MySpace Link To Girl's Disappearance?

Cops Fear Vt. 12-Year-Old May Have Gone To Meet Someone She Met Through Online Social Site

(CBS/ AP)  The search for a missing 12-year-old girl broadened Friday, as divers searched a lake, the FBI joined in and police investigators turned to officials at MySpace.Com, the online social networking site through which she had been communicating with an unknown person prior to her disappearance.

A day after her disappearance triggered Vermont's first-ever Amber Alert, investigators focused on someone Brooke Bennett may have met online, the head of the Vermont State Police said.

"This case is about a MySpace visitation," said Col. James Baker. "Our focus is on the communications Brooke may have had via that media."

Brooke, of Braintree, vanished Wednesday after being dropped off at about 9 a.m at a convenience store in Randolph, where she was supposedly going to meet a friend and then go to a hospital to visit a relative of the friend.

Police now believe that was a ruse, and that she may have been going to meet someone she'd been communicating online. Video from surveillance cameras at the store - released Friday - showed the girl walking away by herself, and she was seen about 45 minutes later inside the Randolph Village Laundromat, police said.

Baker wouldn't say whether she was alone at that point.

She was reported missing about 9 p.m. Wednesday, and an Amber Alert - the first ever in Vermont - was issued Thursday.

Brooke's mother, Casandra Gatnon, made a heartfelt plea to her 12-year-old daughter who has been missing almost two days. "I'm not mad. I just want you home," she told CBS affiliate WCAX-TV.

On Friday, state police dive teams searched Sunset Lake, near where items belonging to Brooke were found Thursday by a family member.

Meanwhile, investigators from the Vermont State Police, FBI and other agencies were trying to track Brooke's movements after she was dropped off by her uncle and cousin.

The FBI, which had assigned two agents to the case Thursday, plans to send a five-person team made up of agents who specialize in child abduction cases, police said.

A major focus of the investigation was centered on her online activities.

"As we all know, warnings have gone out countless times, in this world that we live in today, there are folks that visit places, social networking spaces such as MySpace, whose intentions are not good. And they come from far away," said Baker.

Investigators aren't ruling out the possibility Brooke may have left Vermont.

Police want to hear from anyone who was in Randolph on Wednesday between 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m., even if they don't think they saw anything, Baker said.

Baker said the Amber Alert wasn't issued sooner because investigators had to determine if her disappearance met the criteria for one. Officials didn't decide to issue the alert until they knew the MySpace activity could be related to it, he said.

The girl established her first MySpace account under her father's supervision, but he later pulled the plug on it a couple of months ago after they learned about some of her activity on it, according to the father, James Bennett, 41, of Bethel.

"We told her when we set it up there that's things you're not gonna' do," he said. "We had a little respect problem after a month or so, so we shut it off. There was an issue, and we decided it was not appropriate for her to have it. We changed the password so she couldn't use it," he said.

She later set up an account from another computer, which Bennett said he didn't know until a week ago. The girl lives with her mother in Braintree, not with Bennett.

Baker said MySpace officials were being helpful.

A spokeswoman for MySpace.com who would not give her name said Friday the company was cooperating with police.

"I can tell you we're working with local law enforcement to provide them with everything and we have been since last night. We're providing them with everything they're requesting," she said.

Experts in missing children say the Internet can be a dangerous place.

"The reality is that the internet is the predator's new playground. They don't have to lurk in bushes anymore, they can lurk in cyberspace," said Marc Klaas, founder of the Klaaskids Foundation, of Sausalito, Calif.

"It provides them with a much greater degree of anonymity. It enables them to create any kind of a fantasy or fake life they want so they can use their well-honed manipulative skills to get close to the particularly vulnerable," said Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly Klaas was abducted from a slumber party in 1993 and later found slain.

Bob Hoever, associate director of training for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said child abductions related to the Internet are on the rise.

The public's help can be key in solving them.

"When a child disappears, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack," he said.

"The more eyes and ears we have out there looking, the smaller that haystack becomes. Thanks to public help, 400 children have been safely rescued and returned to their families specifically because of the Amber Alert program and the public's help."

Capt. Ed Ledo of the Vermont State Police said the Amber Alert wasn't issued earlier because police needed more information. The alert was issued about 5:25 p.m. Thursday, nearly 18 hours after the girl was reported missing.

