Volunteers resume search in desert, East County sites
By Joe Hughes
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER  February 19, 2002 Day 17 began like many of the others. In the morning, Damon and Brenda van Dam faced a media throng on the front lawn of their Sabre Springs home. And once again, the couple said there was nothing new in the search for their 7-year-old daughter, Danielle. Damon van Dam was then off to Borrego Springs for another day of helping volunteers comb the desert for clues about his daughter's whereabouts. Brenda van Dam went to a volunteer command center, now set up in Poway, to see off search teams as they congregated in 10-person crews, preparing to check areas in Alpine and Jamul. She then spent time with her two sons. Danielle was last seen Feb. 1, when Damon van Dam tucked her into bed. Since then, the family's routine has become one of agony and anguish. "I'm just trying to survive," Brenda van Dam said yesterday. "I'm holding out hope my daughter is still alive. If I give that up, it's over." Damon van Dam also said he was struggling emotionally. "I'm happy that we haven't found what a lot of people are looking for," he said, alluding to the fact many of those searching are looking for a body. "At the same time I want to find at least clues, and we haven't seen that yet, but it's still possible," he said. A neighbor of the van Dams', David Westerfield, remains the focus of the investigation and is under 24-hour police surveillance. No arrests have been made. Police last week said an arrest in the case could come soon. Detectives said that among other things, they are waiting for DNA results that are due back from an FBI crime lab in Washington D.C., this week. Yesterday, a new command post for volunteers was set up at 12411 Poway Road. Weekday hours will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The phone number is (858) 485-4183. Volunteers have distributed fliers and searched neighborhoods around San Diego and Riverside counties. On Saturday and Sunday, volunteers searched areas in Glamis and Ocotillo. Yesterday, they searched areas in and around Alpine, Jamul and Borrego Springs. Today, they plan to search other East County sites. Damon van Dam called for more volunteers. "We need more people to keep it going," he said before leaving for Borrego Springs. Organizers have tried to check places that police have not. And they say that even though they have not found a trace of Danielle, they have succeeded in eliminating places where Danielle isn't. Volunteers who searched the desert this weekend have tried to keep an open mind about the girl's fate. But there was no mistaking a sense of dread. Searchers were told to look for Danielle's blue pajamas. They were told a girl her age lying in a fetal position would be about the size of a basketball. The desert became a place of interest because Westerfield told police he visited there the weekend Danielle disappeared. No one figured the desert search to be easy, given the amount of territory. Police have not expressed concern that volunteers could damage a possible crime scene and destroy evidence. One detective said desert winds and shifting sands probably did that already. People continue to come out to help. Some, such as Poway's Kati-Maria Anderson, had helped in earlier searches near Danielle's home. Anderson went to Borrego Springs on Saturday morning. "I have a daughter and a son," she said, explaining why she felt the urge to help. |