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Investigators baffled by Fla. girl's disappearance
[October 21, 2009] ORANGE PARK, Fla. (AP) -- Investigators have no clues three days after a 7-year-old girl vanished on her way home from school, a sheriff in North Florida said Wednesday.
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The mother of Somer Thompson went on all three national network morning news shows Wednesday with a tearful appeal for the child's return. "Somer, you're not in trouble -- if you're scared, just come home," Dina Thompson said on NBC's "Today" show. "And if somebody has her, please, please bring her back to us. She belongs with her family." Sitting beside Thompson, Sheriff Rick Beseler said investigators are baffled. He said officers have expanded the initial search area and interviewed about 75 known sex offenders in a 5-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." Investigators have said they suspect foul play. The girl vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park, near Jacksonville. Thompson said Somer 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. |
