Tyler Giuliano: Connecticut teen fatally shot by dad called a good kid

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sept. 28, 2012: Visitors arrive at the home of Jeffrey Giuliano in
New Fairfield, Conn. Giuliano fatally shot a masked teenager in
self-defense during what appeared to be an attempted burglary early
Thursday morning, then discovered that he had killed his son, Tyler,
state police said. (AP)

Tyler Giuliano had no trouble with the law. The teenager loved flying small planes as a Civil Air Patrol cadet and seemed happy as he played an online game with friends Wednesday night. But hours later, authorities say, Tyler was outside wearing a black ski mask and wielding a knife when he was shot by his father, who thought he was a prowler.

No immediate charges were brought against Jeffrey Giuliano, a popular fifth-grade teacher, in the slaying of 15-year-old Tyler, who was gunned down in his aunt's driveway next door to his own home in New Fairfield around 1 a.m. Thursday.

"It's something out of a Hollywood script," said John Hodge, the first selectman, or top elected official, in the town of nearly 14,000 people about 50 miles from New York City. He said he couldn't recall another killing in his eight years on the job.

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said the boy had never been in trouble with the law, and some of those who knew him described him as a good kid with an easygoing personality. Investigators and acquaintances said they were at a loss to explain what he was doing outside dressed all in black and carrying a weapon.

"Certainly, that is the major question we are trying to answer at this point," Vance said.

State police said the shooting happened after Jeffrey Giuliano got a call from his sister next door saying that someone might be trying to break into her home in their neighborhood of attractive colonial-style houses. Giuliano grabbed a handgun and went outside to investigate, troopers said.

He confronted someone in a ski mask and opened fire when the person came at him with something shiny in his hand, police said.

When police officers arrived, Tyler was lying dead in the driveway with a knife in his hand, and his father, in a T-shirt and shorts, was sitting on the grass. Detectives informed the elder Giuliano several hours later that he had shot his son, Vance said.

"All in all, it's a tragedy," Vance said.

Police were investigating whether the father's gun was registered.

No one answered the door at Giuliano's home or his sister's.

Tyler was a student at New Fairfield High School and a Civil Air Patrol cadet. Some of those who knew him said he enjoyed spending time with his family and flying gliders and small planes. He was adopted by Giuliano and his wife a few years ago, friends said.

One classmate said many students were baffled by what happened.

"I just thought it was so weird when I heard because I knew Tyler, not very well, but he was just a sweet person and he always made everyone laugh. I met him in the chorus room, actually, and he just wasn't the type to do what happened," said Erin Pallas, 16. "So it didn't make sense to us. It doesn't make sense to the student body."

Brett Rasile, a 14-year-old friend, said he and Tyler were playing an online game called Minecraft while talking and laughing together via Skype until about 10 p.m. Wednesday, when Tyler said he had to go to bed. Brett said Tyler wasn't in any trouble that he knew of, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Same old Tyler. He was perfectly fine," Brett said. "He didn't really leave any evidence, any hints towards what he would do."

Alicia Roy, New Fairfield superintendent of schools, said the elder Giuliano grew up in the town, holds summer music and zoology camps for his students and plays guitar in a local rock band that raises money for charity. He is affectionately known as "Mr. G" around Meeting House Hill School.

"He was the teacher you requested in the fifth grade. He was a great teacher. All the kids loved him," said Rosemary Rasile, Brett's mother.

Brian Wyckoff, 17, said Mr. G "was always walking around with a smile on his face. He always says hi to everyone."

The high school stayed open late to provide grief counseling for students and parents.

"The community is deeply saddened, and our hearts go out to all the family members," Roy said.

Continue Reading | Comment (1)

Minneapolis Shooting: Five Dead Including Gunman

Friday, September 28, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS — A man burst into a sign-making business in Minneapolis, fatally shooting the owner and three others in the office before turning the gun on himself, family and officials said Friday.

Police have refused to name the shooter, who injured at least four others in the Thursday afternoon attack, and say a search of the suspect's home turned up nothing.

Reuven Rahamim, 61, was shot to death in "a senseless act of violence" at Accent Signage Systems Inc. in Bryn Mawr, a mainly residential neighborhood on the northwest side of the city, son-in-law Chad Blumenfield said in a statement.

"Other members of the Accent family tragically lost their lives as well, and we mourn their loss," Blumenfield said. He provided no details.

UPS driver Keith Basinski was also killed, the mail service said in a statement Friday. UPS Northern Plains District President Jill Schubert did not say why Basinski was at the Accent offices. She said the company was "profoundly shocked and saddened" at his death.

Authorities have not revealed the names of the others killed.

A police summary describes a chaotic scene with multiple 911 calls from the business, with one caller saying someone had been shot. When police arrived, they found four people dead. Dozens of police squad cars and SWAT officers swarmed the area. The first officers on the scene evacuated workers from the business and closed off several blocks.

Of the wounded, John Souter's condition was upgraded from critical to serious as of Friday morning and Eric Rivers remained in critical condition, according to Christine Hill, a spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Medical Center where they were being treated. She had no information on the condition of a third man earlier listed in critical condition.

A fourth person injured has been treated and released, Hill said Friday.

Late Thursday, police searched a house in south Minneapolis where the suspected shooter had lived, but found "nothing that we know of," police spokesman Sgt. Stephen McCarty said.

Property records identify the homeowner as Andrew Engeldinger, whose uncle said he had died in the shooting. Andrew Engeldinger, 36, had been an Accent employee, and his father was told by the medical examiner that he was dead, the uncle, Joe Engeldinger, said.

Police refused to say whether or not Engeldinger was the shooter.

There was no evidence of life at that house early Friday except a light in the basement and a boarded-up window with pieces of broken glass nearby. No one responded to a knock on the door.

Thomas Pitheon, a neighbor who lives across the alley, said he came home just after dark Thursday and found "about a dozen" SWAT team members around the house. Pitheon said he had only exchanged pleasantries with the homeowner he knew as Andrew, whom he described as "an average guy" in his 40s.

Rahamim started Accent Signage Systems, Inc. in the basement of his Minneapolis home in the early 1980s, according to the business publication Finance & Commerce. Rahamim said he chose that name because he wanted it to be the first sign company listed in the Yellow Pages.