"Because someone's missing, you can't just put an Amber Alert out. There are certain criteria we're bound by," Ledo said.

About 14 detectives were currently working on the case, he said.

"I'm sitting here waiting for a phone call, hoping it's good news. This is a very difficult time," said James Bennett, her father.

The girl, who just finished seventh grade, is described as 4-foot-11 inches tall, 98 pounds, wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering. She has blue eyes, brown hair with purple highlights and has pierced ears "top and bottom," according to the Amber Alert.

At the Randolph convenience store, a flier with a black-and-white photo of Brooke was taped to the glass door in front, and clerks handed out copies of it to customers inside. A store manager there declined comment on the girl's disappearance.

"It is certainly our hope that Miss Bennett is out there and has just failed for whatever reason to contact family and friends," said Vermont State Police Capt. David Covell. "At this point, we're looking at all possibilities."

Amber Alerts, which are named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Texas girl slain in 1996, are a partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry to alert the public in the most serious child-abduction cases.

[shygirl79-2009]

My prayers go out to Brooke and her family. May God Bless you.

[LORRAINE N.Y.]

lets all pray that brooke is found and is ok;
where ever she may be or what she did will be forgiven by her parents if she left on her own ,everyone should start a prayer vigil for her safe return
god bless her .
from a concerned grandmother

[nothappyatall]

It is certainly our hope that Miss Bennett is out there and has just failed for whatever reason to contact family and friends"

Oh yeah RIGHT, like that is a realistic statement given the circumstances and items of hers found by the lake.

Another fool doesn''t pay attention to the warnings and goes off to meet some idiot on line.

[deepthinker4]

My son who was 12 or 13 at the time..met someone online..(a girl)..but we were open with the internet...it was myspace though. She wanted to meet him at the local mall...he asked me and I said Ok...I took him to the mall and let him walk in first and I walked in slightly behind him..and sat at a bench so I could watch him...Well the girl never did show up...however there was a suspicious older man looking around like if he was waiting for someone...after a while my son came to me and said he wanted to leave. Til this day I dont know if the man was the person on the net, but I was prepared if he was. If your gonna let ur child on the net, then let me be open with u, if they want to meet someone, that way they dont hide it from you. By the way, my son is now 15 and has lost interest in meeting folks online and my 16 doesn''''t even get online...they prefer to play basketball outside...


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Posted by sgtrevino at 10:59 PM : Jun 27, 2008

I know you may not care but I have some theories on what might have happened to that girl.
1. her parents found out and didn''t allow her to go.
2. her parents found out she had a myspace and grounded her.
3. she forget
4. she suddenly died
I have a question. Did your son ever see her again online?

[deepthinker4]

We have a newly released child rapist living less than a mile from us. I won''''t even let my nine-year-old walk down the driveway to check the mail unsupervised. Better paranoid than raped and murdered.


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Posted by elicatlover at 06:27 PM : Jun 27, 2008

If I were you, i would do whatever i could to make his life miserable. This is why kids go online. I know somebody who lives a couple blocks down the street from a LEVEL 3 $ex offender who is on parole, probably for "good behavior". Vandalize his house, key his car, smash his windows, grafitti his home, do whatever you can to make his life miserable. If you dont agree with me, think about this. If he sees that your daughter lives at your house, he might break in at night and snatch her from her bed. You dont want that to happen. You might even want to think about hiring someone to take him out, to protect your daughter from being the next Jessica Lunsford.

[deepthinker4]

people on here are stupid, the computer should not be used as a toy for kids. they should not be meeting people in chat rooms. kids should be outside playing. that is what we used to do. what ever happened to kids talking on the phones to one another til all hours. this meeting and chatting and telling kids not to give personal info is stupid and ingnorant. the minute you tell a kid not to do something they turn right around and do just because they were told no.


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Posted by love4all2 at 07:00 PM : Jun 27, 2008

... I dont know what to say. What a dumb thing to say. kids should be playing outside??? the whole reason kids are on chatrooms is because they CANT. the f-u-c-k-i-n-g pedophiles who snatch kids who play outside. Yes you used to play outside because IT WAS SAFE THEN!! thats why kids spend so much time on the computer. idk how old you are but your parents probably let you do what was popular when you were a teen. chatrooms are safe if you dont give out too much info. If you dont give out too much, the pervs who are pretending to be your friend will get bored and leave you while the genuine people will make good friends. Also, if you''re so against computers, then why are you on one??

