Gabriel Update

Ken Gamble. the private investigator, in the Baby Gabriel Case has released some of his findings. He says Gabriel is not hurt. He says she ( Gabriel's mother) handed Gabriel off to another couple in San Antonio, Texas at a park. No other information was given. He said more of their conversation will follow later. "The information is supported by her own hand written notes of her journal...", he stated.

Why would she choose to sit in jail and not tell the truth of where he is? This has gone on too long. Its hard to believe no harm has come to him.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/missing_baby_johnson_case_033110

Guard gets suspended

The jail house guard that was responsible some times for Casey's dorm and the dorm of her pen pal, a drug dealer, Robyn Adams is suspended with pay. Jail guard, Silvia Hernandez, allegedly is the one who passed 50 letters, 258 pages worth, from Casey to Robyn. The investigation is still on going. The letters are still being held and have not been released to the public yet. Seems dorm L has been pretty busy with communications when it is ordered they have none. The letters must hold some significant information for them to still be held.

http://www.wftv.com/news/23015626/detail.html

Relative of Haleigh Cummings pleads in drug case

*****makes you wonder if she has a deal. Maybe she will be testifying against the rest.

New court dates set for missing girl's father, former stepmother

Posted: March 31, 2010 - 11:09am

WILL DICKEY/The Times-Union

Hope Sykes appears at the Putnam County Courthouse during her arraignment on drug trafficking charges on February 18 in Palatka.

By Dana Treen

PALATKA — A cousin of missing Haleigh Cummings' father will be sentenced in late April after pleading no contest to a drug trafficking charge in Putnam County this morning.

Hope Sykes made the plea in court hearings that also set new trial dates for Haleigh's father, Ronald Cummings, and former stepmother, Misty Croslin.

Sykes, 19, could face 15 years in prison, although her age may provide some leeway in the sentencing. The prosecutor in her case said she has not made any arrangements for Sykes to testify in the cases involving Cummings or Croslin, who each face multiple trafficking charges.

Sykes is scheduled to be sentenced April 27.

All three were captured on surveillence cameras in an undercover drug operation. Sykes' charge is connceted to one of the recordings. She was in an undercover officer's car with Cummings and Croslin.

Cummings, 25, whose daughter was reported missing on Feb. 10, 2009, from home in Satsuma by Croslin, is set for a second pre-trial hearing May 13. Crosilin, 18, has her next pre-trial hearing is June 3 in Palatka.

Croslin's brother, Hank Croslin Jr., is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. pre-trial today in the Putnam court.

http://jacksonville.com/node/404674/print

Misty Cummings & Ronald Update

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- The father and former stepmother of missing 6-year-old Haleigh Cummings appeared before a judge Wednesday in Putnam County.
A pretrial hearing was held for Ronald and Misty Cummings Wednesday morning.
Both are facing drug trafficking charges unrelated to Haleigh's disappearance.... See More
The judge scheduled another hearing for Ronald on May 13 and a hearing for Misty on June 3.
Both have entered not guilty pleas.
Misty Cummings is being held on $1.35 million bond, while Ronald Cummings' bond is set at $900,000 bond. If convicted, both could face 25 years in prison.
Haleigh vanished from her Satsuma home in February 2009.
When asked Wednesday what she wanted to see come out of Ronald and Misty's drug arrests, Teresa Neves, Haleigh's paternal grandmother, said she just wants to see Haleigh come home.
Thr

Baez is up to something

http://humbleopinionforum.net/2010/03/31/recap-baez-wants-this-and-that-31march2009/

Seems Jose is looking for someone. He keeps wanting more records from the Equusearch team. Wonder who he is looking for and why? Are they going to switch their story about who is responsible for Caylee's death? Monday should be interesting. Maybe it will give us a clue as to what Jose is searching!

Divers search St. Johns

Kelly declined to say what divers were looking for and which slaying case triggered Monday's search.

"They've asked me not to relay which case it's on," he said. This is interesting, being it is in the same location of Haliegh Cummings.

Divers search St. Johns--Deputies seek evidence for Volusia County investigation

By Larry Sullivan

Published: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 1:31 AM EDT

Palatka Daily News

Sheriff's divers spent Monday searching the St. Johns River for murder evidence.

The search near the Memorial Bridge in Palatka has nothing to do with the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings, the young Satsuma girl missing since Feb. 10, 2009, authorities said.

