Amber DuBois, 14, missing in Escondido *REMAINS FOUND*

[Dakota Valkyrie]

http://i42.tinypic.com/16m24ww.jpghttp://i44.tinypic.com/900vx2.jpg


Ht: 5'5"
Wt: 130
Short medium brown hair - bright blue eyes.
Date of Birth 10/25/1994
Last seen wearing black pants, black hoodie and black sneakers
Last seen 7:10am Feb. 13, 2009 on North Broadway in Escondido, CA - walking toward Escondido HS (believed to have been on west side of street)


Last Friday the 13th was supposed to be a special day for 14-year-old Amber Leeanne DuBois.

She left her home in Escondido, California, around 7 a.m. for school with a check in hand, a down payment on a baby lamb that she was going to raise and care for as part of her Future Farmers of America class.

It was a day that she'd been looking forward to for more than a year, her family says. But she never made it to school and hasn't been heard from since, prompting authorities to launch a massive search for the missing teen.

Her cell phone was turned on once for about 20 seconds the day after she disappeared and has not been turned on since then, Escondido Police spokesman Lt. Bob Benton said.

Her mother and her live-in boyfriend voluntarily submitted to polygraph tests and passed, Benton said. Amber's father, who lives in Orange County, California, and other relatives have been interviewed.

Amber's parents insist she would never stay away from home for so long without notifying them, leading them to believe she was abducted.

Amber's parents say she was a not-so-typical teen who shunned social networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook and preferred reading, drawing and spending time with friends at home over hanging out at the mall.

Two weeks before she disappeared, she wrote her mother a letter urging her to let her buy the lamb she planned to name Nannette, outlining how she would care for it and suggesting it would look good on her resume.

"I know in my heart that there's nothing that would take her away from that lamb. She would never miss that day. That's how I know she didn't just run away," her mother, Carrie McGonigle, said.http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/22/amber.dubois/index.html

The search for a missing Escondido teen has been called off. Police say they're waiting until they get better leads, before looking again.

Meantime, investigators have learned that a friend of Amber Dubois talked to her Friday morning on her cell phone, while she walked to Escondido High School. It's the last time anyone heard from Dubois.

Investigators haven't been able to trace her cell phone or any credit card use.http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=9872284

With Escondido police scaling back their search, a private investigator and the FBI are turning their attention to the case.

Private investigator Bill Garcia is now involved in the case, both in looking for Dubois and providing information about her disappearance. According to news reports, Garcia is leaning towards the idea that Dubois was abducted and did not go off on her own.

Several reports that Dubois was spotted in parts of Escondido last weekend are now looking like they are not credible, according to police.http://www.examiner.com/x-833-San-Diego-News-Examiner~y2009m2d20-Dubois-case-now-a-week-old (http://www.examiner.com/x-833-San-Diego-News-Examiner%7Ey2009m2d20-Dubois-case-now-a-week-old)

The family has set up a website: http://www.bigcatdesigns.com/amber/amber.htm

[Abroad]

Two weeks before she disappeared, she wrote her mother a letter urging her to let her buy the lamb she planned to name Nannette, outlining how she would care for it and suggesting it would look good on her resume.

"I know in my heart that there's nothing that would take her away from that lamb. She would never miss that day. That's how I know she didn't just run away," her mother, Carrie McGonigle, said.

She wrote her mother a letter about wanting to keep a lamb? Truly not your typical teen.......

[brie star]

hmm this is odd...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/22/amber.dubois/index.html

A classmate reported seeing Amber a week ago on Sunday, walking with an unidentified person about half a mile from her home, Benton said.

"We don't know the circumstances of her disappearance or the person she was walking with, but being 14 years old and missing as long as she has without ever having gone missing before is very suspicious," Benton said.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

hmm this is odd...
They've discredited those sightings (see post #1 LOL)

[Sister Iroz]

Eww, just reading Friday the 13th freaks me out.

[brie star]

They've discredited those sightings (see post #1 LOL)

oh what a bitch, the article I posted was posted TODAY on CNN.
they lied to meeeeeeeee!