The small interior signage company specializes in American with Disabilities Act-compliant signs after developing a patented method to create Braille signs for the blind. U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez praised the company for its innovation during a visit to the facility in August, the paper reported.

Rahamim was born and raised in Israel and served as a soldier in the Israeli army before coming to the U.S., Blumenfield said.

"He loved his work and dedicated much of his energy to developing new and greener products," he said by email. "He loved cooking and having people over at his home. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren and especially loved to take his grandson for bike rides."

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton expressed his condolences.

"I deplore this senseless violence," Dayton said. "There is no place for it anywhere in Minnesota."

Continue Reading | Comment

Patrick Edward Myers, Fort Hood Soldier, Allegedly Killed Friend Who Had Hiccups

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Police arrested a soldier in Texas who they say accidentally shot his friend and fellow member of the military in a joke gone wrong.

Army Spc. Patrick Edward Myers allegedly pointed his gun at his friend’s head to scare him and stop his hiccups on Sunday night, the Associated Press reports.

The 27-year-old soldier, stationed at Fort Hood, apparently thought the gun had dummy rounds when it discharged into the victim's face, according to police. But, in actuality, the weapon had real bullets.

Myers was "handling it in an unsafe manner," said a statement from the Killeen Police Department.

The two friends were drinking and watching a football game at the time of the shooting, a Killeen Police press release said.

The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, died during the ambulance ride to the hospital.

Myers is charged with manslaughter and his bond was set at $1 million.

Continue Reading | Comment

Donald Michael Lapointe's Body Found In Car Trunk By Would-Be Thief

A would-be thief stopped in his tracks on Monday when he found a human body inside the trunk of the car he was about to rob.

Houston police say the body of Donald Michael Lapointe, 28, had been shot in the chest, Click 2 Houston reports. Lapointe's face had been severely beaten, and a bag of pills was hidden in his underwear.

The car containing Lapointe's body was spotted around 4 a.m. by a passing motorist, whose name has not been released, according to KTRK. The motorist told officials he was driving down the freeway with his wife and baby when he saw the car in a ditch, and he decided to take a look to see if there was anything worth stealing inside.

The aspiring robber says he called police when he opened the car's trunk and, instead of valuables, found a dead body.

Investigators believe Lapointe's death was a murder, and may have been drug-related.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the man and woman who discovered the body are not suspects.

Continue Reading | Comment

Amy Bishop Trial; Ex-Professor Who Admitted Shooting 6 People Due In Court

Monday, September 24, 2012

An ex-university professor who pleaded guilty to shooting six people during a faculty meeting in Alabama was in court Monday for an abbreviated trial.

Jury selection began Monday morning for Amy Bishop, a Harvard-educated biologist who went on the shooting spree at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Twelve jurors and two alternates were picked – eight women, six men. Among the potential jurors dismissed was a jailer who has dealt with Bishop while she was in custody.

She wore a red jail uniform in court and was shackled at the feet, seated between two attorneys at the defense table. A deputy removed her handcuffs.

Also in court, sitting behind prosecutors, were relatives of the people killed in the February 2010 rampage. At least one of the shooting victims who survived also was present.

Opening statements are set to begin after lunch.

Bishop pleaded guilty earlier this month to killing three people and wounding three others in February 2010. She avoided a possible death sentence with the plea and instead faces life imprisonment.

But a trial is still required under Alabama law because Bishop admitted to a capital charge of murder. So lawyers will select a jury and Circuit Judge Alan Mann will hold a brief trial.

Mann told jurors that the death penalty is not a possibility "to put your mind at ease."

Bishop still could face a trial in Massachusetts, where she is charged in the 1986 killing of her 18-year-old brother. Seth Bishop's death had been ruled an accident after Amy Bishop told investigators she shot him in the family's Braintree home as she tried to unload her father's gun. But the Alabama shootings prompted a new investigation and charges. Prosecutors have said they will wait until after sentencing in the Alabama case to determine whether to put Bishop on trial in Massachusetts.

Continue Reading | Comment

Reena Mae Williams' Parents, Jenna Danish And Thomas Jay Williams, Arrested After Daughter's Death

A Wisconsin couple whose young daughter wandered from home and drowned in a canal during August turned themselves in to police on Sunday.

Jenna Danish, 33, and Thomas Jay Williams, 44, face charges of child neglect resulting in death following the death of their 3-year-old, Reena Mae Williams, the Associated Press reports.

Police issued an arrest warrant for the parents on Friday, but when they arrived to search their Danbury home, nobody was there. They did, however, make several troubling discoveries.

WTAQ reports:

According to the criminal complaint, the windows facing the canal were covered with sheets. Officers also found regular and synthetic marijuana, along with paraphernalia in the home. The complaint also describes the home is [sic] surrounded on three sides by water without appropriate fences or safety devices, and that it was not a safe place for a three year old child.

When Williams disappeared on Aug. 14, more than 100 volunteers searched wooded areas surrounding the family's home, according to KARE.

Neighbors said they would often see the girl wandering around the neighborhood alone, according to the New York Daily News.

Danish and Williams are currently in the Burnett County Jail.

Continue Reading | Comment

Victory Christian Center Sued Over Alleged Rape Of 13-Year-Old Girl

Sunday, September 23, 2012

TULSA, Okla. — The mother of a 13-year-old girl allegedly raped at a Tulsa megachurch is suing the church for waiting two weeks to report the allegation.

The lawsuit – first reported by the Tulsa World – was filed Friday in Tulsa County District Court. It seeks more than $75,000 and alleges that Victory Christian Center officials tried to conceal the allegation in an effort at "damage control."

Former church employee Chris Denman is charged with raping the girl before a church service Aug. 13.

He has pleaded not guilty. Five other employees are charged with failing to report the allegation.

A church spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. The church said in a previous statement that employees failed to follow a written policy requiring abuse allegations to be reported.

Continue Reading | Comment

Double Amputee Shooting: Matthew Jacob Marin, Houston Officer, Kills Man In Wheelchair

A Houston police officer shot and killed a one-armed, one-legged man in a wheelchair Saturday inside a group home after police say the double amputee threatened the officer and aggressively waved a metal object that turned out to be a pen.

Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said the man cornered the officer in his wheelchair and was making threats while trying to stab the officer with the pen. At the time, the officer did not know what the metal object was that the man was waving, Silva said.

She said the man came "within inches to a foot" of the officer and did not follow instructions to calm down and remain still.

"Fearing for his partner's safety and his own safety, he discharged his weapon," Silva told The Associated Press.

Police did not immediately release the name of the man who was killed. They had been called to the home after a caretaker there called and reported that the man in wheelchair was causing a disturbance.

The owner of the group home, John Garcia, told the Houston Chronicle that the man had a history of mental illness and had been living at the house about 18 months. Garcia said the man had told him that he lost a leg above the knee and all of one arm when he was hit by a train.

"He sometimes would go off a bit, but you just ignore it," Garcia told the newspaper.

Silva identified the officer as Matthew Jacob Marin, a five-year veteran of the department. He was immediately placed on three-day administrative leave, which is standard in all shootings involving officers.

Houston police records indicate that Marin also fatally shot a suspect in 2009. Investigators at the time said Marin came upon a man stabbing his neighbor to death at an apartment complex and opened fired when the suspect refused to drop the knife.

On Saturday, Marin and his partner arrived at the group home around 2:30 a.m. Silva said there were several people at the house at the time. The caretaker who called police waited on the porch while the officers went inside, she said.

"It was close quarters in the area of the house," Silva said. "The officer was forced into an area where he had no way to get out."

Continue Reading | Comment

Aliayah Lunsford Missing: West Virginia Family Wants Answers In Case Of Vanished Daughter

Saturday, September 22, 2012

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Her mother is in prison for welfare fraud. Her stepfather is lying low. Her six siblings, some just infants, are in the custody of child welfare authorities. And Aliayah Lunsford, the brown-eyed 3-year-old who vanished from her West Virginia home a year ago Monday, is still missing.

"It just seems like everybody's forgotten her," said Aliayah's great-aunt Vickie Bowen, "but we're never going to forget."

In the year since Aliayah disappeared from her family's rented house in the Bendale section of Lewis County, Bowen has concluded the girl is probably dead, though she avoids using the word.

"But we still need to know. We need that closure," Bowen said. "We need to take care of her."

Aliayah's mother, Lena Lunsford, told police her daughter was in bed, wearing purple pajama pants and a pink sweat shirt, at 6:30 a.m. Sept. 24, 2011. But she said the child was missing when she checked on her a few hours later.

Six months later, an FBI official said investigators had a working theory about what happened – and it didn't involve a break-in. The agency has since refused to say what agents believe happened to Aliayah or whether they think she's still alive, though it is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to her recovery or an arrest.

Authorities have made no arrests and named no suspects, only describing the people of interest as "a small universe."

Lewis County Sheriff's Deputy Lt. David Parks declined to discuss details of the investigation this week and referred questions to the FBI, which didn't return several messages. However, local authorities have put information about Aliayah in a brochure for people attending a hunting and fishing expo this weekend.

"It's something that stays in our minds all the time here," Parks said. "It's not something you can forget: There's a little girl missing."

Parks said the case is still active and tips are still coming in, though relatives complain they've had no updates in months.

"If there were more to do, we'd be doing it," he said. "Unfortunately, right now we're doing what we can with what we have."

Aliayah Lunsford's case has gotten little attention beyond the boundaries of her small home state, failing to resonate with the public in the way that Caylee Anthony's story did even though both girls were toddlers with chubby cheeks and brown hair.

The body of the 2-year-old Florida girl was found a month after she was reported missing in 2008. Anthony's mother, Casey, was charged with murder after telling a string of lies to police but was later acquitted.

However, Aliayah's case is different in several ways: Neither the immediate family nor the police sought national media attention. Investigators have been tight-lipped about the case, the family and their working theories from the start.

Aliayah's parents were also poor, and their family relationships were splintered before the girl vanished, so there has been no prominent spokesman.

And Aliayah has never been found, dead or alive.

The girl's mother was indicted weeks after Aliayah's disappearance on charges she illegally swapped welfare benefits for cash five times in two months. She was sentenced in May to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to selling $114 worth of credit on her food-stamp card for $50 cash and reported to prison in late June.

Attorney Mike Woelfel, who has represented Lena Lunsford in unrelated civil matters, has said Lena doesn't believe her daughter wandered off and has cooperated with investigators. She's also certain "no blood relative of Aliayah knows what has happened to her," though Woelfel has never elaborated.

Woelfel said he spoke to Lena Lunsford on Friday, and she told him she still believes "Aliayah is out there, alive."

"She's told the FBI everything she knows," he said, "so she's basically powerless to do anything other than sit and wait."

Lena Lunsford filed for divorce from her husband, Ralph Keith Lunsford, after her daughter's disappearance, and is still waiting for it to be finalized. She'd been ordered by a judge to live apart from Ralph after he acknowledged buying and using synthetic drugs called bath salts.

Both parents have repeatedly refused to comment on Aliayah's disappearance, but in a court proceeding, Ralph Lunsford acknowledged police had considered him a person of interest and repeatedly questioned him in the case.

Lena Lunsford gave birth to twins after Aliayah disappeared and before she went to prison. Bowen, their great-aunt, has never met them. Nor does she know where the other children are.

"Until we find answers for Aliayah," she said, "there's no chance of seeing them."

After a year with no solid leads, Bowen is frustrated – but she and a group of about 10 people still search regularly for Aliayah.

"If we hear anything, anything at all, we're there. No matter how unbelievable it seems to us, we go check it out," she said.

On Monday, Bowen and others will plant flowers near the welcome sign in Weston to honor Aliayah. They'll distribute flyers with her picture and post them at area businesses. They're even planning a small afternoon demonstration at the Lewis County Courthouse.

"We're not giving up," Bowen said. "There's no way we're going to give up. A child does not simply disappear."

Continue Reading | Comment

Deliberations focused on alleged plot in trial of Ohio Amish charged in beard-cutting attacks

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

CLEVELAND — Jurors deciding whether a breakaway Amish group committed hate crimes in beard- and hair-cutting attacks on fellow Amish focused on the conspiracy charge Wednesday, the fourth day of deliberations.

The U.S. District Court jury in the trial of 16 Amish reconvened and promptly asked the judge if a conspiracy could involve just some of the defendants.