Early Monday, specially trained divers from three counties began checking the river bottom just north of the landmark bridge.

Their work could continue through Wednesday.

The search is for possible evidence in connection with a two-year-old slaying in Volusia County, a State Attorney's Office official said.

"I can confirm we are involved," Chris Kelly, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said. "Beyond that, it relates to an ongoing investigation out of Volusia County. That is about all I can say at this point."

Kelly declined to say what divers were looking for and which slaying case triggered Monday's search.

"They've asked me not to relay which case it's on," he said.

"Once they conclude their search I may be able to give more information, but until then that's about all I can say."

The search was performed by deputies from Putnam, Flagler and St. Johns counties.

One boat equipped with flashing blue strobe lights patrolled the area around the search zone. Another boat upstream boat kept a line attached to two divers below the surface, its brightly colored diving flag flapping in the wind.

A third boat was used to ferry supplies and searchers from the shore.

The river is 15 to 20 feet deep in the search area and the water temperature was in the low 60s.

Divers had to battle the river's current and nearly zero visibility under water.

About lunchtime Monday, personnel from the Palatka Fire Department went to the command post on the East Palatka side of the river to refill air tanks for the searchers.

The search drew a few curious people to the park area, where several law-enforcement vehicles were parked.

"Does this have anything to do with that missing girl?" one man asked a deputy.

Since Haleigh Cummings was reported missing, several large-scale searches have been conducted across Putnam County, and areas of the St. Johns River have been checked.

Late last year, responding to a tip in the Haleigh case, authorities used large pumps to partially drain a pond in the Mondex southwest of Palatka so divers could better examine the site.

No evidence from the case was found.

lsullivan@palatkadailynews.com

Misty Cummings

Seems Misty has a date today in court. Also looks like there is a small family reunion going on in the court house today. They are in Putnam County court for a pretrial hearing on the felony charges. Others family members are there also for charges. Tax dollars at work today.

Where is Misty Cummings

Seems there is activity today. Misty Cummings is not in jail. Is she being transferred or bailed out? Do they have her out of jail for a location? There is a search nearby for another women. Updates as soon as it is available.

UPDATE: It appears Misty is on her way to Putnam for her Pretrial Hearing

River search continues for evidence in woman's slaying

***** IMO - this doesn't make sense. This could be a search for Haleigh, but they don't want to be ridiculed if they turn up nothing.

By Kristin Chambers

Published: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 1:27 AM EDT

Dive squads continue to search the depths of the St. Johns River in hope of finding evidence that will lead Daytona Beach investigators to solving the 2007 murder of a 45-year-old Volusia County woman.

Twenty-five divers from Putnam, St. Johns, Flagler and Clay counties began the search near the Palatka's Memorial Bridge on Monday and are expected to continue through today, Sgt. Michael Fowler, spokesman for the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety, said.

The search is related to the murder of Karen Boehm, who was shot to death on July 22, 2007, in the parking lot of the Towers Grande condominium at 255 South Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores, Fowler said.

"There are no arrests at this time. We are hopeful these new leads will lead us to a suspect," he said.

Fowler said they are "not releasing anything that has been located so far."

"I don't anticipate that we will," he added.

The Daytona Beach Shores DPS and the State Attorney's homicide investigation unit developed information that led them to Putnam County in the search for evidence in the murder of Boehm. Investigators believe that key evidence may be in the St. John's River between Palatka and East Palatka.

Fowler could not comment as to what items were being sought below the murky waters, which reach 15 to 20 feet deep in the search areas.

Divers had to battle the river's current and near-zero visibility underwater.

"We believe that the new information in this case is credible and are optimistic that the leads we are following will assist us in finding Karen Boehm's killer," said Detective Karen Howard of the Daytona Beach Shores DPS.

The search drew a few curious onlookers to the park area Monday, with some asking if the dive teams were related to missing Satsuma kindergartner Haleigh Cummings.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office and State Attorney's Office confirmed that it was not related to the missing child.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety at (386) 763-5347

http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2010/03/31/news/news01.txt

Where is Caylee Anthony's Father?: Why Aren't Police Investigating an Important Clue in the Case?

