SOMER RENEE THOMPSON - 7 yo - Clay County FL

The Clay County Sheriff's Office says they are searching for a missing seven-year-old girl in the Grove Park neighborhood of Orange Park.

The child's mother notified police around 6:30 p.m. that her daughter, Summer Renee Thompson, had not returned home from school.

Thompson is a second-grader at Grove Park Elementary. Police say she is a white female, 3 feet 5 inches tall and about 65 pounds. She has brown hair and was last seen wearing a cranberry colored jumpsuit with pink striped sleeves.

She was last seen at 2:45 p.m. walking home from school near West Gano Avenue and Debarry Avenue. She was with her sister and friends, but separated from them, running ahead towards her home.

The sheriff's office will be holding a news conference between 9:30 and 10 tonight.

Anyone with information on Thompson is asked to call 911, or the CCSO non-emergency line at (904) 264-6512.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office is searching for 7-year-old Somer Renee Thompson.

Authorities were called when she didn't come home from Grove Park Elementary School on Monday.
The child is described as a white female, 3-feet 5-inches tall, 65 pounds, brown hair in ponytail. Officials say she was last seen wearing a cranberry-colored jumpsuit with pink striped sleeves. She was also carrying a pink, black and white-colored backpack, with hearts and skull-and-cross bones.Somer was last seen at 2:45pm, walking home from school near West Gano Avenue and Debarry Avenue. Investigators
say she was with her twin brother and friends, but after reportedly
getting into a fight, she separated from them, running ahead towards
her home on Horton Drive in Orange Park. Her mother was outside
in the neighborhood looking for the child when she flagged down a
passing deputy and reported the incident.Deputies are searching a three-mile area with close to 100 officials and K-9's. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the Clay County Sheriff's Office non-emergency line at 904-264-6512.

Here is updated information from Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler, released at 6am Tuesday:
Somer has now been missing 15 hours. Deputies and helicopters were out all night using infared technology, they had K-9's out. They have interviewed all known sex offenders within a three mile radius of Somer's home. They'll search the same areas of the woods again today. Beseler says they don't know if there is a connection, but 10 days ago, Orange Park
Police investigated a report of an attempted abduction about a block
away from Somer's home. Sheriff Beseler says the description of that car is a blue Nissan Sentra with two hispanic men and one hispanic woman in it. They don't know if it's connected with Somer's disappearance, but Beseler says he wanted to get that information out. The FBI, Fish and Wildlife and FDLE are assisting Clay County Deputies. They've been asked by the public what they can do--there are no organized public searches at this time. But Beseler is urging you to look around your home and if anything appears to be suspicious, give police a call. Beseler says Somer was apparently involved in an argument with another child as she was walking home from school. She ran ahead, and was last
seen about a block from Grove Park Elementary. As for why an Amber Alert was not issued, Beseler says there are certain guidelines
that must be met, including evidence of an abduction. He says there is no evidence of an abduction at this time. "We know for sure
she is a missing child, and a small child out in this weather at night
for 13 hours or so is very, very disconcerting". Beseler says he plans to talk with FDLE today about the possibility of an Amber Alert being issued. Last night police and K-9 teams searched a one mile radius around the school. They'll expand the search grid today. He says Somer's mother is very distraught, they're trying to comfort her as much as possible. Beseler says she is being cooperative. Somer's father lives in North Carolina, he has been contacted there, and is cooperating as much as he can.

