Fla. Girl's Mom on Killer: "I Hate Him"

(CBS/AP)  Somer Thompson's face, with chubby cheeks and thick brown bangs, still smiled from missing person posters plastered on nearly every utility pole along the mile-long route from her elementary school to her home.

In front of a small church and in front of well-kept homes framed by tall trees with Spanish moss hanging from the branches, handmade signs implored anyone with information about the 7-year-old's disappearance on her walk home from school to call the sheriff's office.

The messages were left over from when the middle-class neighborhood held out hope she would be discovered safe until they learned it was her body that was found Wednesday evening in a Georgia landfill some 50 miles away.

The next afternoon, authorities searched a vacant home a couple of blocks into Somer's daily route, just past a wooded area and across the street from a playground and baseball diamonds.

Photos: Somer Thompson

"It's crazy to think something like this could happen here," said neighbor 17-year-old Andrew Carlson as he watched investigators dressed in protective white suits go in and out of the empty house and comb through a construction trash bin outside. Construction crews had been working on the house, which was damaged in a fire several months ago, he said.

CBS News Correspondent Don Teague reports witnesses say the home may be the last place Somer was seen alive. He says the search continued into Friday morning, but there's no word on what, if anything, was found inside.

Authorities say Somer squabbled with another child Monday and then walked ahead of the group of kids and was never seen again. So far, the police have not made an arrest but have questioned more than 155 registered sex offenders in the area. State online records show 88 sex offenders live in Orange Park, a Jacksonville suburb of about 9,000 people just south of Jacksonville Naval Air Station.

On "The Early Show" Friday, Somer's mother, Diena Thompson, told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez she has a message for Somer's killer: "I hate him. I hate him. ... He needs the death penalty. And I hope they put him in a cell with someone who absolutely can't stand a child predator and let them have fun with him."

Diena told Rodriguez she'd like to know what police think about how her daughter died, but doesn't know anything yet. "I'm empty inside," she said.

How is she coping? "Just that I know she's in heaven. I want her here with me, but at least she's in a better place," she responded through tears.

At an intersection about halfway into her walk, where Somer would have crossed the street and turned right on the road that led straight home, a purple ribbon - which supporters and family members have been wearing - was tied to the pole of a stop sign.

On Thursday evening, a steady flow of people - many of them parents, clutching the hands of young children - walked down that same road toward Somer's house to support her grieving family with a candlelight vigil.

Around a tree across the street from the girl's house, supporters had created a memorial, leaving hundreds of stuffed animals, flickering candles, signs and balloons.

Diena came out with purple ribbons tied in her hair to thank the group who sang "Amazing Grace" and "You Are My Sunshine," then recited the Lord's Prayer.

"I wish I could hug every one of you," Thompson said. "I love every one of you."

Cries of support came from the crowd of about 200: "The community is behind you!" and "We're here for you. You're in our prayers."

After Somer vanished, investigators tailed nine garbage trucks from her neighborhood to the Georgia landfill, then picked through the trash as each rig spilled its load. They sorted through more than 225 tons of garbage before their worst fears were realized: Sticking out of the rubbish were a child's lifeless legs.

Sheriff Rick Beseler said the quick discovery of Somer's body, two days after she disappeared, may have saved precious evidence that could lead to her killer.

"Had we not done this tactic, I believe that body would have been buried beneath hundreds of tons of debris, probably would have gone undiscovered forever," he said.

Searching landfills is common when children disappear, but it is unusual to try to zero in on them more efficiently by tracking a neighborhood's garbage trucks, said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

An autopsy to establish the cause of death is done, but authorities would not disclose their findings. At a news conference, Beseler would not say if Somer had been sexually assaulted or answer other questions about the condition of the body.

"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 girl disappeared in a heavily populated residential area about a mile from a stretch of fast-food restaurants and other businesses. Investigators will presumably try to pinpoint the trash bin or garbage can where she was dumped, based on the trash around her and the truck's pickup route.

The sheriff said he had told Diena Thompson to prepare for the worst, and called her after receiving news her body was discovered.

"Needless to say, she was absolutely devastated," Beseler 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."

[LS9969]

what has happened with this case have they still found no clues to bring justice for this small angel, i hope her spirit haunts the big piece of crap that is responsible for this horrendous crime, and I hate whoever is responsible for taking her life and i'm no relation to her but i still hate whoever is responsible for this somer had a right to a life, a right to grow up and become an adult someone took that away if theres anyone out there that has a clue about this please call the police department so that some one can be made suffer for their crime stop pointing fingers and give some clues so that somer's killer can be found

[LS9969]

How are you suppose to come to terms with the fact that someone took your child and took her life away my grandma lost one daughter to cancer before she died i can remember her telling me that she prays quite often that god takes her before he takes another of her kids so how do you come to terms with the fact that someone else took your child away, my question is how did no one see or hear anything did she not scream at no time and if not then why ? was it someone she knew? someone that she didn't know to be afraid of? And what is the law working on with this? If by chance the murder took place in that vacant house, then who knew that house was vacant? had to be someone in the neighborhood especially if construcion workers was working on the house who knew they wouldn't be there , maybe one of them. someone has to know something. and it sure seems strange to me that she happened to run ahead of the others one day and that same day a child murderer happened to be in the neighborhood. something is not adding up, i would start looking closer in the neighborhood. I just hope and pray that someone has to pay for this horrifying crime

[earthpal]

To the person that keeps commenting about this girl walking home alone:

She was not walking alone. She was walking with her older sister and some other children. They were a group walking home in a "safe" area. This little girl happened to run ahead of the group and then vanished. She broke off from the group right near a house that was empty and having construction done. It sounds like maybe there was a squatter in the empty house or something. People that are squatters are often long-term mentally ill and problematic in many ways.

