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This is an older article from my archives that goes into quite a lot of Westerfield's history. Not all the blanks are filled in, but it might be a good place to start:

Van Dam neighbor had been focus for investigators almost from start (Who is David Westerfield?)

By Michael Stetz and Kristen Green
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS

February 23, 2002

He's bright, inventive and gentle, friends say.

But David Westerfield, a man described by longtime acquaintances as a "puppy dog," is in jail, arrested yesterday on suspicion of kidnapping Danielle van Dam, the 7-year-old girl who has been missing for three weeks.

The self-employed design engineer, whose name is on three U.S. patents, had been the focus of the police investigation nearly from the start. Danielle was last seen Feb. 1, when her father put her to bed in their Sabre Springs home.

Westerfield, the father of two adult children and twice divorced, will turn 50 Monday.

He lives two doors away from the van Dam family. In earlier interviews, the missing girl's parents, Brenda and Damon van Dam, said Westerfield would wave and say "hi" when they waved or greeted him.

He bought Girl Scout cookies from Danielle the week before she disappeared. And that was about the extent of their contact with him, the van Dams said.

Westerfield is the oldest of three children, all born in San Diego County. His mother lives in Clairemont, as does a sister. His father and younger brother are deceased.

Neither of his ex-wives nor his family would talk about him.

Longtime friends say they are certain of his innocence.

Two of Westerfield's friends described him as a "puppy dog." Carmen Genovese, a local engineer who's known Westerfield for two decades, and Wes Hill, a Utah resident who visited Westerfield recently, used that term to describe the man now under arrest in a case that's received national attention.

Police yesterday said they found Danielle's blood in Westerfield's motor home and on a piece of his clothing.

Genovese was angered by the arrest. He thinks investigators are "playing games" and questions the validity of any evidence against Westerfield.

When visiting Westerfield's home this month, Hill told reporters that people who know Westerfield are "100 percent behind him." He said he has known Westerfield for more than 30 years, and records show he was a witness for Westerfield's second marriage.

Genovese, in an earlier interview, said he had exchanged e-mail with Westerfield this month and noted that Westerfield expressed grave concern about how this was affecting his children.

"He seemed very stressed," he said.

Genovese said his opinion is that the media and the police have already convicted Westerfield, even though the judicial process has just begun.

He has received many e-mail messages from Westerfield's other friends and former co-workers who are confused and upset about the developments. They don't buy it.

"This guy is a lovable guy," he said.

Westerfield's life is destroyed, regardless if he is acquitted, Genovese said. "The media is killing him."

Decades in San Diego

It's unclear where Westerfield grew up. Records show he was born in National City and that his Social Security card was issued in Maine. It appears he has spent much of his adult life in the San Diego area.

He married in 1973 at age 21, lived in Del Mar and worked as a draftsman. That marriage ended six years later. His former wife lives in Rancho Peñasquitos.

About two months after the divorce was final in 1979, Westerfield married again. Records show he listed himself as a designer of testing equipment and said he had completed three years of education after high school.

He and his second wife, the mother of their two children, lived for several years on Treeridge Terrace in Poway.

After they divorced in 1996, Westerfield's second former wife moved to a nearby Poway neighborhood. The couple had joint custody of the children, who were teens at the time.

On March 2, 1996, Westerfield was arrested for driving under the influence, according to court records. He pleaded guilty, was placed on probation for five years and fined $1,325. He also completed a Mothers Against Drunk Driving course.

Westerfield moved into his residence in Sabre Springs in 1997, documents show. The house has four bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths and a two-car garage.

Some neighbors said they didn't really know Westerfield. A few noticed he would often spend part of the weekend washing his motor home or repairing cars in the driveway, something unusual for the neighborhood.

"He seemed a fish out of water to me," Patricia Erikson said.

Medical inventions

Of the three patents that carry his name, one is for a pulley he created for an Oceanside company, PrePak Products, which makes devices to help those undergoing rehabilitation for shoulder, back, neck and knee problems.

The second patent, which includes the name of another inventor, is for a surgically implanted prosthesis that replaces a bone joint, particularly the knuckle, records show.

The third patent is for a medical device that aids in joint rehabilitation. The patent lists several names as inventors, including Genovese's.

"He seems like a really nice man," said PrePak Products owner Judy Ray, who had contact with Westerfield for more than a year as he worked on the project. "He was very professional."

Westerfield's business is called Spectrum Design.

A published report said that Westerfield is a member of Mensa, an organization of people who score high on intelligence tests. Both the national office and the San Diego chapter said they did not have Westerfield listed as a member.

Westerfield's rather anonymous, suburban life exploded into chaos when he was tagged by police as the focus of the investigation days after Danielle's disappearance.

Police began looking at him because Westerfield left his home about the time Danielle disappeared. He returned the following Monday.

The stakeout

Westerfield initially talked to the media, saying he was cooperating fully with police.

He also told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he had run into Danielle's mother, Brenda van Dam, and two of her friends while at a popular Poway bar and restaurant the night Danielle was last seen. Westerfield told reporters he danced with Brenda van Dam and had a few drinks before leaving.

Brenda van Dam said she saw Westerfield that night, but that the two did not dance. He simply asked her to introduce him to a friend, she said.

As Westerfield came under increasing scrutiny, he became a near-prisoner in his home and stopped talking to the media. The media and police watched his house 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On Feb. 7, he retained Steven Feldman, one of San Diego's top criminal defense lawyers.

That morning, a trip to Feldman's Golden Hill office turned into a circus, as police and the media followed Westerfield as he drove off in his black Toyota 4Runner.

He left that meeting with Feldman without saying a word, without making eye contact with reporters, without showing any noticeable emotion.

Yesterday, he was arrested as he left the very same office, again showing little emotion as officers handcuffed him and put him in a police vehicle. He put up no resistance.