Clay County sheriff's deputies are stepping up their search of an
Orange Park neighborhood for a girl who they said has been missing
since Monday afternoon.Deputies said 7-year-old Somer Renee
Thompson was last seen in the Grove Park neighborhood. They said the
girl's mother called police and said her daughter never returned home
from school.Somer is described as 3 feet, 5 inches tall and 65
pounds with brown hair in a pony tail. She was last seen wearing a
cranberry-colored jumpsuit with pink striped sleeves. She also had a
black, pink and white colored backpack with a skull and hearts.Early
Tuesday morning, Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said the search
encompassed a one-mile radius around the girl's school, Grove Park
Elementary. As daylight breaks, he said the search will be expanded
farther.Beseler said deputies had been out all night using
infrared cameras and dog teams to search the wooded areas. Beseler said
they have also finished interviewing all the registered sex offenders
in the area. Tuesday morning, teams were continuing to search the
wooded areas within the one-mile radius.Beseler added that 10
days ago, the Orange Park Police Department received a call about some
people in a blue Nissan driving within a one-block area of where Somer
went missing. He said there were two Hispanic men and one Hispanic
woman who tried to lure a child into their car. The sheriff did not
expand further on that incident. Channel 4 is trying to gather more
information on that incident from Orange Park Police.Beseler is
asking residents in the Grove Park area to look through their yards,
parked cars and adjacent properties. He asked if you see anything
unusual, then please call police.Deputies and detectives from
every branch of the Clay County Sheriff's Office, approximately 100
personnel, are looking for Somer Thompson. Additional support is also
being provided by the agencies surrounding Clay County, such as St.
Johns and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. The Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) has also assigned a member to assist Clay County,
along with staff from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).The
Clay County Sheriff's Office has utilized reverse 911 as well as the
school system's automated phone message system to get information about
Somer to as many households as possible as quickly as possible.Deputies
said the girl was last seen at 2:45 p.m. walking home from Grove Park
Elementary School near West Gano Avenue and Debarry Avenue with her
twin brother and her sister, but separated from them after an argument
and ran toward her home."We are still hoping she is somewhere in
someone's home and we're hopeful we will get more calls on Tuesday,"
Beseler said. "We haven't ruled anything out yet."Deputies said
the girl's mother was outside in the neighborhood looking for the child
when she flagged down a passing deputy and reported the incident. The
girl's father lives in North Carolina and has been contacted.

The family lives in the 1700 block of Horton Drive in Orange Park."We
would ask that the public assist us in providing any information that
anyone may have about this little girl's whereabouts," Beseler said.
"Anyone that's in this vicinity, please be vigilant, be looking, search
around the area and call us if you saw anything."Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or the CCSO non-emergency line at 904-264-6512 or 911.

The grandmother of 7-year-old Somer Thompson was in tears this
afternoon at her home in Orange Park as the search for the Grove Park
student who has been missing since Monday afternoon continued.
Debbie Bowling said the news has left her stunned. This is the kind
of thing you would never dream would happen in your family, she said.
Bowling's daughter, who is Somer's mother, is devastated, Bowling said. Law enforcement
personnel talked to her for most of the night as part of their
investigation. Bowling said her daughter keeps hoping the disappearance
of Somer is only a bad dream that she will wake up from.
The disappearance is uncharacteristic for her granddaughter who usually liked to play in the house, Bowling said.
She also thanked the community for their help and concern.

Somer Thompson's mom, Diena Thompson, will appear on all three network morning shows this morning.
The parking lot at Orange Park's Town Hall is filled with trucks, as crews prepare for the interviews inside council chambers.
Thompson will appear on Good Morning America on ABC and The Today Show on NBC.
A reporter for NBC News and several network news producers are also in Orange Park this morning.
Sheriff Rick Beseler will appear with Diena Thompson at 8:15 a.m. today.
The sheriff has indicated the search has expanded and there's a
statewide Amber Alert. But it's unclear if the search has expanded to
the southeast region or even the entire country.
Somer's mother gathered with friends for a candlelight vigil Tuesday night. Her father who lives in North Carolina also pleaded for her safe return.
The 7-year-old girl disappeared while walking home from Grove Park Elementary school
Monday afternoon. She was last seen with her hair tied into a ponytail
with a red bow. She wore a maroon sweatsuit with a pink stripe and a
black t-shirt. She was carrying a purple Hannah Montana backpack and
lunchbox.

Anyone with information on Somer is asked to call 911, the CCSO
non-emergency line at (904) 264-6512, 1-877-227-6911 or 1-866-845-TIPS.
You can also send an email to cart@claysheriff.com.