Judge Dan Aaron Polster told the jury that a conspiracy wouldn’t necessarily need to involve all nine victims in the five attacks or all 16 defendants. Defense attorneys argued that the indictment specified a plot against nine victims, but Polster overruled them.

The indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to cause bodily harm to the victims. The judge said that if all 12 jurors agree that the government proved a conspiracy, the jury then must separately decide who plotted.

The government calls the attacks hate crimes based on religious difference. The defense says it was an internal church dispute and doesn’t rise to a criminal level.

Prosecutors say the defendants cut off Amish men’s beards and women’s hair because the hair carries spiritual significance in their faith. They could face lengthy prison terms if convicted.

Defense attorneys acknowledge that the haircuttings took place and that crimes were committed but contend that prosecutors are overreaching by calling them hate crimes.

All of the defendants are members of Sam Mullet Sr.’s settlement, which he founded in eastern Ohio near Steubenville.

Mullet isn’t accused of cutting anyone’s hair. But prosecutors say he gave his sons directions to the home of a bishop whose hair was chopped off and mocked the victims in jailhouse phone calls.

The government said all of the victims were people who had had a dispute with Mullet over his religious practices and his authoritarian rule over the settlement he founded.

Some of the defense attorneys said the haircuttings were motivated by family feuds or that the defendants were trying to help others who were straying from Amish beliefs.

Related articles

• Jury focuses on alleged plot in Ohio Amish trial (kansascity.com)

Continue Reading | Comment

New Evidence: No Trace of Trayvon Martin’s DNA on George Zimmerman’s Gun

Zimmerman speaks to an unidentified investigator
at the scene of Trayvon Martin's fatal shooting.

Evidence released in the Trayvon Martin murder case indicates that the 17-year-old did not handle his killer's gun at all despite Zimmerman's claim that he grabbed for it during their fatal struggle.

New evidence in the Trayvon Martin case shows no indication that he touched the gun George Zimmerman used to shoot him to death during their altercation in February.

Lab technicians at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement tested the firearm used in the shooting, a black Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm semi-automatic pistol, but none of the Miami teen’s DNA was found on the gun. The neighborhood watch volunteer has claimed that that he shot only after Martin reached for Zimmerman’s weapon, which was in a holster on his waist. In the account he gave to police, Zimmerman said that Martin began to pummel him, bashing his head against the ground and breaking his nose. He said the two struggled on the ground until a single shot went off. Trayvon Martin died of a gunshot wound to his chest.

But the DNA evidence does not prove that Martin ever got hold of the weapon. Tests, which came from swabs collected from the gun’s grip, found Zimmerman’s DNA and that of other handlers, but none from the teen. It is still unclear if any of Martin’s DNA was found on the holster, and DNA swabs collected from the trigger were not interpretable.

The documents, released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, were among a new group of discoveries in the case, including a recorded statement from the 7-11 store clerk that sold the 17-year-old the Arizona Iced Tea and Skittles he possessed when he was killed, plus photos taken on the night of the shooting and others from a private investigator, Martin’s school records, and incident reports. On the whole the newest evidence, which had been presented to Zimmerman’s defense lawyers a month ago, does not reveal much that was not already known from earlier discovery releases — with the exception of the DNA results.

Other records were not released because they are protected under Florida public disclosure laws.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in Martin’s death, which took place on Feb. 17 in a Sanford, Fla. gated community. He was released on a $1 million bond in August. He has pleaded not guilty and is maintaining self defense. His defense team, led by attorney Mark O’Mara is attempting to argue that Zimmerman is protected by the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows someone who feels lethally threatened by an assailant to use deadly force. The team is attempting to get a hearing on their client’s rights under that law, which would determine if he were justified under that statute to shoot Martin.

Since Zimmerman’s release, Florida Circuit Court Judge Ken Lester was recused from the case due to fears of judicial bias and replaced with Deborah Nelson, a Florida bench veteran appointed by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Continue Reading | Comment

Alyssa Bustamante and the Murder of Elizabeth Olten

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Murder victim Elizabeth Olten.

45 minutes: That's how long Elizabeth Olten was missing before her mother called the police.

That's how long it took Alyssa Bustamante, 15, allegedly to kill her first murder victim, her neighbor Olten.

The most shocking thing of all? Alyssa Bustamante's youth was trumped by her victim's: Elizabeth Olten was only 9.

According to friends, family and neighbors, Olten was all sweetness and light, a little girl made of sugar and spice and everything nice, who loved cats, the color pink, and was a real girly girl.

Alyssa Bustamante

She had long medium-brown hair, wide-set eyes, and was described a shy girl who "was afraid of the dark and would not normally have gone into the woods," according to the AP, making her disappearance more ominous.

Peggy Florence spoke on behalf of the family: "She was somebody special. They call her a girlie girl. She would be outside in the snow or in the mud in her frilly little dress."Looking at photos from Bustamante's now-defunct Facebook page, one sees a girl hardened beyond her years; pale blue eyes rimmed with heavy black eyeliner, straightened bangs hanging in her eyes and a defiant pout, chin stuck out at the camera. Even in two dimensions, she had attitude and charisma to burn. Like many troubled teens, she was labeled a Goth. In an alternate life, she might have been a star; in this one, she may be one of the most shocking teenage murderers, yet.

She's Just a Small Town Girl

The two neighboring communities from which the girls came in Missouri, St. Martins and Jefferson City, epitomize small-town America. St. Martins, where Olten lived, has just over one thousand people. Everyone knows each other. So when Olten failed to make it home on Wednesday, October 21, from a friend's house just a quarter-mile away, there was cause for alarm.

The search began almost immediately. Though there was a two-lane highway that ran the stretch from the friend that Olten had been visiting to her own house, she had oddly taken a shortcut through the woods, curving around and behind neighboring lawns and backyards. By the time the search started, with the aid of hundreds of volunteers, it was dark and cold, and the weather had turnedit started pouringsearching the woodsy terrain turned into a difficult process. Dave Wininger, a volunteer firefighter who joined in the search for Olten, was quoted by the Associated Press as describing the search area as "brushy" and "hilly." "There's a lot of rocks, trees, and brush piles. It's a very rough place to be," he said.