[deepthinker4]

I cant believe how IGNORANT you people are!!!

Explain to me why a child needs to meet people on line? Why do they need to have "online" friends that they will never meet in person? There is no need! They have peers they can hang out with in their own town.

And you don''''t think a pedophile can "grab" a child through the computer??? All they need to do is befriend the child online and they can find out exactly where they live and other personal information. They then drive there and get the job done. It HAS HAPPENED too many times before!

Kids do not need to be on social web sites and they don''''t need "online only" friends.

Wise up!



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Posted by u-r-right at 07:22 PM : Jun 27, 2008

Because children dont have friends at school!!! Only the "in" kids or the "cool" kids have lots of friends. Have you ever asked your kids if they have that many friends? And as for kids being grabbed thru the computer, not every kid gives out personal info. There are lots of kids who know better then to give out info.

[patriot12436]

mediamomoma
The uncle dropped her off but i would think it was with the mothers permission.

[skylersun]

I don''t understand why they dropped this twelve year off by herself. I was raped at the age of 12, I was lucky i was able to get away from my abductor. I think that all pedofilers need to be castrated, I go online at least twice a week and check to see if any *** offenders have moved into my neighborhood. I think everyone should do this because it is always a good thing to check out the ones living in your area

[sgtrevino]

Well first and foremost, My prayers r with the child and her parents,I hope she is found safe. As for the internet...well I do agree, children should be outside playing...I was and I turned out ok without Internet buddies..My son who was 12 or 13 at the time..met someone online..(a girl)..but we were open with the internet...it was myspace though. She wanted to meet him at the local mall...he asked me and I said Ok...I took him to the mall and let him walk in first and I walked in slightly behind him..and sat at a bench so I could watch him...Well the girl never did show up...however there was a suspicious older man looking around like if he was waiting for someone...after a while my son came to me and said he wanted to leave. Til this day I dont know if the man was the person on the net, but I was prepared if he was. If your gonna let ur child on the net, then let me be open with u, if they want to meet someone, that way they dont hide it from you. By the way, my son is now 15 and has lost interest in meeting folks online and my 16 doesn''t even get online...they prefer to play basketball outside...

[mfruge1]

Not that it needs to be pointed out but there are a multiple faults here. Some people say that MySpace doesn''t need to be shut down; however, how do you expect MySpace to protect children or adults when they are unable to protect the President of the United States from defamation of character. That''s right, MySpace has allowed numerous profiles to be made of the President, where there are a vast number of slanderous comments made about him by people PRETENDING to be him. They also have allowed multiple profiles to be made by people claiming to be dictators and terrorist. Search Osama Bin Laden, Adolph Hitler or Saddam Hussein, and see how many profiles are on there. No one is safe because MySpace apparently doesn''t care. There is a huge problem in this country and alot of it is because of the internet. The entire thing needs to be cleaned up.

[u-r-right]

PEDOPHILES CANT GRAB KIDS THROUGH THE COMPUTER SCREEN!!!! unfortunetelly pedophiles have to be online as posers and preteen girls have to be ignorant. the computer is actually one of the safer ways for kids to talk to people AS LONG AS IT STAYS ON THE COMPUTER.
"what happens on the computer, should stay on the computer"


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Posted by DeepThinker4 at 06:19 PM : Jun 27, 2008

Wow, do you have some big blinders on! And earplugs.

Explain to me why a child needs to meet people on line? Why do they need to have "online" friends that they will never meet in person? There is no need! They have peers they can hang out with in their own town.

And you don''t think a pedophile can "grab" a child through the computer??? All they need to do is befriend the child online and they can find out exactly where they live and other personal information. They then drive there and get the job done. It HAS HAPPENED too many times before!

Kids do not need to be on social web sites and they don''t need "online only" friends.

Wise up!

[love4all2]

people on here are stupid, the computer should not be used as a toy for kids. they should not be meeting people in chat rooms. kids should be outside playing. that is what we used to do. what ever happened to kids talking on the phones to one another til all hours. this meeting and chatting and telling kids not to give personal info is stupid and ingnorant. the minute you tell a kid not to do something they turn right around and do just because they were told no.