[Dakota Valkyrie]

oh what a bitch, the article I posted was posted TODAY on CNN.
they lied to meeeeeeeee!
LOL Brie. I posted the same article. CNN, Fox, and MSNBC just get their news off the wires - they don't write all of them. Frequently local sources have better and more up to date info (and pictures). When I use one of the majors, I always go check up on them if I can find the local source. I've even seen it where they posted missing folks that had already been found.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Was Missing Escondido Girl Abducted in Red Pickup Truck?

http://i43.tinypic.com/2s8lguq.jpg

Why would police ask for the public's help in finding a truck they believe might be connected to Amber's disappearance two months after it happened?

Amber's father, Maurice Dubois, said it was because at first they did not want to tip off the driver. "You would rather find it on your own that have him be aware via all the news agencies that his vehicle is being looked for."

But now, police don't know any more about the driver of the suspicious truck than they did on February 13.

Lt. Bob Benton of the Escondido Police Department said they've identified every vehicle on every surveillance video from the time Amber went missing, except this mystery truck in the picture.

The maroon or burgundy-colored pickup was driven through a bus maintenance yard at Escondido High School, where 14-year-old Amber Dubois attended, shortly after 7 a.m. Feb. 13, minutes before she went missing, according to police.

The truck parked in the maintenance yard for three minutes, no one got in or out of it, and then it drove away.
[...]
Investigators have generated no solid leads about what has become of the girl. "Its been a very, very difficult case" Benton said.http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Was-Missing-Escondido-Girl-Abducted-in-Red-Pickup/glZVEOPuJU6Tpv0R0QtFMw.cspx

Article also includes searches and reward information as well as this on another theory:

Amber's family and Private Investigator Bill Garcia are piecing together what they think may have happened. Their primary theory remains that Amber was abducted by a stranger while on her way to school, but now another possibility is developing.

“Either someone that knew Amber or knew of Amber may have played a cruel prank on her being that is was Friday the 13th and the Valentine's day holiday,” says Garcia.

According to Garcia, based on talks with Amber's friends, Escondido High School has seen its fair share of cruel and unusual pranks. Specific details on what kind of pranks were not released.

“I don't feel in my heart, even though I've heard stories of it, but I don't feel in my heart that any child would hold a prank on this long,” says Amber’s father, Maurice Dubois. Dubois says from day one he's felt that Amber was abducted.

[Kaylara]

This seems like an obvious case where an amber alert should have been issued. *shakes head* Time is usually of the essence in these cases, and getting the information out there and having a lot of public and police support can help have a positive outcome.

I think the police fucked up. And I also have a bad feeling about what ultimately happened to this poor girl. :(

[Dakota Valkyrie]

As public attention about missing Escondido teenager Amber Dubois wanes, her family's angst grows and their faith in the police investigation diminishes.

Three months ago today, the 14-year-old disappeared. Two days ago, her mother, Carrie McGonigle, e-mailed Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher. She asked him to bring in an outside team of missing-children experts to review the 12 to 15 binders of information accumulated in the investigation thus far.

“I want the experts to go through the case from the beginning to see what the police have missed,” McGonigle said. “There was stuff they didn't touch, things they didn't do, mistakes they made.”

She said the department, which is down 11 officers because of Escondido's budget crisis, had to ask staff members of the Alexandria, Va.-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to help type transcripts on Amber's case into a computer.

Members of the center's staff were in Escondido during the first few weeks of Amber's disappearance to help police search for her.

“Are they reading back through all the transcripts?” McGonigle asked. “I feel they haven't even had a chance to go back through the case all the way through, and they are not experts on missing children.”

Yesterday, Escondido Police Lt. Craig Carter said he will meet with McGonigle this morning to discuss her concerns.
[...]
Police have received hundreds of tips. About 200 concerned a maroon or burgundy pickup recorded by a surveillance camera near Escondido High on Feb. 13, around the time Amber disappeared while headed to school. The tips have not led to any suspects.

Police also have been alerted to numerous possible sightings of the teen. For some of them, investigators viewed surveillance tapes, Carter said, but none has panned out.

Police have issued more than 60 search warrants to owners of computers, servers and Web sites that were involved in Amber's Internet use, said her father, Maurice Dubois. Carter said he was not certain how many search warrants have been filed.

Information that was disseminated nationwide by the national missing children's center also has not resulted in anything significant, center President Ernie Allen said.

In the meantime, donated Amber Dubois billboards on Interstate 8 and state Route 163 have been removed.