The searchers included dogs, firefighters, police, helicopters, FBI, and highway patrol. They went over and over the area, but were unsuccessful. Olten's cell phone initially gave them a hint, but by Thursday morning, the battery had died.

A Hint, a Suspect

Until this point, the scenario that the community and the police had feared was that an older male predator had snatched up the girl as she walked home alone through the woods. No one suspected that it was a member of the community, much less a teenage girl. But details began to emerge and rumors quickly spread.A teenager was described as a person of interest. The police had gathered some evidence, writings that led to the teenager. Bustamante didn't show up for school the day after the murderher first and only unexcused absence.

Shockingly, the teenager then led the police to the body. It had been in the very woods they had been searching.

"We had been in that area actually more than once. The body was very well concealed," Cole County Sheriff Greg White told the press.

Juvie or Adult — Male or Female?

For a while, there was public uncertainty as to the gender of the person-of-interest.

Because the town was so small, Cole County Sheriff Greg White declined to give more specifics until it was decided how Bustamante was going to be tried.

"I know that it would be cathartic for the public to know exactly what happened, but the difficulty with that is, we have to maintain a prosecutable case," White was quoted in an AP report. "We're not going to contaminate jury pools or anything else."

Because she was a juvenile, there was a question whether or not she'd be tried as an adult, possible under state law which could then make her eligible for the death penalty. But Missouri has an unusual two-pronged system for dealing with young offenders, one that mirrors Canada's.

Missouri is one of 22 states using a "dual jurisdiction" system. If a suspect is found guilty, then the offender can be held until age 21, when a new hearing is held, and it is determined whether the offender has been rehabilitated or should serve the rest of the sentence.

It was ultimately decided that Bustamante would be tried as an adult. Her defense attorney Kurt Valentine expressed disappointment with the decision, saying, "We are throwing away the child and we are signing a death sentence for Alyssa. She is not going to survive her time in the Cole County jail."

As details of the murder came out, though, it became clear this was not child's play-gone-wrong.

A Dark and Troubled Mind Revealed

Bustamante had reveled in her bad girl image. Her Facebook page bore images of her with red smeared lipstick, designed to look ominously bloody paired with black kabuki-style makeup over her eyes. She gritted her teeth, and made faces when she wasn't pouting like a sexpot. She was known around town as a bit of a bully.

Like many teens, she was deeply involved with social media and had pages on Myspace, Twitter, and Facebook.

She had a YouTube account under the name OkamiKage (Japanese for "WolfShadow") and filled out her profile. Under her hobbies, she listed "killing people, cutting."

She had been treated for severe depression and had tried to commit suicide. Her Twitter account stated that she was "somewhere I don't want to be." On the photo of her with smeared lipstick, she is pointing a finger at her head like a gun; many little red cuts are visible on her inner wrist.

A Tweet a few weeks before the murder read: "This is all I want in life; a reason for all this pain."

Her YouTube account featured several videos of her and her brothers, mostly just engaging in horseplay or mimicking Jackass stunts, but one in particular was disturbing, Idiots Getting Electrocuted by Elecrtric Fence. In it, Bustamante and her two younger brothers are standing in front of an electric fence. She gives the camera a grin and grabs the fence as she grimaces. Well aware of the pain it causes, she nonetheless convinces her younger twin brothers, 9, do the same. The screen reads: "this is where it gets goodthis is where we see my brothers get hurt."

They dutifully follow, ending on the floor, half laughing, half-shuddering.

The Murder and Confession

When Elizabeth Olten left to go home, she'd been playing with Alyssa Bustamante's half-sister, who lived a few doors down. The six-year old and the nine-year old pals hung out, and then, when Olten started her journey home, she was allegedly diverted by Bustamante who called Olten on her cell phone, and redirected her back to Bustamante's house.

Allegedly, Bustamante had then led Olten into the woods. Olten, who was afraid of the dark, would have trusted the older teenthey played together and were friends. But, Olten couldn't have anticipated that she would be brutally killedslashed on the neck and arms and then fatally stabbed.

The young girl's body was found in a grave; Bustamante admitted to digging two graves a week before the murders, giving rise to speculation that her twin brothers were the original intended victims. But a detail from the press conference gave people further pause. When Cole Country prosecutor Mark Richardson was asked why there were two graves, and whether one or both graves had been used for Elizabeth, he said only: "No, I can't tell you that right now."

The autopsy revealed that Olten had been strangled, her throat and wrists had been slashed and she'd been stabbed.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. David Rice said that Bustamante's motive was simple and terrifying. "Ultimately," Rice told the AP, "she stated she wanted to know what it felt like."

After the murder, a friend of Bustamante's came forward, saying that Bustamante had told her that she wanted to know what committing a murder would be like.

Jennifer Meyer went on KMOV in St. Louis: "I was at her party, and she kind of just took me off to the side randomly and she's like, 'You know, I wonder what it would be like to kill somebody,' because I guess she was mad at one of her friends there, but it just seemed kind of strange," Meyer said. "But you wouldn't logically think one of your friends would kill somebody."

Teen Girl Murderers

Distressingly, there have been other teenage girl murderers, and if Alyssa Bustamante is convicted, she will join the ranks of other infamous female murderesses.

Diana Zamora killed a romantic arch-nemesis, Adrienne Jones in 1995, at the age of 17.

In Australia in 2006, the 16-year-old "Collie Killers," tried murder just for fun, strangling and suffocating their victim.

One of the earliest known teenage female killers, wasn't even a teenager. Mary Bell strangled a three-year old boy and a four-year old boy just for kicks in 1968 at the tender age of 11.

In 1979, Brenda Spencer, 16, bored of Mondays at school, loaded the semiautomatic rifle her father had given her and blazed away, killing two adults and injuring eight children and a cop.

Still, a female offender as young as Bustamante is rare enough that, had it been ruled that she would be tried as a minor, authorities wouldn't have had the right facilities to handle a convicted violent female underage criminal. She would have likely been put in solitary confinement.

All in the Family

Bustamante may never have had a fighting chance to make anything of herself. Bustamante was born to a teenage mother. Her mother had committed some petty crimes involving drug possession, and had been arrested for driving while intoxicated. Her father was in jail, serving a 10-year sentence for assault.

