Father of Slain Girl Speaks Out

July 18, 2002 -- 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.

"It is premature to think that any of the people detained are or are not responsible," he said.

"When there is an appropriate arrest, you will know."

Police said one of the people detained was arrested after a car chase in Fresno. Patrolling officers saw a man who fit the description of the suspect driving a green Mitsubishi, and tried to pull him over. He sped off, and police gave chase, eventually catching him and finding a weapon in his car, police said. The man was turned over to Orange County and FBI investigators.

In another incident, police attempted to stop a driver of a stolen green Toyota Camry on Tuesday night, and he also sped off. Police were able to retrieve the car, but the driver escaped. He is being sought, police said.

Carona said officers have received more than 1000 leads alone from the hotline they set up, and investigators were running massive computer searches on sex offenders in the area, the state and around the nation. He said there were more than 10 and fewer than 50 individuals police were particularly interested in.

Carona said the killer is likely still in the region. "We have a relatively firm belief that this individual is in the Southern California area," he said "We are also relatively convinced that this individual has not left the State of California."

The reward for information leading to the capture of Samantha's killer has topped $150,000.

Carona said he and his fellow law enforcement officials were taking the case very personally.

"Any time you harm a child, I think it resonates with all of us," Carona said today on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. "This case, for all the investigators, both the FBI and local law enforcement, Samantha's become our child, too."

He said the rapid discovery of Samantha's body had helped the investigation.

"The crime scene was fairly well stocked with physical evidence, and when we moved the body back down to our forensic laboratories here, we pulled up a tremendous amount of evidence from Samantha's body," he said. "A combination of those two and we'll be able to put a puzzle together."

Authorities Fear Killer Will Strike Again

Based on the FBI's profile of the perpetrator and the way he left Samantha's nude body, Carona said investigators believe he has sexually assaulted and perhaps killed before.

"I think one of the strongest indications of this individual's character is Samantha herself," Randy Aden, an agent with the FBI's Crimes Against Children Task Force, said on Good Morning America. "He picked a victim that was very vulnerable and defenseless. She's 5 years old, weighs all of 45 pounds. She presented no threat or danger to this man. He murdered her. He discarded her body with no consideration for concealment or the fact that he was leaving possibly some very damning evidence behind. It indicates to us a rather brazen, callous individual."

The killer, Carona and FBI officials said, fits the profile of a serial predator who could strike again soon, sparking fear in a community already shaken by the way Samantha was kidnapped.

"I've always been careful with him but now it's like more extra careful," said one area mother, Wendy Rocha, speaking about her young son.

Another nearby resident agreed.

"He can play outside, but I will be right there with him," said Leticia Ware.

"Right there with him," she repeated.

A former behavioral expert for the FBI said it was difficult to know how worried community residents should be.

"They may be going a little bit overboard in terms of alarming the public at large," said Robert Ressler, the director of Forensic Behavior Services.

"Then again, sometimes the public needs to be alarmed."

Samantha's body was found by two men who were hang-gliding. Police said the body was not covered or hidden in any way, as though whoever left it there wanted it to be found.

Possible Change in Appearance

Investigators described the kidnapper as Hispanic, 25 to 40 years old, with slicked-back brown hair and a mustache. He was wearing a powder-blue button-down shirt when he grabbed Samantha. Garcia said he is more likely "an Americanized Hispanic, rather than a foreign national."

The kidnapper may have unexplained wounds on his hands, arms and face.

Carona and Garcia said the suspect may have changed his appearance, by shaving or getting a haircut, and left behind the vehicle he used in the kidnapping. Samantha's kidnapper, they said, may also be extremely agitated or have a short fuse.

If he is asked about Samantha's case or makes inquires about the case, he may be preoccupied not with the slaying but with the direction of the investigation, they said. Relatives, friends or acquaintances of the suspect may have noticed or should look out for a sudden, unexplained change in behavior.

Seeking the Public’s Help

Samantha and a friend, 5-year-old Sarah Ahn, were playing a board game outside their apartment complex in Stanton, a suburb about 30 miles south of Los Angeles, when the man pulled up and asked the girls to help him look for his lost dog, police said.

Earlier, investigators said they believed the kidnapping was completely random, because according to witnesses, the abductor drove by the apartment complex, saw Samantha and Sarah playing and immediately made a U-turn and pulled up to the curb near them.

Law enforcement has set up a Samantha Runnion Task Force, and anyone with information is asked to call (714) 890-4280. Or go to theOrange County Sheriff's Department Web site at www.ocsd.org.

ABCNEWS' David Wright, Brian Rooney and Steffan Tubbs in Los Angeles and ABC affiliate KABC contributed to this report.