they. I just cannot imagine not knowing where my child was and who they were with, but obviously it was done alot with them. :furious:

That just infuriates me. I couldn't imagine not knowing where my child is either. My god, I start freaking out if she's out of my sight for one minute. I read somewhere within the last couple of days that she spent alot of time at the pastors house (her best friend's house) because she was left alone alot at night and she was scared in the trailer alone because it was very dark where the trailer sat. This ex-boyfriend of the mother.......I believe he's involved..........from having dated the mother for 2 months, he had to know that that girl was left alone. OMG, this tragic ending has broke my heart again........

 

[Invisible]

CNN Link

The search teams were there at that fish farm Thursday as I recall. I guess her body surfaced between then and now.
Fox is also reporting that the mother was away with a boyfriend for the weekend when Sarah was abducted. I hope she the piece of a$$ she got was worth it.

Well...let's cross our fingers that,on her weekend away, she didn't get pregnant with another child that will be neglected.

 

[Sheromom]

My only hope is that the mother loved her enough to totally suffer the rest of her life for her idiocy. However, I doubt that is the case! :banghead:

 

[richandfamous]

Gee says he's ready to put handcuffs on Onstott!
She had on her green cast
she has been there since very soon after she was last seen sat nite

 

[richandfamous]

Is there a picture of this sorry excuse for a mother anyplace on the net?

 

[Florida]

Picture of the mother at this link.

http://www.stpetersburgtimes.com/2005/04/14/Tampabay/Attention_shifts_to_s.shtml

 

[richandfamous]

Picture of the mother at this link.

http://www.stpetersburgtimes.com/2005/04/14/Tampabay/Attention_shifts_to_s.shtml

Thank you. I heard the mother has gone into hiding. Go figure...

 

[Anniegirl]

Can we please not bash the mother, she assumed her daughter was safe with a church group, she then assumed her daughter was at a friends place.

Yes, poor judgement in not seeking out exactly and precisely where Sarah was, but NO , her poor judgement doesnt mean she's to blame for a sick ,repeated sex offender to take her daughter and kill her- :banghead: --

Please people ANY of us as parents are not perfect people and cannot constanly shield our children from harms way , as much as we'd love to!----


The Vandams were "bashed' for Danielle being taken from safety of her bed even, Mark Lunsford had went out to see a friend the night Jessica was taken,and i've read post where he was scruntiized--- its plain that sex offenders take advantage of situations when the believe a parent is not around,they are the low life's not the parents who will no doubt regret for the rest of their lives going out for the night .

 

[Miss Daisey]

Can we please not bash the mother, she assumed her daughter was safe with a church group, she then assumed her daughter was at a friends place.

Yes, poor judgement in not seeking out exactly and precisely where Sarah was, but NO , her poor judgement doesnt mean she's to blame for a sick ,repeated sex offender to take her daughter and kill her- :banghead: --

Please people ANY of us as parents are not perfect people and cannot constanly shield our children from harms way , as much as we'd love to!----


The Vandams were "bashed' for Danielle being taken from safety of her bed even, Mark Lunsford had went out to see a friend the night Jessica was taken,and i've read post where he was scruntiized--- its plain that sex offenders take advantage of situations when the believe a parent is not around,they are the low life's not the parents who will no doubt regret for the rest of their lives going out for the night .

Anniegirl, I agree with you to some degree. Perverts are EVERYWHERE. We know that, but the first line of defense for the kids are their parents. Nobody will take as good care of them...or watch out for their safety like a watchful parent. When that doesn't happen these kids are left to their own defense...of which they have NONE. Especially a little girl.

I don't know what happened in this family but seems like they ALL let her down...from what the pastor has said.

My sister use to take lots of kids on outtings with the church. She told me many times they'd drop the kids off and nobody was home. She'd take them all home with her until she could varify that their parent was home before she'd drop them off. Sometime this took all weekend. People use the church and the goodwill of the members as a babysitting service and never think twice about staying away from home all weekend and coming home when they're darn well ready.

Parents are often the ones who put their children at risk.

 

[KatherineQ]

That's the nature of church, though, to become a magnet for very lost searching young people. Seems like churches are full of very strong close families, and struggling children who come without their families, and are searching for stability.

That was Sarah.

On the other hand, I was babysitting when I was 13. Thirteen years old isn't too young to be left alone in the house - it's not like dropping off a 6 year old or something.

That this monster of a man killed her - really isn't a factor of her age. She was as big as an average woman, probably could defend herself as well as a grown woman physically, and was in her own home. It doesn't seem to me that there's ANYONE to blame but Onstott. Would he have murdered the mother had he found her all alone at home? Very likely it seems.

She seemed like a real shining beacon of a girl.

 

[Miss Daisey]

She might have been the size of her mother or larger...but she was still only 13yrs old. She didn't have the life experience to defend herself against a sexual preditor.

Her Mom is going to suffer greatly from her laspe in judgement.

 

[KatherineQ]

All the life experience in the world doesn't help you when someone like Onstott comes by.

Who knows? She might have fought very valiantly, and tried to escape the moment he came in the trailer.

He looks like a very strong man, and she's a young woman. Regardless of how she reacted, if he was bent on killing her, she pretty much doesn't have a lot of defense.

But it isn't because she's 13, it's because he's bigger and stronger than she is, and he wants to kill her.

edited to add: I'm not at all sure, anyway, that a "lapse in judgement" on the mother's part added to this at all. They've been unclear about how the confusion came about, why she was dropped off a day before she was expected, so who knows. But a LOT of parents leave when their kids are at camp, or somewhere like a church weekend, to go off by themselves. If no one communicated she was coming back home unexpectedly, it doesn't seem fair to blame the mother who thought she was at church.