The number of volunteers searching for her on weekends in and around Escondido has dwindled from more than 200 during the first three weeks after she was reported missing to 30 to 40 a day now.
[...]http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/13/1m13amber231415-vigil-will-mark-3-months-teen-went/?uniontrib

[...]Despite nearly a thousand tips and an extensive investigation, police appear to be no closer to finding out what happened to Amber, who continues to be classified by law enforcement as a missing juvenile – not a runaway and not necessarily a victim of abduction.
[...]
Escondido police Lt. Craig Carter said he understood the frustration those closest to Amber feel. But he defended his department and said the case has been a high priority since it began.

“We have had a large group of people working on this,” Carter said. “We have the resources available. If you bring in more leads we will look into them.

“We would certainly like to have a solid lead, a person of interest, a location,” he said. “And we're missing that.”

After meeting with the Amber's parents Wednesday morning for two hours, police decided to invite the FBI and the nonprofit National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to review about 15 binders of documents.

“It makes sense; we have no issue with that,” Carter said. “We will reach out to both those agencies.”

Carter said he hopes the review will be finished in the next few weeks. Both the FBI and the national center have been involved in the search for Amber since the early stages, he said, but police are hoping they might find something that may have been overlooked.

Every possible sighting of Amber has been investigated, Carter said, and the family's computers have been examined to see if Amber may have been in contact with a predator. “As a result of the (computer) search there is nothing alarming for us. We're not focusing on it,” he said.

Police have also been working with Mexican officials on the chance that Amber was abducted and taken south of the border, Carter said. However, nothing has come of that either.http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/13/bn13amber-prayer-vigil/?northcounty&zIndex=99056

[Whisper]

Family fears Chelsea King suspect involved in daughter's disappearanceCNN) --
Carrie McGonigle doesn't want to believe that her missing daughter could be connected to a registered sex offender accused of killing a California teen.

"That would mean that she's dead, and I don't want to think that," said McGonigle, whose 14-year-old daughter, Amber DuBois, was last seen walking alone to school on February 13, 2009.

But authorities say they are looking into whether John Albert Gardner III, who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to raping and murdering Chelsea King, was involved in Amber's disappearance.

"We have been working closely with San Diego Sheriff's Office, and our investigators are working with theirs in case there is a connection," Lt. Robert Benton with the Escondido, California, Police Department said. "We are involved in the daily briefings on the King investigation."

Amber's father, Moe DuBois, attended Gardner's arraignment Wednesday.

"Just the similarities in our case, you know, if there is any connection to Mr. Gardner and our case, I want to be there for his prosecution and soon to be execution I would hope," DuBois told HLN's Nancy Grace.

Amber's family lives in the San Diego, California, suburb of Escondido, less than 10 miles from Poway High School, where King was last seen alive.

The shy, bookish teen was walking to Escondido High when she disappeared. She had a check in her backpack to buy a lamb for a Future Farmers of America project, according to her mother. But she never made it, and since then, investigators have been stymied by a lack of viable leads.

McGonigle says Gardner came up on her radar shortly after Amber disappeared, when she began looking up registered sex offenders in the area.

"One of the first things we did when we couldn't find her was look at the sex offenders in the area because we know that they have a history of repeated offenses," McGonigle said. "I didn't personally visit his home but one of our volunteers did, and we didn't find anything that raised suspicions."

Gardner is on California's sex offender registry for a conviction of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, according to online records. He was also charged Wednesday with assault with intent to commit rape in connection with an attack on a jogger in December 2009.

A call to Gardner's public defender, Michael Popkins, was not immediately returned.

In addition to keeping the search going for her daughter, McGonigle has also become involved in educating parents and children on how to prevent abductions. She also spends time reaching out to parents of other missing children.

As soon as she learned of Chelsea's disappearance, McGonigle says she contacted Chelsea's parents and assisted in search efforts. Chelsea's car, with her cell phone inside, was found at the Rancho Bernardo Community Park, where she was known to go for runs.

"Ever since Amber went missing I've reached out to all the parents I possibly can because once it happens to you, it's going to be with you the rest of your life," she said. "It becomes your life. Supporting families, that's what it's all about. Even when we find Amber, I'll continue because I wouldn't want any other family to go through this."