Another sleepless night for the mother of a missing seven year-old.
Two days of searching in Orange Park and there is still no sign of Somer Renee Thompson. Somer's mom, Deana Thompson, pleaded for her daughter's safe return at a candelight vigil Tuesday night. "If anybody has her, please let her go. Pray for her, that she comes home". Investigators still aren't sure why Somer went missing. So
far there's no sign of a kidnapping. Miles and miles of woods and
waterways have been canvassed, and police have searched the homes of
dozens of registered sex offenders and predators.

"We believe
foul play is suspected due to the child's age, the size of the child,
the cold weather last night, the fact that this is totally out of
character for her", said Sgt. Dan Mahla of the Clay County Sheriff's
Department. Mahla
says more than 200 tips have come in. As for the suspicious blue car
from an attempted abduction nearly two weeks before Somer disappeared,
Sheriff Rick Beseler told ABC News that the car and occupants have been
found and interviewed. He says they are NOT connected to Somer
Thompson, but did not elaborate. This
morning the message goes national, as Deana Thompson is expected to go
on some national morning programs along with the Sheriff.

Many prayers for this family and the safe return of Somer

The mother of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who vanished Monday afternoon
on her way home from school, joined Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler in
asking for help bringing the girl home."Just drop her off
somewhere," Diena Thompson said through her tears. "I don't care if you
ever get in trouble -- I want my baby back."Investigators said
they have hundreds of leads but no clues nearly three days after Somer
vanished while walking in her Orange Park neighborhood."We're still at a situation where Somer has disappeared off the face of the earth," Beseler said.Somer's mother joined Beseler in appearances all three national network morning news shows Wednesday.
"Somer, you're not in trouble -- if you're scared, just come home,"
Dina Thompson said directly to her daughter. "If somebody has her,
please, please bring her back to us. She belongs with her family."Beseler
said investigators are baffled. He said officers have expanded the
initial search area and interviewed about 75 known sex offenders in a
five-square-mile radius. Teams of volunteers are walking arm-to-arm
through the woods, and deputies are using helicopters and search dogs."We
just really need a break in this case. We need a tip, we need a phone
call," Beseler said. "Somebody knows where Somer is, and we need that
person to call us."Somer is described as 3 feet 5 inches tall
and 65 pounds with brown hair in a ponytail with a red bow. She was
last seen wearing a cranberry-colored sweatsuit with pink stripes on
the sleeve and pants. She also had a black, pink and white backpack
with a skull and hearts. She may be wearing a white hat and scarf.Her mother described a large, irregular shaped birthmark on Somer's left shin as an additional distinguishing feature.
Beseler
also said Wednesday that investigators have located a vehicle and
person involved in a possible child-abduction attempt in Orange Park 10
days earlier and said there is no connection between that incident and
Somer's disappearance.Channel 4 also learned that a search was
conducted at the Folkston, Ga., landfill where Clay County's garbage is
dumped. Clay County officials said the search was routine, not the
result of a tip, and nothing related to this case was found.Nearly
100 sailors from Naval Air Station Jacksonville joined the search
efforts Wednesday morning, covering wooded areas and the grounds of a
wastwater treatment plant less than one mile from where Somer
disappeared.Texas Equusearch, a volunteer mounted
search-and-rescue team that was involved in searching for Haleigh
Cummings in Putnam County and Casey Anthony in Orange County was to
arrive in Orange Park on Wednesday afternoon.Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from Grover Park Elementary School in Orange Park.Thompson
said Somer was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her
to stop. The girl got upset, ran ahead of the group and wasn't seen
again.While investigators said they have no evidence someone
took Somer, they said her age and the length of time that she has been
missing make them very concerned for her welfare."She is
definitely endangered and we do suspect foul play," Clay County
Sheriff's Office Sgt. Dan Mahla said at a Tuesday afternoon briefing.
Hundreds of law enforcement personnel with the support of helicopters,
bloodhounds, dive teams have searched the neighborhood and nearby woods
since Monday night.FBI has also assigned a member to assist Clay County, along with staff from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.An
Amber Alert was issued at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Beseler estimates that more
than 10,000 fliers with Somer's picture were distributed across
northeast Florida by Tuesday night.After appearing on network news shows, Beseler expects they will begin getting tips from around the country.