Bustamante had been living under the watchful eye of a guardian since she was seven. She was part of a religious household and had a reputation as a good student, but her psychological difficulties seemingly became too hard overcome.

The Aftermath

Her internal pain continued in the days following the murder. Once it was determined that Bustamante was to be tried as an adult, she became distraught and was moved to Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital for evaluation. She had tried to cut herself and expressed suicidal thoughts. Her nails were cut because she'd tried using them to cut herself. Later, she was ordered by the judge to Fulton State Hospital for evaluation.

Here state-appointed lawyer also introduced a motion to move the trial. He cited comments on news articles as well as blogs, Facebook, and Myspace, purporting to come from townspeople, most of whom excoriated Bustamante. In the online world, Alyssa Bustamante was already convicted and hanged.

People wrote things like: "What is a shame is that the Murderer did not die when she tried commit suiside when she tried to in 2007."

And: "From what I've heard this girl has had mental problems for some time and has seen counselors or someone in the past."

And: "Either deport her or send her to the gas chamber. One less sicko wasting our tax dollars."

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Olten got the funeral she deservedthat of a princess. A horse-drawn carriage took her casket to the cemetery, where her friends and family wore her favorite color: pink.

Entering a Plea

On December 8, 2009, Alyssa Bustamante walked in shackles and handcuffs into the Jefferson City courtroom wearing a lime green prison jumpsuit. Her brown hair hung in her eyes. Her chin still jutted, but her defiance had been muted by the events of the previous months.

The circus had come to town: reporters were allowed inside.

Even with a confession, Bustamante entered a not guilty plea.

More than two years later, on January 10, 2012, Alyssa Bustamante pleaded guilty to second degree murder and armed criminal action. Her first-degree murder trial was scheduled to start later in the month; if convicted, she faced life without parole. Now, having entered a guilty plea, she stood a chance of being released. The punishment for murder in the second degree can be life with the possibility of parole, or 10-30 years. The sentence for armed criminal action is three years to life.

After she pleaded guilty, Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce had Alyssa describe her actions on Oct. 21, 2009.

"I strangled her and stabbed her in the chest," Alyssa said. When asked if she also cut Elizabeth Olten's throat, she responded, "Yes."

According to her attorney Charlie Moreland, Alyssa decided to plead guilty because "she wanted to take responsibility for it."

On February 8, Alyssa Bustamante was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. During a sentencing hearing, forensic consultant Don Locke read aloud to the court a page from Bustamante's diary, dated the day of the Elizabeth Olten's murder. The entry had been scratched out, but Locke was able to recover it. It read,

"I just f*cking killed someone. I strangled them and slit their throats and stabbed them. Now they're dead. I don't know how to feel ATM. It was ahmazing. As soon as you get over the 'Oh My Gawd. I can't do this' feeling it's pretty enjoyable. I'm kinda nervous and shaking though right now. Kay, I got to go to church now LOL."

Continue Reading | Comment

Cristian Fernandez, 13-Year-Old Florida Boy Charged With Brother's Murder

Monday, September 17, 2012

Cristian Fernandez

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A decade before he was charged with murder, a 2-year-old Cristian Fernandez was found naked and dirty, wandering a South Florida street. The grandmother taking care of him had holed up with cocaine in a messy motel room, while his 14-year-old mother was nowhere to be found.

His life had been punctuated with violence since he was conceived, an act that resulted in a sexual assault conviction against his father. Fernandez' life got worse from there: He was sexually assaulted by a cousin and beaten by his stepfather, who committed suicide before police investigating the beating arrived.

The boy learned to squelch his feelings, once telling a counselor: "You got to suck up feelings and get over it."

Now 13, Fernandez is accused of two heinous crimes himself: first-degree murder in the 2011 beating death of his 2-year-old half-brother and the sexual abuse of his 5-year-old half-brother. He's been charged as an adult and is the youngest inmate awaiting trial in Duval County.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Fernandez could face a life sentence – a possibility that has stirred strong emotions among those for and against such strict punishment. The case is one of the most complex and difficult in Florida's courts, and it could change how first-degree murder charges involving juvenile defendants are handled statewide.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer that it is unconstitutional for juvenile offenders to get mandatory life sentences without parole. Because of that, Fernandez' defense attorneys said they can't advise their client what kind of sentence he could face. Another complication involves whether Fernandez understood his rights during police interrogations.

Richard Kuritz, a former Jacksonville prosecutor who is now a defense attorney, said everyone agrees that Fernandez should face consequences if convicted – but what should they be?

"What would be a fair disposition? I don't suspect this case is going to end anytime soon," said Kuritz, who has been following the case closely.

Supporters of local State Attorney Angela Corey say she's doing the right thing by trying Fernandez as an adult: holding a criminal accountable to the full extent of the law. But others, like Carol Torres, say Fernandez should be tried in juvenile court and needs help, not life in prison.

"He should be rehabilitated and have a second chance at life," said Torres, 51. Her grandson attended school with Fernandez and she has created a Facebook page to support him.

In other states, children accused of violent crimes are often charged or convicted as juveniles. In 2011, a Colorado boy pleaded guilty to killing his two parents when he was 12; he was given a seven-year sentence in a juvenile facility and three years parole. A Pennsylvania boy accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancée and her unborn child when he was 11 was sent this year to an undisclosed juvenile facility where he could remain in state custody until his 21st birthday.

The Justice Department said that 29 children under age 14 committed homicides around the country in 2010, the most recent year for which the statistics were available

Fernandez' judge – and jury, if the case gets that far – will have to decide whether to consider the boy's past when determining his future.

Fernandez was born in Miami in 1999 to Biannela Susana, who was 12. The 25-year-old father received 10 years' probation for sexually assaulting her.

Two years later, both mother and son went to foster care after authorities in South Florida found the toddler, filthy and naked, walking in the street at 4 a.m. near the motel where his grandmother did drugs.

In 2007, when Fernandez was 8, the Department of Children and Families investigated a report that he was sexually molested by an older cousin. Officials said other troubling incidents were reported, including claims that he he killed a kitten, simulated sex with classmates and masturbated at school.

