Police Believe Body is Missing San Diego Girl

By SETH HETTENA
.c The Associated Press

EL CAJON, Calif. (Feb. 27) - Authorities said Wednesday they believe they have found the body of a 7-year-old girl who disappeared from her San Diego home 26 days ago.

Volunteers who have tirelessly searched for Danielle van Dam since she vanished Feb. 1 discovered the body in a cluster of oak trees in a rural area east of San Diego.

A plastic necklace similar to one Danielle was wearing was found on the body. An earring matching the description of a pair the missing girl wore was also found, said San Diego County District Attorney Paul Pfingst.

''Tonight we believe that Danielle van Dam's body has been found,'' he said.

A positive identification of the body could take several days.

Earlier, a sheriff's deputy at the scene 25 miles east of the city had said the body had been partially burned. But authorities declined late Wednesday to discuss the condition of the remains, pending an autopsy, except to say they were badly decomposed.

''At this point we cannot positively confirm that it is Danielle,'' San Diego police Lt. Jim Collins said. ''However, we don't have any other young children missing in the county that have been reported. It's a high probability that it is her.''

Danielle was last seen on Feb. 1, when her father put her to bed in her family's San Diego home. She was discovered missing the next morning.

Authorities have charged a neighbor of the family with killing the girl. David Westerfield, 50, pleaded innocent Tuesday to charges of murder, kidnapping and possession of child pornography.

Westerfield, a twice-divorced father of two grown children, has a 1996 drunken driving conviction but no violent criminal history.

He has said he was at the same bar where Brenda van Dam was spending time with friends the night Danielle disappeared. Her husband was home with their daughter and two sons.

Westerfield spent the weekend of Danielle's disappearance traveling around San Diego County in his motor home, stopping in the desert east of the city.

Police have received permission to search a dry cleaner in suburban Poway for Westerfield's bedding and clothing. Westerfield reportedly had taken seat cushions from his motor home and clothing in for cleaning after his weekend in the desert.

Police have also searched Westerfield's home and examined three of his vehicles. In warrants, police said they were looking for child pornography, children's pajamas or clothing and a set of Mickey Mouse earrings. Police also sought any ''binding materials'' such as tape or rope, leather or rope collars.

AP-NY-02-27-02 2258EST

[>(]

They should let that poor little girl's father slowly dismantle that M*****F****R with a machete, 1 piece at a time!!! [chainsawkill]

ColtShorty

GOA KABA COA JPFO SAF NRA

"I won't be wronged,  I won't be insulted
and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do
these things to other people and I require
the same from them."

The guy has 2 children of his own right?  Sick f**k.

[img]http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20020228/i/1014860758.2617753634.jpg[/img]
The corpse has not been scientificly identified yet, but it was female, the right size, and more tellingly, wearing a plastic choker necklace just like in this photo of Danielle.

[img]http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20020227/capt.1014769819.missing_girl_cadiu101.jpg[/img] David Westerfield, 50, alleged murderer, at his arraingement on capital murder, kidnapping, and possession of child pornography charges on Tuesday.

This guy is 50. This is the first time he has been charged with or suspected of any criminal sexual conduct. There was nothing at all that gave any warning.

Which makes you wonder, how many other girls has he made disappear before?

Yes but they are adults in their twenties now.
Not sure of their gender, but they may have been boys as well. Not that it makes a difference. The sex offenders that dont get caught know instinctivly not to shit where they live.  This guy only got caught cause he BROKE that rule.

One very troubling aspect of this is, the girl disappeared after being put to bed, in her home. As I understand, this is a very rare occurence, a stranger abduction from a home. Being a neighbor he may have been familiar to her or even set it up to get her out of the house quietly.

...This has troubled me as well. As much as I would love to see the perp swing from the tallest Cottonwood in Kali I am also concerned as much as frying an innocent.

... Hopefully science will prove that the culprit is [u]really[/u] the culprit.

he may actually be innocent. dont condemn him yet. her parents were shitbags. the father claims he woke to a noise in the middle of the night, found the sliding glass door open and that he didnt think anything of it and went to bed. the mother says she didnt look in on the girl because she never checks on her while she is sleeping. good parents. i think we all know what a member of these boards would do if they awoke to a noise and found the patio door open.

Rest in peace, Danielle.  You are in a better place now.

It remains a shame that bolt cutters could not have been applied to the finger joints of this "gentleman" to determine the location of the body.

Certainly there are situations where the "rights" of the accused should be dismissed.  This is one of them.[IMG]http://216.40.201.155/s/contrib/dvv/eplus2.gif[/IMG]

Should the mother of a seven year old be hanging out at the bar???

Ditto all....

I hope David Westerfield gets a fair trial, and that whoever killed Danielle is convicted and appropriately punished.

No doubt they'll need to Super Size the pool of available jurors at Superior Court downtown.  Last time we had a big case like this I got called for JD.

It's been over two years since I've served.  (They've hit me SIX times in 26 years).  I expect to see a summons in the mail any day.

HE SHOULD BE EXCUTED FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE

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Having stupid parents, or parents that are acting like a couple of crazed weasels in heat, are not reasons for Westerfield or anyone else thinking that it was 'open season' on Danielle!

And this is not a petit jury actually deciding on the guilt or innocence of this slimeball!

[b]So, of course this sh|thook is guilty![/b]

Why else Danielle's blood and DNA all over the guy and his RV?

Fry the bastid in this world, the Lord will handle him in the next!

Eric The(OldTestament)Hun[>]:)]