Searchers found a body Tuesday that they believe to be King's, San Diego County Sheriff William Gore said at a news conference Tuesday. He said he expected a positive identification of the body to come this week.

To some in Amber's family, Chelsea's disappearance has other stinging implications.

"It's heartbreaking in another way because now we know of everything that was available to search for Amber but wasn't used," Sheila Welch said. "There weren't helicopters used with heat sensitivities, there weren't any dogs brought out for Amber, and now to know that's available, it's heartbreaking to think it wasn't used."

But Benton said investigators used all the resources available to them.

"We asked for and received the resources we needed at the time," he said. "As far as law enforcement is concerned, we had outstanding cooperation from local agencies, the FBI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and we had a significant amount of resources at our disposal."

Amber's mother has her doubts as to whether Gardner could actually be involved.

"I think the guy is too sloppy and that we would've found some evidence if he had taken Amber," she said. "But he never should have been out in public. If he were incarcerated, like he should have been, maybe Chelsea would be alive right now."http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/03 STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Authorities probe whether John Albert Gardner III was involved in Amber DuBois' disappearance
Gardner, a registered sex offender, has pleaded not guilty to killing Chelsea King, 17
Amber was last seen walking to school on February 13, 2009, a few miles from Chelsea's school

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Escondido police and San Diego County Sheriff's deputies are searching the grounds of Kit Carson Park, acting on an unusual tip they received concerning a bag possibly containing hair found three months after the disappearance of Amber Dubois.

Thursday night three children, an 8-year-old and two 11-year-olds, reminded their parents about seeing a "bag with what looked like hair coming out of it," Escondido police Lieutenant Craig Carter said.

The children made the discovery nine months ago and recalled it in light of the Chelsea King story.

One of the children's parents immediately called police.
[...]

Searchers have found a sack in the southern reaches of the park, but it's not immediately clear if it's the one in question, and detectives have yet to open it, Carter said.

They have called in a huge showing of search and rescue personnel including the sheriff's underwater search and recovery team.

The area is about two miles northeast of the area where a body, believed to be that of Poway teenager Chelsea King, was found Tuesday after an extensive search. It’s also south of where Escondido teenager Amber Dubois disappeared.
[...]

At the time Amber disappeared, Gardner lived just two miles from Escondido High School in the Rock Springs East apartment complex.
[...]
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Homicide-Investigators-Search-Kit-Carson-Park--86646937.html

Last May, a 9-year-old and two 11-year-olds told their families about coming across a bag containing what appeared to be human hair in the southern reaches of the park, Carter said.

The children's parents apparently did not consider the purported discovery significant enough to report, but changed their minds this week when the subject came up again, according to Carter.http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/mar/05/months-old-tip-prompts-search-connection-disappear/

[Whisper]

No Clues Found After Pond Drained in Amber Dubois DisappearanceESCONDIDO -- Police in Escondido said they found no clues after draining a pond after receiving a tip concerning a bag possibly containing hair found three months after the disappearance of Amber Dubois.
[...]
The search at Kit Carson Park ended Saturday when police uncovered nothing of evidentiary value after draining the pond for a second day, Lt. Craig Carter said.
[...]
A woman reported Thursday night that her daughters told her in May they discovered a bag of hair there.
[...]
The woman told police she didn't make the connection to the search for Amber until another teen - 17-year-old Chelsea King - vanished last week about 10 miles south in San Diego. A body presumed to be Chelsea's was found Tuesday in a shallow lakeside grave.
Amber Dubois disappeared less than 10 miles away from the park on Feb. 13, 2009, on her way to Escondido High School.
[...]
Searchers have found a sack in the southern reaches of the park, but it's not immediately clear if it's the one in question, and detectives have yet to open it, Carter said.
[...]
The park is two miles northeast of the area where a body, believed to be that of Poway teenager Chelsea King, was found Tuesday.
[...]
Amber was last seen Feb. 13, 2009.
[...]

At the time Amber disappeared, registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III, the man charged in King's murder, lived just two miles from the school in the Rock Springs East apartment complex.[...] http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-amber-dubois-search,0,2295221.story

[Valasca]

Authorities have discovered the skeletal remains of Amber Dubois, the 14-year-old girl who disappeared last year on her way to Escondido High School.

Police had re-focused attention on the case this week after a registered sex offender was arrested in the murder of Chelsea King, a high school senior from nearby Poway.