Where is Caylee Anthony's Father?: Why Aren't Police Investigating an Important Clue in the Case?

http://crime.suite101.com/article.cfm/where_is_caylee_anthonys_father#ixzz0jl7UK4dl

New Hearing Scheduled In Casey Anthony Case

Posted: 5:49 pm EDT March 30,2010Updated: 6:09 pm EDT March 30,2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A new hearing has been scheduled in the case against Casey Anthony. The hearing is set for Monday, April 5.

Casey Anthony’s defense team is renewing its push to obtain records from the search organization that helped look for Caylee Anthony (read motion).

DOCUMENT: Motion To Obtain Records

Casey’s lawyers maintain Texas EquuSearch volunteers searched the exact location where Caylee’s remains were found, but came up empty. But EquuSearch says they searched near the area and said Caylee's remains were found was under water.

http://www.wftv.com/news/23005410/detail.html

Casey Anthony will be back in court next

Casey Anthony will be in court Monday for a hearing on access to more documents from the volunteer search group that helped look for her daughter.

Anthony, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee Marie. The 2-year-old was reported missing in July 2008. Her remains were found in woods near her home five months later in December.

Members of Texas EquuSearch scoured several hundred acres throughout Orange County on two occasions to search for the girl. The group claims 32 volunteers searched the area close to where her remains were found but not the exact area, according to court documents.

Her defense team wrote in its request to the judge that the team found volunteers who weren't on the list of 32 and did search the spot Caylee's bones were found but noticed nothing unusual. The defense now wants access to all of EquuSearch's records.

The hearing will be before Orange Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland.

Father, Son Accused Of Possessing Child Porn

Posted: 12:13 pm EDT March 30,2010Updated: 12:19 pm EDT March 30,2010

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested a father and a son from Orange County Tuesday on charges of possession of child pornography.Dale Chisena Sr., 58, who is a second grade teacher at Lovell Elementary School in Apopka, and 22-year-old Dale Chisena Jr.,were arrested by FDLE with assistance from the Attorney General’s CyberCrime Unit after investigators discovered the men had multiple images of child pornography in their possession.During a routine investigation, agents traced child pornography images back to the Chisena residence. A search warrant was executed at their Ocoee home where computer equipment was seized to undergo forensic analysis.An initial review of the equipment revealed approximately 1,000 images of child pornography, including some images of female children appearing to be infants.Chisena, Sr. and Chisena, Jr. were booked into the Orange County jail. They face charges of multiple counts of possession of child pornography. Additional charges may be filed pending a full forensic review of the seized items.

Aja Johnson's father says he knew missing girl was dead

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Published: March 29, 2010

NORMAN — J.J. Johnson had a strong premonition that his abducted 7-year-old daughter, Aja, was dead. On Monday, that premonition appeared correct.

The decomposing bodies of an adult and child were found in a heavily wooded area near Lake Thunderbird. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said agents think the remains are those of Aja and her alleged abductor, Lester William Hobbs.

Neither has been seen since Jan. 23.

"We have no reason to think it is not those two people," Brown said at a news conference. "We do not know the cause and manner of death yet."

Investigators also found the white, 1992 Toyota Paseo at the scene — a vehicle that belonged to Aja's mother and Lester's estranged wife, Tonya LeAnn Hobbs. Tonya Hobbs, 37, was found bludgeoned to death inside Lester Hobbs' recreational vehicle Jan. 24 in Geronimo.

Agents have since suspected Lester Hobbs of fleeing Comanche County in that vehicle after killing his wife. An aerial view from a television helicopter showed the vehicle's in a patch of clearing in a wooded area not far from 108th Avenue SE, just north of State Highway 9. A dirt road trailed past the vehicle through the woods.

"An OSBI agent came to the house and told me she couldn't positively tell me they had found Aja," Johnson told The Oklahoman as television crews gathered outside his south Oklahoma City home. "I said, 'I know it's her.' I saw her little jacket on the ground on TV.' We bought her a little blue jacket with orange lining for the winter.

"I know it's her."

Brown described the bodies as being in "quite an extended state of decomposition," meaning fingerprints and dental records will used to make a positive identification. Authorities also found a note at the scene. While Brown declined to say what the note said, she added that "it does give us a glimpse of what was in Hobbs' mind at the time."

Johnson, meanwhile, said the wait has been tortuous.

"About three weeks ago, I started to suspect this," said Johnson, who received sole custody of Aja after a court order in October. "As a parent, you have this fire in you that burns for your kid, and that fire went out.

