Posted on 04/14/2005 11:43:21 AM PDT by Former Fetus
Sex Offender Questioned Over Missing Girl
RUSKIN, Fla. - Authorities investigating the weekend disappearance of a 13-year-old girl from her family's mobile home questioned a convicted sex offender who once had a relationship with her mother, officials said.
Volunteers continued searching Thursday for Sarah Michelle Lunde, who has a troubled past and has run away before, Hillsborough County Sheriff's David Gee said. But she has usually returned after a few hours, and officials don't believe this is "a typical runaway," he said.
The man being questioned, 36-year-old David Onstott, was arrested Tuesday night in an unrelated incident in nearby Apollo Beach. Authorities say he threatened another man with a screwdriver.
"Obviously, he has our attention," Gee said, declining to talk about the details of the investigation.
Sarah disappeared after returning home Saturday night from a trip with a church youth group. Her 17-year-old brother, Andrew, said he saw her at about 9 p.m. Saturday and later went out with friends. When he returned home about 4 a.m. Sunday, the front door was open and Sarah was gone, he said. A half-empty bottle of beer had appeared on the kitchen table, he said.
About an hour later, Andrew told The Tampa Tribune, Onstott showed up at the family's home before dawn that morning and asked for the teens' mother.
Lunde said that when he told Onstott that his mother wasn't home, Onstott grabbed the beer bottle and left.
"He just showed up out of the blue," Lunde said. "It was strange."
Sarah's mother, thinking her daughter was at a friend's house, didn't report her missing until Monday.
The relationship between the girl's mother and Onstott had ended months earlier, Gee said.
Onstott spent 5 1/2 years in prison after being convicted in 1995 of sexual battery on an acquaintance. The victim testified that Onstott knocked on her door, asked to use the bathroom then threw her on the floor and raped her.
David Onstott Sr. said he doesn't think his son is involved in Sarah's disappearance.
"I can't believe he would hurt a young girl," he said.
The sheriff's office also interviewed the girl's father, who lives in Zephyrhills, about 50 miles north of this Tampa Bay area town. He is not considered a suspect, Gee said.
Ruskin is about 100 miles south of Homosassa, where a three-week search for a missing 9-year-old, Jessica Lunsford, ended with the discovery of her body last month. A registered sex offender who stayed at a home near hers has been charged with her slaying.
Does anybody know if there was an adult with the children or if they were by themselves at 5 am? And why would a mother of two have a relationship with a sex offender? Can anyone imagine if one of your kids disappears Saturday night, not reporting it until Monday morning?
Please, Lord, take care of Your children!
Is this a standing headline?
Why was a 17yo out until 4am?
Good lord.
This appears to be the easiest and most reliable method to catch these sex offenders: Draw up data on all local sex offenders and investigate any relations to the victims family.
Why?, because they damn near all seem to be repeat offenders and the worst have offenses that seem to take baby steps on the path to killing someone. We need new laws for this type of criminal.
If Joe-criminal steals something, sells drugs, damages property, life goes on. If Joe-sex offender repeats offenses lives are destroyed.
If I posted my complete thoughts I'm sure someone here would reward me with a pair of jackboots.
You know, if we were to resume executing sex criminals or imprisoning them for life, there would be fewer of these headlines...
THINKING???? THINKING?? She didn't KNOW???! WHAT the H&LL is wrong with some parents??
I know some people don't have the internet but libraries do. It isn't hard to check on sex offenders in our neighborhoods. What I don't understand is when my kids were younger I made them call me when they got there and I demanded a phone number where I could reach them. My kids always told me I was over protecting . Maybe so, but they are still here. I am sick of hearing of these kids being taken, assaulted, and killed. Absolutely horrible.
I left out a whole sentence. LOL. Sorry, running back and forth doing things.
Regular, cabinet, Phillips, Frearson, Torx, clutch- head, hex, Bristol multi-spline or square-tipped?
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