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Body Found,
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Confirmed to be Danielle van Dam
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“With today's confirmation that our beloved Danielle will never again be physically present in our lives, we are experiencing the depths of sadness, loss and grief which only parents who have lost children under similar circumstances can fully comprehend.
These emotions are being tempered by an overwhelming sense of gratitude and closure. There is not a more anxious feeling for parents than to not know where our children are. While the past seven years we've had the peace and confidence of always knowing where Danielle was and that she was safe, someone took that away from us almost four weeks ago. But now with love for an innocent child -- and for one another -- the community has brought her back to us, and for that gift we offer our most sincere and heartfelt thanks. Even though the final outcome is horrible, we could not have imagined the rest of our lives without this closure.
Love has conquered evil in our community. This is Danielle's legacy and we couldn't be more proud. As we were praying this morning with the incredible volunteer searchers who actually found our daughter, our personal prayer was that God would share our little angel with everyone who helped to find her.
Thousands of people have stepped forward in extraordinary ways since Danielle was abducted. The entire search effort was started by the Laura Recovery Center Foundation and later carried out by our local organization, the Danielle Search Center. More than 2,500 people generously donated their time and energy to the search, and countless more helped behind the scenes.
We also want to thank the San Diego Police Department for the thorough and caring approach they have given to Danielle's abduction and murder. They are among the finest individuals we've ever known.
Danielle was a very special, beautiful, loving little girl. We miss her desperately but find comfort in knowing that she is now safe again and at peace. For Danielle, our family, friends and neighbors, we thank you for unifying us into such a giving community. We will be forever grateful to all of you."