"I just knew that gutless man would end up killing Aja and then himself. I've known all along that he was a coward. All he does is hurt women and children. He'd never go after a real man."

A citizen reportedly discovered the car and bodies just before 3 p.m., said Norman police spokeswoman Jennifer Newell.

Norman officers had previously investigated at least one lead that Hobbs and the child had been spotted in Cleveland County. But Newell said, "It was not enough information to lead to anything."

Hobbs reportedly lived in Norman and may have been familiar with the area where his car was found, both Newell and Brown said.

"I just can't believe this has happened," Johnson said. "I'm numb."

CONTRIBUTING: STAFF WRITER AARON CRESPO

Dead Baby Found In Bernalillo County NM

The Bernalillo County sheriff called the discovery of a dead child "disturbing."The sheriff's department said it found a dead baby near Highway 14 at about 12:30 p.m.

A property owner and his wife were walking around when they saw what they described as a baby blanket. There was a box underneath the blanket and when they looked inside they found the dead baby, police said.So far, the sheriff told Action 7 News he thinks they baby was an infant up to two months old. He did not reveal the baby's gender.

The property owner said he saw the blanket there since January when he bought the property, but because of the snow, he just walked the land to see what it was. The sheriff's department said it is trying to find anything that will lead them to the baby's parents."Our detectives are going through. They have a pretty large crime scene. It's a pretty large property. They want to comb the area for any additional evidence," said Deputy Lawrence Koran, with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department."This is a very sad, upsetting event. It's unfortunate that this took place," said Sheriff Manuel Gonzales.Gonzales said at this point they do not know if there are any missing infants. He said the first thing is to try to identify the baby. Detectives are also trying to determine how the child ended up at the location.

The sheriff wants to remind everyone about the Safe Haven Law --- babies up to 90 days old can be dropped off at any hospital, police station or fire station without facing any criminal charges.

Link

Man On Personal Mission Launches Sex Offender Magazine

INDIANAPOLIS -- A monthly magazine that features Indiana sex offenders is part of a personal mission for a man who was a victim of abuse.The magazine, now offered in 55 Speedway stores in the Indianapolis area, is already getting mostly positive feedback, its publisher says.The publisher, who only wants to be identified as Ryan, designed the magazine and pays for all the printing costs, 6News' Tanya Spencer reported.

"I don't think the registry (online) is in your face enough," said Ryan, who runs Critical Review Publications. "A lot of people want to turn a blind eye to this."The magazine has pictures of convicted sex offenders and outlines the charges against them. With more than 2,000 sexual predators in Indianapolis and new offenders being released from jail frequently, the featured pictures will change each month.

The magazine also offers general safety tips, victims' stories and resources."I'd be interested to see who's on the list," said one resident. "Hopefully, they're not living upstairs or down the street."The magazine costs $1.25 an issue, covering publishing costs. Ryan hopes to eventually get enough advertisers on board to make the cost to consumers free.

If the magazine makes a profit, a portion of the proceeds will go to Stop Child Abuse and Neglect, or SCAN, which provides counseling to victims.Ryan insisted that publishing the information is fair game because it's already online and public domain anyway. He argued that the high recidivism rate of sexual abuse warrants the scrutiny and that his endeavor will be a success if it prevents one child from going through what he did."I have post-traumatic stress disorder because of it," Ryan said. "It was very difficult for me to get to a point where I wasn't blaming myself and had all those guilty feelings."The magazine is currently only offered in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, but Ryan hopes to expand to other cities.

Link

Enid,OK Toddler Mysterious Beating

ENID, OK - An Oklahoma toddler was severely beaten and now authorities are looking for the person who did it. Enid police say they're in the early stages of investigating this case. So far no arrests have been made.

Her toys are still scattered in the front yard, but little Evie isn't home. The 22 month old toddler was rushed to the hospital by her grandfather, Robert Gamble, after he got a call from Evie's mother, Amanda Gamble, early Wednesday morning.

"She said that the baby's head was swelling and was purple and that she needed help," Robert Gamble said.

He said he hurried over to his daughter's house and couldn't believe what he saw.

"When she opened the door she had the baby in her arms, and the baby's head was hugely swollen," he said. "Her eyelid was swollen shut, and she held out her arms and said, 'Papa.'"