[deepthinker4]

faith_in_w and u-r-right

sorry but Im really sick of uptight, ignorant people like you. Its perfectly fine to let kids meet people online as long as you make sure they dont give out personal info... address, full name, phone number... PEDOPHILES CANT GRAB KIDS THROUGH THE COMPUTER SCREEN!!!! unfortunetelly pedophiles have to be online as posers and preteen girls have to be ignorant. the computer is actually one of the safer ways for kids to talk to people AS LONG AS IT STAYS ON THE COMPUTER.
"what happens on the computer, should stay on the computer"

[love4all2]

I have an Idea. PUBLIC TORTURE, and DEATH to any rapist murderer etc.

Nations that have public beheadings and hanging have little to know violent crime.

They also cut off the hands of thieves.

Call it cruel. But its a cruel world. And Cruelty is a good deterent


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Posted by victimsofgra at 02:21 PM : Jun 27, 2008

I agree with you!! America would be alot safer if pedophiles had something to fear. Today, if they''''re caught, they get a nice modern cell with cable TV and internet access and all that ***!!!


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Posted by DeepThinker4 at 05:58 PM : Jun 27, 2008
+ report abuse
YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PUBLIC EXECUTIONS OR PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT FOR ANY CRIME. NOT JUST RAPIST AND MURDERERS DRUG DEALERS SHOULD BE BEAT IN PUBLI MAYBE A 100 LASHES WITH A WHIP. I BET THAT WOULD STEER THEM CLEAR AND YES PUBLIC EXECUTIONS WOULD PROBABLY MAKE SOME OF THESE IDIOTS TO THINK TWICE

[love4all2]

I believe the responsibility belongs to the parents. they shoud teach these kids how dangerous it is to meet people off the internet. there are so many idiots on the internet and looking for troubled or neglected kids. they say all the right things and bam there are the kids out the door and into danger. I think places like my space should be shut down or should charge a fee or something to control this kind of stuff. Just like the lady being charged in the suicide of the little girl. people need to be held accountable.

[deepthinker4]

I have an Idea. PUBLIC TORTURE, and DEATH to any rapist murderer etc.

Nations that have public beheadings and hanging have little to know violent crime.

They also cut off the hands of thieves.

Call it cruel. But its a cruel world. And Cruelty is a good deterent


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Posted by victimsofgra at 02:21 PM : Jun 27, 2008

I agree with you!! America would be alot safer if pedophiles had something to fear. Today, if they''re caught, they get a nice modern cell with cable TV and internet access and all that ***!!!

[deepthinker4]

We need to shut down sites like My Space !!!! They are hot beds of trouble.


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Posted by junglejimy12 at 05:35 PM : Jun 27, 2008
No we do not need to shut down sites like myspace. myspace is a perfectly okay site. All we need to do is discuss with kids NOT to meet someone in public they met online. If this girl, like most other myspace users was a bit more cautious and kept it online, noting would have happened. Pedophiles cant grab kids thru the computer!!! You can have friendships online and meet people without meething them in person. Lots of kids do it and dont get harmned. Unforunetelly, this girl was ignorant and decided to meet the person.

[ybotheratall]

When any of my children EVER wanted to go out, see a friend, have an overnight, meet at the mall etc, I always placed a call to a parent or two, depending on the situation. I always asked for a quick call during an event depending on what was going on, and always kept tabs, asked questions.

I ask if anyone smokes, has a gun in the home and what the standard bedtimes are and if there will always be an adult in the home. I take being called overprotective as a compliment. My kids don''t have cell phones because they don''t need them. I always know where they are.

[mediamomma]

earlier today they were searching the lake where the floating bridge is located. they had divers looking in it for her because an article of clothing was found near the bridge. yes, randolph, vt is a sleepy little farm community where everyone knows everyone. i hope she''s found alive but if they are putting divers in the lake, then odds are they are thinking she is not. if i was that girls mom, the uncle would be beaten with my aluminum bat for just leaving her off like that. you don''t do that. you wait. but i wouldn''t even buy the story of meeting a friend at cumby''s to go and visit sick relative at DHMC in hanover, nh either. doesn''t set right. if it was a real friend, that friend would have driven to the girls house to pick her up. not meet her at cumby''s. how stupid are people? for the record, not everyone in vt is stupid like that.