In October 2010, Fernandez and his mother were living in Hialeah, a Miami suburb, with his mother's new husband. Fernandez suffered an eye injury so bad that school officials sent him to the hospital where he was examined for retinal damage. Fernandez told officers that his stepfather had punched him. When officers went to the family's apartment, they found the stepfather dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Soon, the family moved north to Jacksonville and Fernandez enrolled in middle school, getting straight A's. They settled in a bland, beige public housing complex.

A few months later on March 14, 2011, deputies were called to the apartment: Fernandez' baby brother, 2-year-old David, had died at a local hospital. The medical examiner determined that the toddler had a fractured skull, bruising to his left eye and a bleeding brain.

Susana, then 25, admitted to investigators that she had left Fernandez, David and her other children home alone. When she returned, she said she found David unconscious. She waited eight-and-a-half hours before taking him to the hospital and searched "unconsciousness" online and texted friends during that time.

Susana also revealed that two weeks before David's death, Fernandez had broken the toddler's leg while wrestling.

Susana was charged with aggravated manslaughter; the medical examiner said David might have survived if she had taken him to the hospital sooner for the head injury. She pleaded guilty in March and could get 30 years.

Fernandez, who had first been questioned as a witness, was soon charged with first-degree murder. The other felony charge was filed after his 5-year-old half-brother told a psychiatrist that Fernandez had sexually assaulted him.

The boy has talked openly to investigators and therapists about his life; the gritty details are captured in various court documents.

"Christian denied any plans or intent to kill his brother," one doctor wrote. "He seemed rather defensive about discussing what triggered his anger. He talked about having a `flashback' of the abuse by his stepfather as the motive for this offense ... Christian was rather detached emotionally while discussing the incident."

Based on psychological evaluations, prosecutors say that Fernandez poses a significant risk of violence. That's why he is being detained pre-trial and why they charged him with two first-degree felonies.

Yet difficult questions remain for Judge Mallory Cooper: Should a child so young spend his life in prison? Does Fernandez understand his crimes, and can he comprehend the complex legal issues surrounding his case?

In August, Cooper ruled that police interrogations of Fernandez in the murder and sexual assault cases are not admissible, because the boy couldn't knowledgeably waive his rights to remain silent and consult an attorney. Prosecutors are appealing.

The defense wants the charges dismissed, saying the U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning sentences of life without parole for juveniles makes it impossible for them to advise Fernandez since the Florida Legislature has not changed state law. Prosecutors say they never said they would seek a mandatory life sentence – they say the old Florida law that called for a 25-year-to-life sentence could apply.

Mitch Stone, a Jacksonville defense attorney who is familiar with the case, said Corey and her prosecutors are in a tough position.

"I know they're good people and good lawyers," he said. "But if a resolution short of trial doesn't occur, this case is on a collision course to sending Cristian Fernandez to life in prison. That's why this is one of those very difficult cases. It's hard to understand what the appropriate measure is."

Continue Reading | Comment

Michael Vincent Allen, Shot At 41 Times By One Police Officer

Friday, September 14, 2012

Investigators are trying to piece together what happened after a 30-minute high-speed chase in Texas ended with a police officer allegedly shooting at a possibly unarmed suspect 41 times.

The Dallas Morning News reports that officer Patrick Tuter of the Garland Police Department is currently on restricted duty following the late August incident, in which he allegedly rammed his car into Michael Vincent Allen's truck before pulling out a semiautomatic weapon and firing off 41 rounds.

Allen was killed, but his girlfriend -- who is said to have been in the truck at the time -- came out unharmed. Allen was reportedly being sought by police for having eluded arrest three days earlier.

According to the Associated Press, earlier reports stated Allen rammed his truck into Tuter's cruiser, but police officials are now backing away from that account since dash-cam footage shows otherwise.

Tuter's lawyer confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that his client did to stop and reload his weapon during the shooting. Tuter allegedly feared for his life and believed that Allen was armed.

A witness told the news outlet he was awakened by the shots and took pictures and video of what unfolded on his cell phone. However, the man claims the Mesquite police took his phone and deleted the footage before returning the device four days later.

The Associated Press reports investigators did obtain a court order to confiscate a memory chip from a cell phone with footage of the incident.

According to NBC 5 News, Joe Harn, a spokesman for the police department, said the department is being transparent regarding to the details about the shooting.

"First of all, we hope and we want the public to know that we're going to do our thing," Harn told the station. "We're going to do our investigation correctly. We could sit on this and try to hide it, but we're not -- we're going to do a good and complete, thorough investigation."

There are currently two ongoing investigations surrounding the incident: The Mesquite Police Department is handling a criminal investigation, while the Internal Affairs Division of the Garland Police is looking into whether Tuter violated department policy.

Still, Allen's parents told a local CBS affiliate they didn't understand how so many shots could have been fired.

“I don’t understand what kind of rage he had or hate he had. But to me, it seems like he had to, there was something else there that me and you don’t know,” Randy Allen, the father of the suspect, told CBS.

Although their son had previous run-ins with the law for drug possession and evading the police, Allen's parents told CBS he was a well-liked person and a father of a 4-year-old girl. The family also said they have not received an apology from the police.

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

Continue Reading | Comment (1)

Armin Wand, Jeremy Wand Set Fire To Kill Family

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Armin and Jeremy Wand has been charged with homicide after allegedly setting a fire that
killed his three sons. He is also charged with attempted homicide for
allegedly trying to murder his wife and daughter.

A southwestern Wisconsin man set his house on fire in hopes of killing his family because his wife was always complaining about money and he wanted a fresh start, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday charging him and his brother with killing his three sons.

Armin Wand III was apparently so desperate to wipe out his family he nearly put his 2-year-old daughter back in the fire after his wife rescued her, the complaint said.

Attorneys with the state Justice Department charged Armin Wand III, 32, and his brother, Jeremy Wand, 18, each with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of arson with intent to defraud.

They also charged Armin Wand III with three counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, accusing him of trying to kill his wife and trying to kill his daughter twice. Jeremy Wand faces two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the wife and daughter.

The men were set to make initial appearances Wednesday in LaFayette County Circuit Court. Online court records didn't list defense attorneys for them Tuesday evening.

The men's father, Armin Wand Jr., told the Wisconsin State Journal newspaper in Tuesday's editions his sons never would have tried to hurt their family. The Associated Press could not reach him for comment; his phone number was not listed.

