One Criminal Psychologists Relentless Search - And An Unhappy Ending For One Family

Ten years ago I worked on a case involving a disappearance of a 10 year old girl in the State Of Maine. For weeks we had search teams scouring the area for any sign of evidence or clues to her where abouts. I interviewed family members and friends as they would be my first people of interest in the case. After 48 hours of searching, we still did not have any solid clues as to her abductors and no demands for ransom. The case all but COLD. My immediate supervisor wanted me to close the case as unsolved, but I was determined to give the family a sense of peace and justice-assuming that after 3 weeks of investigative work, she was no longer with us on this earth.

A month had passed. Some teenage boys were playing baseball in a field near a wooded area. Their baseball had been batted into the outlying area of the woods. While searching for their ball, they stumbled about a garbage bag that emitted a foul order. Unwilling to move or open the bag, they ran to their nearby neighbors and reported what they had found. The neighbor called the local law enforcement -which in turn sent a team out to investigate the garbage bag. When they tore open the garbage bag, they found the remains of a female child.

An autopsy was performed and it was confirmed that it was the remains of the missing child. Forensic evidence found on the remains lead us to her uncle. After extensive interrogation of the uncle, he finally admitted to the rape and strangulation of his niece. He admitted he had been abusing the child for years. She had told him she was going to tell her parents about what he had been doing to her. Her comment frightened him into believing that he would be caught, prosecuted and sent to prison which he could not let happen. He was an upstanding member of his community and could not let his fellow neighbors know of his actions-so he decided to get rid of the one person who could upset the balance in his life-his 10 year old niece.

This man is now serving 2 life sentences in a federal state prison for the crime he committed.

Just a word to the wise, please know where your children are at all times and who they are with. A sexual predator and child abuser can be living among your own family members.

Happily this case was solved, but their are 1000's of missing children across the continent and beyond that are still unsolved. If you have any knowledge regarding a missing person-please contact your local law enforcement as soon as you can-it may save a life and bring peace of mind to a grieving family.