Amber's remains were discovered Saturday afternoon in a remote area near Pala in northern San Diego County, Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher said.

Investigators were following up on an unspecified lead and did not say if her death is connected to Chelsea King's. John Albert Gardner, 30, faces murder charges in that potential death penalty case.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/amber-dubois-remains-found-in-escondido.html

[guillotinegirl]

http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Amber-Dubois-missing-Escondido-Chelsea-King/3WSDlxSD5UmLdlJnvhelsA.cspx

Another sad ending. At least now that Amber's body has been found the parents can start to get some type of closure. I would imagine it would be even worse not ever knowing what happened.

[MC30]

i don't know what to say. one girl dead leads to finding another. at least her family can have some sort of closure.
RIP Amber
RIP Chelsey

[TwiztidAngel]

poor girl...and she was a good kid...not like it matters if she was good or not...but damn, she had potential...a lot more than i can say about some 14 yr olds...i can't even imagine what her parents are going thru....shit likes this makes me want to keep my kids locked up

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Accused killer John Albert Gardner III had nothing to do with the tip that led law enforcement to Amber Dubois’ remains, according to a local private investigator who worked on the case.

Bill Garcia, hired by Amber’s family shortly after she disappeared, said he was told by a person with first-hand knowledge that the tip about the location of the remains did not come from Gardner, who was charged Wednesday with the rape and murder of Chelsea King, 17, of Poway.

“The entire Chelsea King event emotionally pulled at somebody who had this information,” Garcia said. “They’ve seen the community in a lot of pain. Someone who had been afraid to say something finally came forward.”
[...]

Garcia said about the only positive thing to come from the discovery of Amber’s remains “is that Moe and Carrie finally have some answers. Not knowing — that’s what destroys families.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/07/dubois-tip-didnt-come-gardner-source-says/

[Dneilz]

:( Rest In Peace Amber. My heart is with her family. Terrible news, but I am not surprised!

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III is a focus of the investigation into the death of Amber Dubois, the high school freshman whose skeletal remains were discovered Saturday in northern San Diego County.

The Escondido Police Department's announcement Monday was the first time authorities have acknowledged that Gardner, 30, may be linked to the case.
[...]
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/08/local/la-me-amber-dubois9-2010mar09

The Chelsea King case is here on D'D: http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31340

[Whisper]

Sex offender led authorities to Calif. teen's body
SAN DIEGO —
A prosecutor says convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner led authorities to the body of missing teenager Amber Dubois.
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Friday Gardner agreed to lead authorities to the body on the condition that they could not use that information against him in court.
Dumanis says it was a difficult decision, but prosecutors had no other evidence or DNA to link him to the death of Dubois.
Gardner pleaded guilty Friday to the murders of the 14-year-old Dubois and 17-year-old Chelsea King.Breaking NewsSAN DIEGO (AP) - Sex offender John Albert Gardner pleaded guilty Friday to murdering two teenage girls in San Diego County after prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Gardner, 31, faces life in prison without parole for killing 14-year-old Amber Dubois and 17-year-old Chelsea King.

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to rape another woman who was jogging in San Diego last year.
[...]
Amber vanished in February 2009, and the investigation produced few solid leads until Chelsea disappeared Feb. 25 during an afternoon run in a San Diego park about 10 miles south of the site where Amber vanished.

Gardner was arrested three days after Chelsea disappeared. He initially pleaded not guilty to her killing.
In a surprising turn, Gardner admitted Friday to kidnapping, raping and stabbing Amber. He also admitted dragging Chelsea to a remote area where he raped, strangled and buried her.

Sentencing was set for June 1.
Prosecutor Kristen Spieler told the judge the victims' families agreed to the plea agreement. She was not immediately available for comment after the hearing.
Chelsea's body was discovered March 2 in a shallow lakeside grave after a massive search. Prosecutors said Gardner was linked to the crime by DNA found on Chelsea's clothing.

Amber's bones were discovered March 6 in a rugged, remote area north of San Diego. She vanished with a $200 check to purchase a lamb she was going to raise for Future Farmers of America. The check was never cashed.

Escondido police identified Gardner as a suspect in Amber's death but have been silent on what led them to her remains.