The three rushed to the emergency room and as Evie and her mother were taken back to see a doctor. Robert says he told hospital workers to call police.

"Upon arrival officers did an initial investigation and detectives were called out to the scene," Lt. Eric Holtzclaw said. "Currently we have an active investigation going."

Robert says Amanda just turned 20 years old. She was having a birthday party Tuesday night and had several people over at the time. Her daughter was in the home the entire time.

"She said she was out of the house for awhile and when she got home she said the baby was asleep," Robert Gamble said. "Her ear was bent down because her head was so swollen on the left side. Her left eyelid was completely swollen shut. It looked like she had knuckle marks on the back of her ear."

She now has bruises and marks from someone her grandfather believes she tried to fight off that night.

"She had defensive wounds on the left side of her hand from whoever was hitting her face," Robert Gamble said. "I just want whoever did this to go to jail..."

The girl's mother, Amanda Gamble, has not been charged with any crime. We tried talking to her, but were told she had nothing to say. We're told Evie is temporarily in DHS custody.

Link

Video on link page shows her injuries. I don't know who could do this to a child.

Sandra Cantu murder case: Defense to challenge evidence

TRACY, CA - The attorney for Melissa Huckaby, the suspect in 8-year-old Sandra Cantu's murder, is asking a judge that some evidence not be permitted in court.

Huckaby returned to San Joaquin County Superior Court Monday morning with a noticeable change in her appearance. Instead of long brown hair, seen in her earlier appearances, she now has short, dark wavy hair.

Judge Linda Lofthus has banned cameras from the courtroom.

The judge is expected to set a date to hear a defense motion "to suppress evidence" in the case.

Melissa Huckaby March 27, 2009, Cantu was reported missing. Crews found her body on April 6. It was stuffed into a suitcase and left inside a drainage ditch about 2 miles away from her home.

Huckaby lived in the same mobile home park as Cantu's family. Police arrested her on charges of murder, kidnapping and rape.

News10/KXTV
http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=78274&catid=2

Adam Walsh murder revisited

Adam Walsh murder revisited: The case against Jeffrey Dahmer

A Miami Herald investigation into the murder of Adam Walsh has found that in naming Ottis Toole as Adam's killer, authorities overlooked evidence and witnesses pointing toward Jeffrey Dahmer.

BY DAVID SMILEY AND ARTHUR JAY HARRIS

DSMILEY@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Investigating one of the nation's most prominent unsolved murders, a Hollywood detective pitched softball questions and homemade muffins to a serial killer.

He asked: Did you kidnap freckled 6-year-old Adam Walsh from a Sears in 1981?

``Nothing to do with it,'' Jeffrey Dahmer answered, taking another muffin.

The word of Dahmer, a sociopath who stashed severed heads in his refrigerator, was instrumental in Hollywood police deciding he was not Adam's killer despite contradictory statements from two witnesses.

In December 2008, Chief Chadwick Wagner called a press conference to say deceased drifter Ottis Toole -- long suspected but never prosecuted -- killed Adam. Adam's parents believed it and Broward prosecutors said Toole was the only valid suspect. Case closed.

But had authorities fully explored Dahmer's time in South Florida, they would have found more evidence implicating him than Toole, The Miami Herald found.

The evidence includes two additional witnesses who said they saw him at the mall with Adam that day, another who placed Dahmer at the scene of an eerily similar abduction attempt two weeks earlier, and people who said he had access to a van fitting an early description of the getaway vehicle.

The 29-year-old murder remains among the most vexing unsolved crimes in America, and no one can say with certainty that Dahmer -- or any of the other myriad suspects to drift through the case -- snatched the child.

Yet by focusing so heavily on Toole despite layers of contradictions in his long twisted tale, Hollywood police may well have missed leads pointing to Dahmer, according to fresh interviews and a review of thousands of documents.

A DISHEVELED STRANGER

``Once I saw that picture of Dahmer, I said, `That's him,' '' Janice Santamassino remembered. ``That's who I saw.''

July 27, 1981 was the first day of Santamassino's vacation, and she drove her daughter and son to the Hollywood Mall on Hollywood Boulevard across from police headquarters. After nearly slamming into the back of a blue van parked illegally outside the west entrance of Sears, she parked, and went inside.

Santamassino wanted sandals for her daughter Lori, 4, but first the girl asked to play an arcade game. Lori approached a game next to a boy wearing an oversized hat, shorts and a striped shirt and played for 10 minutes, the mother said.

