Body in Landfill Likely Missing Fla. Girl

Sheriff Tells "The Early Show" Clothing and Birthmark Match that of 7-Year-Old Somer Thompson

(CBS/ AP)  Updated 11:01 a.m. EDT

Authorities believe a body found under trash in a landfill is that of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, a north Florida girl who disappeared on her walk home from school, the sheriff in charge of the case said Thursday.

The clothing and the birthmark found on the body "did match" that of Somer's, Sheriff Rick Beseler told CBS's "The Early Show" Thursday.

Detectives spotted the legs first and found the body partially covered by garbage Wednesday in a Georgia landfill near the Florida state line, after investigators followed garbage trucks leaving the neighborhood where the child disappeared Monday.

Somer's father and other family members were "torn up" after hearing the news, aunt Laura Holt said. She hopes authorities will find her niece's killer.

"I don't think they deserve to live," Holt said. "I don't think there's anything worse that a person can do - to kill a child and dump her in the dump like a piece of trash?"

Beseler wouldn't talk about what evidence police have recovered, or whether investigators believe the crime was committed by one or more people. He said police have questioned more than 70 registered sex offenders in the area, and that process was continuing. Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show 161 offenders live in a 5-mile radius of Somer's home.

Authorities had launched a massive effort to find her - searching block by block - even interviewing more than 75 registered sex offenders who live within a few miles of the girl's home, reports CBS News correspondent Don Teague.

"I fear for our community until we bring this person in. This is a heinous crime that's been committed," Beseler said. "And we're going to work as hard as we can to make this community safe."

The sheriff said he told the girl's mother to prepare for the worst, and called her after receiving the news Wednesday night.

"Needless to say, she was absolutely devastated," he said. "It was the hardest phone call I've ever had to make in my life, and I hope I never have to make another one like that."

Beseler credited one of his detectives with suggesting on Tuesday that the landfill should be checked. Trucks were scheduled to pick up garbage in Orange Park on Tuesday morning. He said detectives were told to go through the debris looking for evidence as the trucks brought it in.

"Had we not done that, tons of garbage would have been distributed over the top of the body, and it likely would have never been found," he told ABC's "Good Morning America."

Two deputies stood guard at mother Diena Thompson's home early Thursday morning. It appeared to be full of supporters. An oak tree across the street was decorated with flowers, candles and pictures of Somer.

"This has been so unreal for the neighborhood," said Sharon Galloway, who lives across the street from the Thompsons. "I just hope they get that son of a gun."

An FBI forensic unit is helping process evidence from the landfill in Folkston, Ga., about 48 miles from where the girl disappeared.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation planned an autopsy Thursday in Savannah.

Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from school in Orange Park. She was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. The girl got upset, walked ahead of the group and wasn't seen again.

Authorities launched a countywide search involving helicopters, dogs and volunteers walking arm-to-arm through wooded areas.

Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville just south of Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The area where the girl disappeared is a heavily populated residential area with homes, apartment complexes and condominiums.

The girl's father, Sam Thompson, lives in Graham, N.C.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour
The clothing and the birthmark found on the body "did match" that of Somer's,
ben alors, il faut s'assurer....ne pas aller vite en besogne...il faut penser a ses parents..et l'état dans lequel il sont...je leur souhaite du courage...au revoir

[sean58x]

The Police might discover DNA evidence on the deceased body of the little girl. They could build a case based on it and a polygraph.

[us_1776]

When you look at the number of missing abducted children who have never been recovered, I think we need to make it mandatory that every landfill must use cadaver dogs on all the refuse before burying it. I'll bet if we could know the number of bodies that were in all the landfills we would be aghast.

[Cas2dy]

Nothing will change; we will continue to read these heartbreaking stories again and again and agin until America becomes angry enough to remember that as a whole, citizens can stand up and demand that the punishment for such offenses is death. Sure and swift-DEATH. Will there be sacrifices of innocent people in the justice system? Yes? Are there alreadysacrifices of innocent people within the justice system, wrongly convicted yes? So what's the diference? The difference is that when the perpetrators realize that they will never see the light of day again, nor sleep another night at the expense of the taxpayers, nor draw one more breathe at the risk of an innocent child losing their everything they ever had (life, love, innocence, parents, siblings, friends, school, growth)then their numbers will dwindle. If the numbers of such swine dwindle, then so will the off chance that you have the wrong guy. The justice system can be overhauled when enough parents, potential parents,grandparents, parents of dead children and people who are sick and tired of the most precious resource we have on earth [alongside the elements which sustain life, i.e. air, water and plant life] being treated as just another case.

[praying4all]

My heart goes out to the family. I just have a few questions. What made the detective tell the cheif to go looking in garbage trucks, did he have a lead or is something up? Also about the kids walking home, I find it hard to believe that none of them saw anything or are the police not telling anything that the kids have told them. I also agree with a few comments concerning why some child abductions & murders get more media cover than others. Is it just me or does Florida seem to get the most cover?

[JamieLeigh2]

As my heart goes out to this little girls family i cant help but wonder why if she went missing monday did they wait untill tuesday morning to issue an amber alert? Someone in that neighborhood saw something, maybee they thought her perp was her family and didnt think twice about it, if an amber alert was issued sooner they just might have found her alive. and as for her perp i hope to god that he doesnt even make it to his court date cause if i were her mother, and i knew who did this to my daughter i would make sure that he died in the same manner that my daughter did, i would take him out with trash just like he did!!!!!