Gardner served five years in prison after pleading guilty in 2000 to molesting a 13-year-old neighbor girl. Records show he later violated parole by moving too close to a school but was allowed to remain free.
[...]http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/7434946/

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The families of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois supported a plea agreement by a 31-year-old registered sex offender who has admitted murdering the two teenage girls, prosecutors said.
[...]

The plea bargain was meant to spare him from the death penalty. Under the agreement, Gardner will be returned to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

In a news conference with Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis, Amber Dubois’ father, Maurice Dubois, said the plea bargain will allow “justice and closure” for his daughter’s murder. Brent Kelly, Chelsea’s father, said lengthy court proceedings would have had a “destructive effect” on their 13-year-old son, Tyler, and the community and distracted from the family’s campaign for tougher laws for sex offenders.

Dumanis said that without Gardner’s guilty plea, her office would not have had enough evidence to take him to trial for Amber Dubois’ murder.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/04/parents-of-chelsea-king-amber-dubois-supported-plea-deal-for-killer-prosecutors-say.html

[Whisper]

John Gardner issues apology to families of victims
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - (CBS 8)John Albert Gardner, III, confessed killer of teenagers Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, has issued a public apology to the families of his victims for the horrific rapes and murders he committed.
[...]
The statement reads:


"I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back. I know that it doesn't mean anything to anybody but I really am sorry for everything. I wish that I was able to get help when I tried to get help. I tried to seek out help and was not able to get any."

The source also tells News 8, days before the murder of Poway teenager Chelsea King, Gardner tried to admit himself into a mental hospital but was denied.

News 8 has been unable to confirm whether Gardner actually tried to enter a mental hospital. He was a registered sex offender in Riverside County at the time.

Chelsea's parents, Brent and Kelly King, declined through a spokesperson to comment on Gardner's apology.

On his attorney's advice, the father of Gardner's other victim, 14-year-old Amber Dubois, also declined to respond.

Amber's mother did offer a short response. "To me it's just words. There's no meaning behind it," said Carrie McGonigle. "It doesn't bring Chelsea or Amber home or back to ushttp://www.cbs8.com/global/story.asp?s=12373080

[Aslan]

Fuck him and his fake apology.
Hang yourself, asshole.

[Whisper]

[
Search Warrants Unsealed in Gardner Case
A Superior Court judge has ordered the unsealing of four search warrants in connection with the Amber Dubois and Chelsea King murder cases.
Superior Court Judge Whitney said the documents -- subject to removal of certain names and identifying information such as Social Security numbers -- should be available for review by noon on Wednesday.

Convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III pleaded guilty to killing Amber and 17-year-old Chelsea King.
[...]
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Search-Warrants-Unsealed-in-Gardner-Case--92880654.html

