Father of Slain Girl Speaks Out
July 18 -- The father of slain 5-year-old Samantha Runnion, his voice breaking and tears in his eyes, spoke out today, urging parents everywhere to watch their children so they don't meet the fate of his little girl.
"Please, watch your children," Derek Jackson said. "Keep an eye on them. Don't let them out of your sight."
Jackson said Samantha's violent death had completely devastated him and everyone close to the girl.
"I will think of her when I wake up every day," he said. "I will think of her when I go to bed. I will think of her all day long. I love her dearly. I miss you Samantha."
The girl was abducted Monday in broad daylight from her front yard in Stanton, Calif., triggering a massive manhunt for the kidnapper. More than 500 police and FBI agents are hunting for the killer.
She was dragged kicking and screaming into a man's green car — possibly a Honda — as her horrified playmate looked on, police said. The girl's body was found Tuesday along rural Highway 74 in neighboring Riverside County and identified Wednesday.
Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona said evidence showed Samantha had been sexually assaulted and suffered "physical trauma." An autopsy revealed that she was asphyxiated, police said.
Jackson was separated from Samantha's mother, Erin Runnion, but said he remained very close to her daughter, even though he lived across the country in Sunderland, Mass.
"I loved her so much," Jackson said, describing letters and packages he had sent her, as well as visits she had made to his East Coast home.
Hundreds of Leads, But No Suspects Yet
Investigators said they had arrested several people, but had not yet found a suspect in the girl's death or arrested anyone in connection to her kidnapping.
"There have been a few arrests; there have been a few vehicles impounded," Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo said. He stressed, however, that those detained were being held on charges unrelated to Samantha's disappearance.
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