On their way out of the toy department, Santamassino looked down an aisle and saw a disheveled man. She said their eyes met. She grabbed her daughter's hand and walked away. ``He just gave me a bad, uncomfortable feeling. It was spooky,'' she said.

She later heard an intercom call for Adam Walsh. A distraught woman and man were at the customer service desk, but the boy at the video games was gone. So was the creepy guy in the toy aisle.

A massive search ensued. Hundreds of volunteers scoured Hollywood's streets, and helicopters and boats filled the skies and waterways. Posters of Adam, clad in a little league uniform and flashing a gap-toothed grin, were plastered everywhere.

Watching the news that afternoon, Santamassino realized she had seen Adam. She called police and then again the next day but said she never received a return call. Not in 1981 nor in 1996, when she called America's Most Wanted after the show, hosted by Adam's father John Walsh, ran a piece on Adam. The show forwarded the tip to Hollywood police.

Full Story1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Joy Wray on Levi Page Tonight at 10pm

Upcoming Episodes

Breaking News in Haleigh Cummings & Caylee Anthony cases!

Levi Page Show

Date / Time: 3/28/2010 10:00 PM

Category: Current Events

Call-in Number: (347) 838-9781

Tonight explosive news in the Haleigh Cummings investigation! Misty Croslin fails another polygraph! What does this mean for the investigation? Also tonight: More twists and turns in the Caylee Anthony murder investigation! EXCLUSIVE: Joy Wray a woman who searched for Caylee says she searched the area where the body was found and says it was not there. She also claims she seen a man in that area. Will she testify for Casey Anthony's defense? Also the mistress of George Anthony attempts suicide! Special guests tonight Art Harris with artharris.com, Joy Wray, Reporter Mark Wiliams, body language expert Dr. Lillian Glass and criminal profiler Pat Brown.

Casey Anthony Prosecution's Witness List Updated. 03/28/10

**** I noted that the very last witness on this list is Joy Wray. Are they cutting the defense off at the pass? I find it funny that they list unknown after her name.

Casey Anthony Prosecutions witness list updated March 28 2010

Somer Thompson benefit at Jacksonville Landing brings tears

Event was time of reflection.

Posted: March 28, 2010 - 12:22am

By Tia Mitchell

Diena Thompson brought a jolt of energy to the Somer Jam concert held Saturday in her slain daughter's memory.

She danced and sang along to the chorus of the Journey song a band on stage was covering: "Don't Stop Believin'."

The crowd joined in, singing a song that seemed to personify Thompson's efforts to bring justice and now a purpose for the brutal murder last fall of 7-year-old Somer.

The Somer Jam, held Saturday at The Jacksonville Landing, was both the official kickoff and a fundraiser for the Somer Thompson Foundation, which will raise awareness about protecting children from sexual predators, as well as support the families of victims.

Diena Thompson mingled with the crowd about 6 p.m., accepting hugs and pats on the back from strangers who attended the benefit. She smiled when Rita Laufer approached her, but only a few moments passed before both women, and Dave Laufer, standing nearby, were weeping.

Rita Laufer said she told Thompson, "We feel what she feels."

Their son, 26-year-old Eric, was killed last year, and his assailant has not been caught.

The Laufers flew in from Buffalo, N.Y., when the leader of the Something Distant band asked if musician Dave Laufer could fill-in at the last minute on bass. Because of their own story, they didn't hesitate to join the cause for Somer.

The Laufers arrived Friday night, just hours after Jarred Harrell was formally charged with murder and other crimes that police say are connected to Somer's death. Rita Laufer said she can only try to imagine what Thompson was going through.

"It's got to make her feel like this will never happen again, but it will never bring her daughter back," she said. "Her heart will never stop breaking. Ever."

Scott Hanson, who lives on Jacksonville's Northside and grew up listening to headliner band Molly Hatchet, brought his 5-year-old son Devin to the concert with him. He said Somer's death was a rude awakening.

"It opened my eyes to awareness and how you need to watch your children because my son plays outside every day," he said. "You never know who's driving around the corner."

Hanson said he wanted to support the Somer Jam because the foundation will provide a necessary service.

"We need to bring awareness to what's really going on in our neighborhoods," he said, "and keep our children safe."

Link

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