Search Warrants Unsealed in Teen Killings Case
El Cajon - An 11-year-old girl told police a man followed her home from school the day before registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III raped and murdered a 17-year-old girl in a nearby park, according to search warrants unsealed Monday.
The documents also said two women joggers were convinced they had encountered Gardner on the afternoon of Feb. 25, the day he attacked and killed Chelsea King when she went for a run in the park.
One woman said she was convinced a man she briefly spoke with about coyotes and snakes was Gardner.
Investigators linked Gardner to King's murder through semen found on her underwear, according to the search warrants unsealed in response to a request by The Associated Press and other news organizations.
[...]
The warrants said authorities seized 11 shovels, three pickaxes and other digging tools from Gardner's home in Lake Elsinore along with a "Hard Rock Cafe Baghdad" T-shirt and other clothing.
They also found a tool case with black electrical and duct tape in a storage unit in suburban Escondido; black duct tape and a fast-food receipt from Feb. 25 in his girlfriend's car; and several "Hard Rock Cafe" shirts and a shovel at his mother's home in San Diego.
[...]
The search warrants said the 11-year-old girl told San Diego police on Feb. 24 that a man in a black car slowly drove by and parked as she walked home alone from school in the Rancho Bernardo area. The driver made no effort to speak with her.
A woman then pulled up beside the girl, told her the man looked suspicious, and offered to follow her two blocks to her house. The man then made a U-turn and drove away.
The girl told a family member the man had stared at her before pulling forward, and that she later recognized Gardner from a photo published after his arrest in the death of King.
Investigators then asked her to identify the man from among six photos. She picked two of the pictures, and one was Gardner, according to the documents.
One of the women joggers told investigators she spoke with a man in a "Hard Rock Cafe" T-shirt who was drinking beer and smoking a cigarette when she went for an afternoon run on the day King was attacked.
[...]
"The person told her to watch out for the snake and she noticed there was a rattlesnake," the affidavit reads.
The runner, identified as Cindi Jo Stock, spoke with the man again on her way back.
Another runner, Jacquelyn Maxton, also told authorities she saw Gardner that afternoon in a "Hard Rock Cafe Baghdad" T-shirt.
"She was 100 percent positive the person she saw on the trail was the person she saw on television because his haircut and eyes looked exactly the same," the affidavit reads.
The affidavits also describe a Dec. 27 attack on another jogger in the area. Gardner pleaded guilty to attempted rape in that case.
The jogger, Candice Moncayo, reported saying good morning to a man who returned the greeting then tackled her and began to climb on top of her, pinning her shoulders to the ground.
Moncayo screamed for help, believing she was going to be raped. The assailant told her to shut up and she responded, "You're going to have to kill me," according to the documents.
"That can be arranged," her assailant said.
Moncayo, who has spoken publicly about the attack, escaped after striking the man in the nose with her elbow. The affidavit said she felt the crunch of cartilage.
The court documents also said two utility workers saw a man with a girl in a remote area north of San Diego on the morning of Feb. 13, 2009, when Gardner raped and stabbed Dubois, leaving her dead body nearby.
[...]
They recalled seeing a man matching Gardner's description with a girl who looked like Dubois on the day she disappeared. They were near a silver Ford Focus, the car that Gardner drove at the time.
Gardner led authorities to the remains of Dubois after his arrest in King's death. Her identity was confirmed through dental records.
The search warrants show Gardner was registered to live at six Southern California addresses since his release from prison in 2005, in addition to a three-month spell as a transient in 2008.

[Lizard]

Sentencing hearing concluded, and Gardner is off to serve life without parole. Click the link for some of what was said during the reading of the victim impact statements.

http://www.swrnn.com/southwest-riverside/2010-05-14/news/breaking-news-gardner-sentenced-for-murders-of-two-sd-county-teens

[Ninja0980]

In a way, I'm glad he got LWOP and waived all future appeals. The DP does NOT exist in California. They have it in name only. Evil killers like Scott Peterson,Richard Davis,(and countless others) will die of old age or suicide (combined are higher than people who have been executed). Chelsea's family would have been in legal limbo for the next two decades or more(as Sandra Cantu's family would have been), and Amber's family never would have had her body. His plea ends it all, he won't leave prison unless it's in a body bag.
As for him being out so soon,I have to go on a mini rant. California prisons have over 170,000 inmates,twice the amount they can hold. Many of them don't need to be there but because drug courts and other programs that could help non-violent offenders sound too soft or cost too much in the short term, they go with the lock them all up with madatory sentences speech.
Well guess what, that means some people that REALLY need to be in prison as long as possible like John Gardner won't stay locked up as long as they should because there's no room. If they violate probation or parole, there's still no room. Obviously there has to be punishment but when you lock up everybody under the son, something has to give. And sadly, it's usually innocent victims at the hands of people that should never have been let out in the first place.
There is never closure when you lose a loved one to violent crime but Amber and Chelsea's families can put the legal aspect behind them, and remember their loved ones. I wish them the best.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

In a strange turn of events, Michelle Le’s body was found by the mother of slain Escondido teenager Amber DuBois.

Carrie McGonigle found Le's body on Saturday morning with her search dog named -- Amber.

McGonigle's daughter Amber Dubois was killed by convicted killer John Gardner in 2009. Gardner is also responsible for the 2010 death of Poway teenager Chelsea King.

McGonigle and her rescue organization, "Team Amber Rescue," which she formed after her daughter’s death, was helping Le's family in the search.

Police said Le’s remains were found in a remote area of a canyon, where GPS tracking showed the cell phones of both Le and the prime suspect in the case, Giselle Esteban, traveled the night Le disappeared.

The canyon was several miles from the Kaiser Hospital in Hayward, where Le disappeared from on May 27.
[...]http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Les-Body-Found-By-Mother-of-Amber-Dubois-130222918.html