Nearly 200 sailors from Naval Air Station Jacksonville joined the
search efforts Wednesday morning, covering wooded areas and the grounds
of a wastewater treatment plant less than one mile from where Somer
disappeared.Texas Equusearch, a volunteer mounted
search-and-rescue team that was involved in searching for Haleigh
Cummings in Putnam County and Casey Anthony in Orange County was to
arrive in Orange Park on Wednesday afternoon.
A search was conducted at the Folkston, Ga.,
landfill where Clay County's garbage is dumped. Clay County officials
said the search was routine, not the result of a tip, and nothing
related to this case was found.The Justice Coalition on
Wednesday offered a $25,000 reward for Somer's safe return and Florida
Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to visit the search command post in the
afternoon.Beseler also said Wednesday morning that investigators
have located a vehicle and person involved in a possible
child-abduction attempt in Orange Park 10 days earlier and said there
is no connection between that incident and Somer's disappearance.

Investigators Baffled

Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from Grover Park Elementary School in Orange Park.
Diena Thompson told detectives that Somer was squabbling with another child,
and her sister told her to stop. The girl got upset, ran ahead of the
group and wasn't seen again.While investigators said they have
no evidence someone took Somer, they said her age and the length of
time that she has been missing make them very concerned for her welfare."She
is definitely endangered and we do suspect foul play," Clay County
Sheriff's Office Sgt. Dan Mahla said at a Tuesday afternoon briefing.Beseler
said investigators are baffled. He said officers have expanded the
initial search area and interviewed about 75 known sex offenders in a
five-square-mile radius. Teams of volunteers are walking arm-to-arm
through the woods, and deputies are using helicopters and search dogs.

The search for a missing North Florida girl may be over.

Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler announced Wednesday afternoon that a
child's remains have been found in a Georgia landfill by his
detectives, who watched trucks from Orange Park unload their
collections.

"This is a routine thing that we always do when you have something like this happen," he explained.

Seven-year-old Somer Thompson vanished on her way home from school on Monday.

Clay County issued an Amber Alert and then conducted day and night searches for her.

The
girl's parents were notified to the discovery and are on their way to
the landfill. The remains were partially buried, so a positive
identification was delayed, Beseler said.

A criminal investigation has been opened. There is no suspect.

Governor Charlie Crist, who was in the area, showed up for the announcement.

"This is a very difficult day and a very tragic situation," he said.

A body found in a Georgia landfill Thursday has been tentatively identified to be Somer Thompson, a 7-year-old North Florida girl missing since Monday. Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said Thursday that the identification was
based on clothing on the body and a birthmark that matched the girl’s.The partially covered body of the child was found in a landfill in
Folkston, Ga., just over the Florida state line, after investigators
followed garbage trucks leaving from the neighborhood where the child
disappeared.Folkston is about 55 miles from Orange Park, where Somer’s family lives. (View Map)
Somer was last seen alive Monday, when she vanished after walking ahead of her siblings during their walk home from school.At
a news conference Thursday morning, Beseler said he still fears for the
community until a suspect is apprehended. He would not talk about what
evidence police have recovered, or whether investigators believe the
crime was committed by one or more people.An FBI forensic unit is helping process evidence from the landfill.Nearly
2,000 people from Clay County and beyond gathered outside Somer’s home
Wednesday night to support her mother, Diena Thompson. Donning pink
ribbons, the crowd held a candlelight vigil, praying and singing songs,
including Somer’s favorite: “You Are My Sunshine.”
Supporters comforted Diena Thompson, telling her not to blame herself for not knowing what happened to her daughter.
Somer’s twin brother, Sam, who was with her when she separated, reportedly
rearranged strewn mementos at a memorial for his sister, saying she would be so
happy to see them.

The 7 year old was found in a landfill just over the Georgia border.
48 hours after she vanished walking home from school in Clay County, a
hunch led detectives to that landfill where they found the missing
girl's body. During his Thursday morning news conference, Sheriff Rich
Beseler would not even say there was a crime here, only that the body
was that of missing 7 year old Somer Thompson, and that the autopsy
would begin in Savannah right away."At that time we hope to learn the cause and manner of death."When pressed, the Clay County Sheriff admitted, they are working a murder."There is a child killer on the loose, and that's why we are going to catch this person and bring them to justice."He would not discuss any of the evidence in the case or tell us why he
thinks foul play is involved, but did say finding the little girl's
body so quickly will be a great help to their investigation.