[stephanienym]

Sly_64 and dvillegas43

Are you stupid? All child murders are turned into national news. After reading several of the comments on this page and I want to go throw-up. Doesnt this poor little girl deserve some national attention? What if this monster gets on a plane and moves across the street from my 5 year old! Obviously parents across our nation need to be reminded that sickos are out there waiting for the perfect opportunity to grab our children for their sick thrills! I have to wonder if the idiots on this post, who are more concerned with why this story made national news then the tragedy of it, have any clue of real life. Do any of you morons have a faith, do you answer to anyone but yourself? Maybe you need to go look yourselves in the mirror and wonder why you have become so callous that all you care about is why you were bothered to have to read this story! You all need to grow up!

[sly_64]

I am questioning the motives of the press, nothing more, as should everyone, since they have the power to influence the (less educated) people in the country. People are generally stupid. In the last 30 years, about 40,000 children were murdered. How many can you name ?

[rwsmith29456]

We have to face that our society is now one of of perverts and killers. The story about this poor girl will soon be pushed aside by someone shooting up a school, or harming another child, or any of a plethora of sick acts.

[sly_64]

Ok, here's why I ask. I have a friend who had his daughter killed, the guy got life. It got nothing more than a small blurb on the local news. Why do they publicize one case so much and not another ????

[bytheway59]

It is the 20th anniversary of Jacob Wetterling's abduction and still no leads. There is no closure for the Jacob family in St. Joseph MN.

Which is worse: your child NEVER coming home or the painful funeral for an innocent child.

[stillwaters6]

HOLD UP...

7 year old child gets abducted just walking home from school and is later found in a trash heap...and some people does not think that this makes national news???

This is a clear signal that it is not safe to be a child growing up no place in America.

THIS IS WHY ITS NEWS

[sly_64]

This happens often. Why is THIS CASE news ???? What about the other cases ??? They aren't as special ?

[SHEETPAN]

What is it about our culture that occasionally creates a monster that does this? This happens far to often. As a nation, we have some introspection to do.

[CompletelyFrustrated]

We do not have harsh enough penalties for sex offenders and pedophiles.

The stupid civil rights groups believe that these people should be allowed to live where they want and not held accountable for their despicable actions! Congrats to the civil rights jerks one of your "ionnocent victims of life" killed another child!

[AttentionDeficit]

CompletelyFrustrated: I sympathize with your frustration, but you don't know who killed that little girl. `

[sly_64]

This is a tragedy, as all child murders are, but WHY is this case being so popularized when this type of thing happens all the time ? Why this one ?????

[CompletelyFrustrated]

Because people need to wake up! Vioence needs to stop and the only way is to make people aware - it we the people start protecting our own these low-life POS criminals that hurt kids will think twice.

Folks are getting sick to death of the slap on the wrist punishment, these dirt bags need to be off this earth and in h e l l where they belong - no last rites, not parting prayer straight to h e l l!

[sly_64]

Ok, then make all cases like this national news. I'm wondering what the motivation was of the press to publicize this case so much and not others ?

[Questionews]

What do you want to bet it turns out to be some registered sex offender that was turned loose as "rehabilitated" or "not a threat to society".

[Resin-Smoker]

The bastard should be killed in public by stoning.

[AttentionDeficit]

And the stoning should have nothing to do with resin...or smoking

[bubbadubba]

And yet another example of why parents should not let little kids walk home from school with an adult. I hope some people learn from this tragedy.

[docpeter1953]

I do hope you meant parents should not let little kids walk home alone without a parent, adult supervisor, or trustworthy adult.

[npratt]

I pray for the family but I can not believe the Sheriff CALLED the mother to tell her the news. How impersonal is that. What if she was home alone when she got the news. You are a jerk.....

[JamieLeigh2]

your absolutly right!! Her mom could have passed out or even tried to kill herself. I dont know how it works in Florida, But in Delaware if someone had been killed or even hurt the state police HAVE to personlly inform the next of kin in person.

[willow013]

Same in Georgia....

[dvillegas43]

I grieve for the family and the death of an innocent child, but why is this a national news story?

[last121868]

Oh, shut up! It is a National problem. Children disappearing out of their homes, off of the streets, etc., etc. and I am afraid it is not going to stop. It is sickening. My 7 year old will not step a foot out of the house without me watching her. I don't care if I am deemed "overprotective". You have to be with all of the sickness in the world.
May Somer Thompson Rest In Peace and may her family someday find peace. : (

[imprisoncheney]

Years ago, I saw a child molestor being interviewed on tv in prison and he was asked what the remedy was for his behavior disorder/pathology. He answered, castrastion -- he said that was the only thing that ended the desire to molest children in 99.9% of all men who suffered from the condition.

Prison doesn't work and most of the sex offenders get released anyway b/c of jail overcrowding, etc. then they go out and commit their crimes all over again, like this little girl's perp probably did.

Psychological counseling is a joke, and a cruel one at that, for treating this horrendous disorder. Anyone in jail can tell you that -- all you have to do is fake it that the docs have "cured" you and you get out.

Until we start putting a higher priority on the welfare of our children, obscenities like this will continue to happen.

[guyinpa1960]

This is horrendous. When are we going to put these slime balls to death?
My heart goes out to the family of this beatiful child.