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Police ID Ga. Body as Missing Fla. Girl
October 22, 2009 - 4:20 PM | by: Serafin GomezUPDATE 4PM per presser from clay county sheriff dept The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has informed Sheriff Department in Clay County, FL that they have concluded their autopsy in Savannah, GA , and have confirmed through dental records that the body found in the Georgia Landfill, 50 miles away from her Orange, Park Florida neighborhood, is that of 7 year old Somer Thompson. The coalition of investigators say they have winnowed down the workeable leads, or relevant leads, from 470 to 231 leads. They have interviewed over 70 sex offenders that lived in the 5 mile radius from where Thompson went missing. There are 5 remaining that they have not questioned yet. Also, the last place that Thompson was seen alive was near around a vacant house by witnesses,near her home, that was evacuated recently because of a fire. Investigators are also going through possible evidentiary evidence from the landfill. Roughly 9 trucks, each with two tons of garbage, are being examined by investigators.
UPDATE 2PM: The Sheriff in Clay County, FL confirms that the body found in the Georgia landfill is that of the missing 7 year old Girl Somer Thompson. The police say the birthmark found on the body matches Thompson's distinct mark on her leg. Also, investigators say the clothes found on the body fit the description of what Thompson was wearing when she was last seen.Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently conducting a several hour autopsy on the body to officially confirm the tragic news.The Clay County Sheriff's department will hold a press briefing at 4pm EDT to announce any new developments in the case. As of now, there have no leads have been made public. We will keep you updates as news develops on Live Shots.
ORLANDO, FL-Investigators have confirmed to Fox News that a body of a young girl has been found in a south Georgia landfill 50 miles north of the Jacksonville, FL-area where a 7 -year old girl has been missing since Monday afternoon.Officials from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation say that they will not determine, nor disclose, until an autopsy is performed tomorrow morning if the body is that of little Somer Thompson. Thompson vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park, Florida. John Bankhead, spokesman for the GBI tells Fox that the investigators are still at the scene where the body was discovered, but that the body of the young female has been sent to Savannah, GA for the autopsy in the morning. Bankhead also confirms that FBI agents , are assisting in the case, and where on the way to the scene from the Atlanta Office. A source close to investigation says that this may turn into a federally-lead investigation by Thursday morning.
Clay County, Florida Police said that Thompson dissapeared Monday mid-afternoon when she was walking back home after school. She was walking with a group of other children that included her older sister through their heavily-residential neighborhood. Thompson was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. Thompson got upset, and walked ahead of the group. After the group of kids arrived at home they realized that Thompson was no where to be found, and they started looking for the child, but to no avail. Thompson's family then notified authorities of the missing child later in the evening. A large group of police, Navy officials ( There is a large Navy base Jacksonville) and volunteers joined in the search for little Somer in the last 48 hours.
MORE FROM FOX 35 in Orlando, FL:
...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.
Investigators searched both the Chesser Island landfill in Folkston Georgia and the Rosemary Hill landfill near Green Cove Springs, Florida. Trash from the missing girl’s neighborhood is taken to the Rosemary Hill landfill and then to the Chesser Island landfill.
On Wednesday Texas EquuSearch , the same group that searched for Caylee Anthony and Haleigh Cummings , joined the search.
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