The news everyone feared came before dawn Thursday: The child's body
found in a southeast Georgia landfill is that of missing 7-year-old
Somer Thompson.Clay County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Mary
Justino said it was a visual identification based on the appearance,
clothing and the birthmark on Somer's left shin.The Georgia
Bureau of Investigation was to conduct a autopsy at a state crime lab
in Savannah, Ga., Thursday morning to determine the cause of death."There
is a child killer on the loose and we're not going to rest until we
catch this person and bring him to justice," Beseler said Thursday
morning.
The body of a small child was found about 3 p.m. Wednesday in a
landfill near Folkston, Ga., where Orange Park's garbage is dumped.A
van was seen driving out of the landfill just before midnight
Wednesday, escorted by several police cars. It was unclear if it was
the medical examiner removing the body because the van was unmarked.Beseler said he got a call about the visual confirmation about 9 p.m. and called Somer's mother, Diena Thompson."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."While Clay County detectives
are at the Chesser Island Landfill just south of Folkson, an FBI
forensic unit is the lead agency in processing evidence at the scene.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Charlton County Sheriff's
Office was assisting.
Somer disappeared while walking home from school Monday afternoon. A
massive search of Orange Park had been under way since Monday evening.Beseler
announced the grim news that a body was found at a Wednesday afternoon
news conference that was delayed for about 20 minutes because of a
"major development."Gov. Charlie Crist was on hand hoping to
rally efforts to find Somer and the Justice Coalition was set to
announce a $30,000 reward for Somer's safe return.
Instead, that reward will be for information for the capture and
conviction of whoever is responsible for putting the body of the child
in the trash."Everybody's just terribly, terribly sorry and your heart goes to the family," Crist said.Beseler
said Dumpsters in the area are emptied on Tuesdays, and that particular
garbage investigators were searching was dropped off Tuesday afternoon."Tuesday
morning, one of my detectives, Bruce Owens, came forward and said, 'You
know, I think it'd be a good idea to follow those garbage trucks and
let's look at the garbage on the front end rather than waiting and
maybe later on trying to go and uncover something,' which was a stroke
of genius," Beseler said. "It was a precautionary thing. We didn't have
any idea at that time that this would come about. But it was just a
really good move."State Attorney Angela Corey arrived in Orange
Park late Wednesday saying she was there to assist the sheriff and the
other law enforcement agencies working on the case."It's always
a tragedy when we lose a citizen," Corey said. "It is especially so
with someone who's a little angel like Somer. It just elevates
everything that we do to a new level."
Shelia Clifton, whose 8-year-old daughter, Maddie, was killed by a
neighbor in 1998, was at the Orange Park command center on Wednesday
trying to do anything she could to help the Thompson family."This
is so sad that this has happened all over again. It happens way too
often," Clifton said. "(Somer's mother) is going to be in shock for a
while. She needs all the love and care that everyone can give to her.
We need to find the person that did this. That is the most important
part right now."Theresa Neves, the grandmother of missing 6-year-old Satsuma girl Haleigh Cummings, said she was devastated by the news."It
breaks my heart," Neves said in a phone interview. "I feel so bad for
those people. I just pray that God gives that family strength. I don't
think there's anything you can say. We hope that God will give (Somer's
mother) the strength to get through this."Sue Rodriguez, the
grandmother of Brunswick boy Christopher Barrios, who disappeared and
was killed in 2007, reacted to what Somer's family must be going
through."The biggest thing is turn to your other family, and
everybody has to hold on to each other for all the comfort and strength
that they can get," Rodriguez said. "People will be praying for them,
and prayer will really hold you up real strong."
Clay County school representative Darlene Mahla said grief counselors
will be on hand Thursday morning for students and teachers at Grove
Park Elementary School, where Somer went to school.Anna Braddy,
whose daughter Kayla is best friends with Somer, said she took Somer to
school the day the 7-year-old disappeared. Braddy said it was a normal
morning and Somer was her usual self.