Body Identified As Missing Orange Park, Fl. Child Somer Thompson

A child’s body found in a Georgia landfill has been identified as missing 7-year-old Somer Thompson, police said Thursday.

The partially covered body of the child was found at a site near the Florida state line, after investigators followed garbage trucks leaving from the neighborhood where Thompson disappeared Monday.

Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler told NBC’s “TODAY” show that a birthmark and clothing had helped detectives confirm the child’s identity.
“Last night about 9 p.m., detectives were able to uncover the body enough to see the leg of the child,“ Beseler said. “The birthmark did positively match the one that had been provided to us in a photograph by the family. Based on that tentative identification, we went ahead and contacted Somer’s mom and made the notification last night.“

The sheriff said he told the girl’s mother to prepare for the worst, and called her after receiving the news Wednesday night.

“Needless to say, she was absolutely devastated,“ he 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.“

The girl’s family was “torn up” after hearing the news, aunt Laura Holt said.

She hopes authorities will find her niece’s killer or killers. “I don’t think they deserve to live,“ Holt said. “I don’t think there’s anything worse that a person can do — to kill a child and dump her ... like a piece of trash?“

Beseler said he was unable to comment on the condition of the body or about whether there were signs of sexual assault.

‘Child killer on the loose’

“Until yesterday afternoon, we were in a search and recovery mode and now we’re in a full-blown criminal investigation,“ Beseler said. “There are lots of leads we’re following.

“There is a child killer on the loose and that’s why we are going to catch this person,“ he added. “We are going to work as hard as we can. We will not stop.“

Thompson vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park. She 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.