The fire broke out early Friday in the house Armin Wand III rented with his wife, Sharon Wand, their three sons and their daughter in Argyle, a village of about 850 people 45 miles southwest of Madison, the state capital.

Seven-year-old Allen Wand, 5-year-old Jeffrey Wand and 3-year-old Joseph Wand died in the blaze. Two-year-old Jessica Wand survived with no serious injuries after her mother rescued her.

Sharon Wand remained in critical condition Tuesday at a hospital. The criminal complaint said she suffered burns and the boys' grandmother told the State Journal a beam fell on her. She was 17 weeks pregnant, the grandmother said, but the unborn child died as a result of the mother's injuries.

According to the complaint, Armin Wand III and Jeremy Wand told state agents they started talking about burning down the house as early as Sept. 4.

Armin Wand III told the agents he wanted to collect the life insurance policies on his wife and children. He was tired of his family living from check to check and listening to his wife complain about wanting more money, the complaint said.

He added that his wife was contemplating divorce and he wanted a fresh start, according to the complaint.

Jeremy Wand told agents his brother offered to pay him $300 from the insurance payout if he helped set the fire, the complaint said.

Jeremy Wand went to his brother's house just before midnight Thursday. Sharon Wand and her children were sleeping. She and Joseph were in the living room, Jessica was in a bedroom and Allen and Jeffrey in another bedroom.

Armin Wand III and his brother set fire to crumpled up sheets of paper and placed them under the futon that Sharon Wand was sleeping on. They also placed the papers near a TV and computer in the living room, hoping the fire would appear electrical, the complaint said.

Jeremy Wand then used a lighter to set fire to the couch Joseph was on, Armin Wand III told the agents. The father told his brother to lock Allen and Jeffrey in their room from the outside, the complaint said.

The boys' bodies were later found together on the bedroom floor.

Sharon Wand woke up to discover she was on fire. Armin Wand III told agents he tried to throw a glass of water on her and then ran outside to join Jeremy Wand.

The woman emerged from the home with Jessica in her arms. She told Armin Wand III to hold the girl and that Joseph was inside the house on fire.

Armin Wand III responded by telling his wife to move the family's mini-van away from the house. While she was moving the van, Armin Wand III took Jessica to a broken bedroom window, held her up with both hands and was about to put her back in the house before a woman stopped him, the complaint said.

It's unclear from the complaint who the woman was.

Related News On The World Of Serial Killers:

Continue Reading | Comment

Milton Hall Shooting: Six Michigan Officers Cleared in Fatal Shooting

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — Michigan authorities said Wednesday that they have cleared six Saginaw police officers in the fatal shooting of a homeless, mentally ill man in a parking lot.

Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas joined state officials at a Saginaw news conference to announce the findings.

Milton Hall, 49, was shot multiple times July 1. Saginaw police said he was wielding a knife and made aggressive movements toward officers.

Thomas said in a statement that an extensive investigation "did not yield enough evidence supporting the filing of criminal charges against the officers involved."

"It is the decision of the prosecutor's office that we do not believe that the arresting officers are chargeable for their actions," Thomas said.

Some national black leaders have been pressing Saginaw authorities to take stronger action. The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have come to Michigan have pressed for investigations and discipline against the officers.

Milton's mother, Jewel Hall, said she was "disappointed in the prosecutor's report finding that the actions of the six Saginaw police officers who so brutally shot and killed my son, Milton Hall, were justified," according to a statement a lawyer for the Rio Rancho, N.M., woman released to MLive.com.

"We will continue to seek justice for Milton," she said.

Related News On The World Of Serial Killers:

Continue Reading | Comment

Linnea Lomax's Mother Found Daughter Hanging From A Tree Near A Sacramento River

The heartbroken mother of University of California, Davis, student Linnea Lomax said she is the one who discovered her daughter's body hanging from a tree near the American River in Sacramento, Calif., this past Friday morning.

"We stood there and we smelled a bad smell, and we were smelling every plant around trying to figure out what it could be," an emotional Marianne Lomax explained at a press conference Tuesday.

Lomax said the smell led her to some thick brush underneath a tree. She said she bent down and crawled through the foliage.

"I crawled through on my knees and hands, and I came to a pretty place right by the river, and the river was there and there was really nothing else there, and then I saw my daughter," she said. "I looked for two seconds, and I knew that was her. I ran up screaming and called 911, and that's how it went."

Marianne Lomax made the horrific discovery while searching in the area of Glenn Hall Park with volunteers from the KlaasKids Foundation. Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, preliminary investigations were unable to determine cause and time of death.

According to Linnea Lomax's father, Craig Lomax, his daughter took her own life.

"It is clear to us that, after a fairly quick onset of mental illness, her delusional fears overcame her to such an extreme that she committed suicide by hanging herself," he said.

The 19-year-old student was last seen alive at an outpatient clinic on Howe Avenue in Sacramento on June 26. She was at the clinic for an all-day visit, but she walked out for lunch and never came back, her friend Heidi Hutchison told The Huffington Post.

According to Hutchison, Lomax had suffered a mental breakdown while studying for finals. A 2011 graduate of El Dorado High School in Placerville, Calif., she had just completed her freshman year at UC Davis in June. She had a 4.0 grade point average and was studying human development, with the intent of pursuing a degree in nursing.

The young woman spent more than a week at a treatment facility. After she showed progress, she was released for outpatient therapy.

Multiple searches were conducted for Lomax, and late last month authorities received their first solid lead when a notebook belonging to her was found near the American River bike trail. The location was not far from the medical center where she was receiving treatment and not far from where her body was later found, police said.

Craig Lomax said he and his wife are still trying to understand what went wrong.

"Up until this last spring, no one ever suspected she might someday become a victim of mental illness," he said. "Her earthly future was filled with the promise of a life with lots of joy, love and meaning. She is our dear sweet daughter who could not be loved more by us or her brother and sister. Our pain is great because our love is great."

Marianne Lomax said she had been praying that God would help her find Linnea, and she said her prayers were answered.

"I believe that God brought me to her, and there's closure because of that."

According to Lomax family spokeswoman Amanda Ernst, a "celebration of life" service will be held for Linnea Lomax on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 22, at Green Valley Community Church in Placerville.

Continue Reading | Comment