The mother worked. She let the kids walk home as a group. The mother could not support the kids if she did not have her job. Jobs do not let mothers take off every day to go pick up their kids.

I don't know why you keep attacking the mother. She did not let her daughter walk home alone. What she did sounds very reasonable to me.

However, it is true that demented perverts watch for any slight opportunity: A child wandering off from the parent in a mall, playing outside alone, and on and on. I agree with the person that says sexual predators should be castrated after their first offense. I guess it is chemical castration. I think it is a good idea. If they cannot control themselves and they present such a danger to society, then take care of it.

[casey3838]

I believe everything that formrusmcsgt has said, parents need to learn that when you have a child, you need to let go of the single, care free life, which most parents do not do, the positive out of this is parents need to wake up and realize yes this can happen to you.
It was very sad and I do believe also the person or persons responsible for this should be punished to the full extent of the law. If we all vote to go back to an eye for an eye, this would never happen, but we have all let our guard down, the whole world has sad to say.

[formrusmcsgt]

"And we're going to work as hard as we can to make this community safe." - Sheriff Rick Beseler

A good start would be to tell the parents that haven't any common sense of their own that elementary school kids can not fend for themselves and require protection.

[formrusmcsgt]

Who in their RIGHT mind could expect a second grade girl to fend for herself? She went 60, maybe 70 pounds tops.

As if perps don't follow school buses looking for the kids of parents who hang their kids out to dry like this.


Stupid is as stupid does.

[formrusmcsgt]

"I Hate Him"
----
I bet she does. But who gave the perp the opportunity?

If she were a bank mananger and left it standing open and it got robbed, I bet she'd hate the thief, too - but she'd have to shoulder the blame for giving him the opportunity.

Her parents never taught her that the wolf is always at the door and if you open it, you can't expect him to stay outside.....

[formrusmcsgt]

Why is it that parents who fail to adequately protect their children elicit sympathy from others?

Amazing.

If they'd left a briefcase in a cab with $10,000 in it and complained about losing it, no one would listen for 5 seconds.

But let their negligence cost the life of their child and people are falling all over themselves with pity for the negligent.

Go figure....

[amandaf030510]

you people make me sick on here. Do you guys not think for one minute that the mother is going thru HELL cause she let her 2nd grader walk home alone. Do you not think for one minute that she is regreting ever letting her daughter be alone for one minute...you people have NO heart saying asking for the death penalty is wrong or its just because shes hurt, If this was my daughter that this happened to, I would be asking for the same thing. There are soo many people in this world that are sick and twisted and think playing with and torturing little kids is fun or the right thing to do. They are helpless and I think the death penalty for something like this is an understatement. So to this little girls mom, my heart and prayers go out to you and your family, Im very sorry that this happend to you. Don't for one minute let any of this nonsence on here convince you that its ALL YOUR FAULT..Whos fault it is, is the person that did this to that poor little girl, and I am right with you when you say who ever it is deserves to pay!

[formrusmcsgt]

The perp couldn't have done it without their facilitating the act through their complacency.

I have no pity for those who lose what they do not care for. Stupidity does not merit pity.

In fact, I would wish to see neglectful parents brought up on charges when their neglect results in the death of their child.

Every year you see drownings of kids at the beach because their parents provided no life preserver for them.

If that's not criminal negligence, what is? But do parents get punished for such gross negligence/ Virtually never.

It's as if the national mood is "OK, your stupidity cost the life of your child but that's alright".

Beat 'em to death, shoot them, or starve them to death - you get life.

Let some perp have a go at 'em or let them drown and it's all good.

Problem is - they're just as dead from bad parenting.

Sheer lunacy.

[pensacola8-2009]

It is very common in the South for minds to become closed and crime victims to be misled by judicial elections.

No Crime Victim or relative of a crime victim has the power to order a death penalty.

Somer Thompson is clearly angry and misguided. I find myself very saddened for her extreme bitterness.

The citizens of Florida all have a part in the conditions that inflate or deflate crimal behavior is this state. When we chose to cut back on education, crime inflates. When we feel powerless and try to assert our power with tougher laws, we create more situations where we have to prosecute criminals....at a great cost. The evangelicals have promoted self-righteousness and accountability with a huge blindspot....the crime still keeps happening and we later face the most expensive obligation - a criminal court system to sustain.

It is far cheaper to provide good education early on, than to prosecute an under educated citizen later.

Somer Thompson, herself is an advocate of violence - done for revenge. Unfortunately, it won't satisfy her and the problem of under-educated citizens pursuing crime under an environment of oppression, will still continue. Florida cares more about Football and road building, than school building and culture reform. In the worst circumstances, bitterness is passed like a torch form person to person, where education is not valued.