Body Found May Be Missing Fla. Girl

Updated 7:32 p.m. EDT

Authorities searching for a missing 7-year-old north Florida girl said they found the body of a young child in a Georgia landfill Wednesday.

Police did not immediately confirm Wednesday that the body was that of Somer Thompson, the second grader last seen Monday afternoon walking home with her siblings and friends from Grove Park Elementary School near Jacksonville. They said the body was still being identified.

Clay County, Fla., Sheriff Rick Beseler first said the body was a female, but then corrected himself and said he couldn't yet confirm the gender. The parents of Somer Thompson, who has been missing since Monday, have been notified.

The body was found by Clay County detectives who followed garbage trucks from the girl's neighborhood to Folkston, Ga., just north of the Florida state line.

Beseler said investigators searched through 100 tons of garbage before finding the partially covered body. He did not give any other details about the discovery.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was helping with the investigation and planned to conduct an autopsy on the body Thursday in its Savannah office, spokesman John Bankhead said.

"We all need to say a prayer for Somer's family," Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said at a press conference announcing the discovery.

Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park, a suburb just south of Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The area where she disappeared is a heavily populated residential area with homes, apartment complexes and condominiums.

Somer was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. She became upset, walked ahead of the group and wasn't seen again

Investigators said before the body was discovered that they had no clues in the case but they suspected foul play in Somer's disappearance.

"Somer disappeared off the face of the earth. We just don't have a clue right now where she is," Beseler said. "We want to find who did this and bring them to justice."

Somer's mother went on all three national network morning news shows with a tearful appeal for the child's return.

Asked to describe her daughter, Diena Thompson told CBS' "The Early Show", "She's a beautiful 7-year-old, doesn't know a stranger. She's loving, she's creative. Has a twin, and he wants her to come home."

Sam Thompson, the girl's father said from his home in Graham, N.C., said he would like to get his daughter back and wouldn't worry about her abductor.

"Just let her go. As far as I'm concerned, he can go free. Go on and live his life somewhere else. I forgive him. The Lord says you have to forgive people who trespass against you. So, I forgive him. I just want my daughter back," he said.

[cantrellinc]

I am so sick of hearing of another sexual predator in FL or anyhere else in this world killing another innocent girl. And we pay for these sick sexual predators to live the rest of their lives in prision WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS. We need to fight back and take these predators off the face of this earth! And our goverment should be doing something about this! I would vote to put to dealth anyone that takes a child life! We need to inforce a new law ASAP this is LONG OVERDUE!

[asfamily19]

First of all my heart goes out to this family.No one should have to endure anything like this . There is nothing that compares to the death of a child. What I would like to comment on is the news clip from this mornings show. When the Sherriff of Clay County was asked what is was like to notify the parents that the body of the child was found. He said it was the most difficult phone call he had ever made. He called this mother on the phone and told her? This is wrong. I cant believe she was told something like this over the phone.

[all4science]

Go do some research; there must be reasons why Denmark is comaratively a safer place to live in. Americans like to "live free".....that might just be their problem.

[JV1970]

I hope they find this monster or monsters soon. I hope and pray that this is not another unsolved murder like the one near Weleetka, Oklahoma over a year ago. Those two little girls were just walking down a country road and were shot to death and left to die in a ditch. No suspect has been arrested yet. My heart and prayers go out to this little girl's parents and family.

[rwsmith29456]

I wonder how long the predator watched the kids coming hom from school waiting to get one by themselves?

[carolcape]

Another child gone at the hands of a predator. Why are these predators out there harming children.I send my condolences for the family of this child. Definitely it was someone who knew the area, it had to be someone from that town. Hopefully they will find who did this.

[Virgil-1]

Denmark better watch their children closer.The talk show media has
now exposed them to the wretched world.

[pinkdeer2]

What is so wrong with this country? Oprah featured Denmark today and people there leave their babies outside of the cafes while they eat, and outside in their prams at home to nap. They are NEVER stolen! Why are we so screwed up??????????

[SocietysNightmare]

The people of DENMARK are INSANE then! This mentality is what enables predators. Emulating these practices in the US will get your child hurt and/or killed. You do not live in a perfect world. A healthy dose of paranoia could save your child's life.

[ubrew12]

No. pinkdeer2 is right to compare us to Denmark, and you are wrong. If Denmark was 'insane' wouldn't their murder rate exceed our own? The opposite is true. Americans, I believe, are sold a dose of individualism and belief that as individuals they don't need the community around them for anything: not a thing. Ironically, the worst thing that can happen is if that turns out to be true: such people end up monsters or worse. In Denmark, indeed most of W Europe, they never forgot that we are all part of a larger community, and depend upon it and support it: it helps give us meaning. In that aspect, mothers can leave their babies out on the street, knowing that no one there is so deprived that they would take them. But, America is filled with people hurt, broke, and trapped by their 'independence' with no one to talk to or turn to, and these people end up monsters. These people, craving someone (anyone) to prey upon, do the unspeakable...

[cassie001]

I hope this brings the commmunity together. With both parents in the workforce for the majority of school-age children, there has to be a way to ensure their safety when coming to or leaving from school. The entire community should institute a neighborhood watch when kids are enroute to school. Businesses should support it and allow their employees the time they need to ensure their kids safety. This story breaks my heart, and it angers me. I am tired of people preying upon young children.

[poochie44]

This breaks my heart. The evil puke should not have a second chance at life. Let's crack down on these violent child/sex molesters. I'm sick of them getting so many chances only to keep doing this. Children and the innocents should be given the 2nd chances but our laws don't seem to work that way.

[bfry01]

Why was a second grader walking without having an adult with her? I dont even see middle school age kids waiting for the bus at the end of there own driveway without a parent being with them.

[aChangeOfIdeas]

Jaycee Dugard was snatched with her stepfather standing right at the bus stop with her. This child was supposed to be walking in a group, not that it might have made a difference. Don't blame the kids, the parents, the school. The only blame is on the sick creep that did this.