DANIELLE'S DEATH MAY REMAIN MYSTERY: (30 Days Ago, Van Dam Case Broke! Details Now Being Revealed!)

KOGO Radio 600 (Daily Telegraph) ^ | March 3, 2002 | KOGO

[FresnoDA]

CAUSE OF GIRL'S DEATH COULD REMAIN MYSTERY

Police say they may never know how Danielle van Dam died, or when. The seven-year-old girl disappeared from her San Diego home February first. Authorities are now confirming that a child's body found by volunteer searchers Wednesday is that of the missing child. The district attorney says an autopsy performed confirmed her identity yesterday. The identification was made through dental records because of the condition of the body. Medical examiners are trying to determine the cause of death, but Police Chief Dave Bejerano says it's possible that we'll never know how, or when she was killed. A neighbor has been charged with kidnapping and murdering her. Authorities say they found the girl's blood on his clothing and in his motor home. He has pleaded innocent.

[pray4liberty]

I'm sure the clown dog attny will use the speculations and gossips against the parents..if his investigators can find so called former swing partners and get testimony as hostile character witnesses, we'll know soon I'm sure.

This is true. It's similar to digging up a rape victim's sexual past -- the so-called "Slut Defense." It's a nasty, low-down, loathsome tactic, but unfortunately, an often successful one.

[Cold Heat]

Sorry, I disagree, and maintain that although we are hashing over what appear to be rumors,(in a few cases) we are only trying to get to the truth. That is what investigating is.

[BunnySlippers]

Actually, Roberts comments have not been refuted in any way, shape or fashion.

The swinging stories are true as far as I'm concerned. They were alluded to on MSNBC's site and the parents were careful not to deny them on three separate ocassions on LKL (although they were clearly uncomfortable). Furthermore, and I'm sorry I cannot remember the source, but I had read that Brenda IMMEDIATELY told the police they were swingers so as not to impede the investigation.

[crystalk]

In addition to my usual position, unchanged since well before the body was found, I will now state that no one ever, at any point, willed the death of this girl. No one wanted her dead, not even for a moment, nor killed her. MUCH LESS BLOODILY!

The very fact that it is being alleged that the cause of death cannot be verified, is if you think about it, heavily trending against any form of violent death, even usual stranglings or asphyxia, and leaning toward some sort of drug overdose etc.

I also find it very curious that it is only now, after body found and all, that it ever hits the papers that MR VD was entertaining yet another person, in the home, while Mrs VD was out at the bar.

How many different lies does it take to establish that a person is hiding guilty knowledge?

There is very little to indicate that Westerfield did anything other than freak, when he learned that he had a corpse or other nasty crime evidence riding along with him in his camper-van.

[crypt2k]

I have thought about the neighborhood. What if a good percentage of the neighbors are in on the swapping. Maybe they detected in Westerfield a threat. I don't understand that if Westerfield took the effort to clean his motorhome out, he didn't also get rid of the child porn. He had to be aware of the legal issues involved and the danger it could pose to him in such a case. Did he leave the child porn for police to find as a convoluted way of asserting his innocence of the crime of murder and kidnapping?

If the neighborhood is somehow involved in a "swinging cabal", I could see how a conspiracy could be supported to frame one of its less liked members.

[Freedom2specul8]

She addressed it pretty quickly....larry king sources refused to accept it. I'm sure the parents were told to ignore future comments made to them..

http://video.uniontrib.com/news/metro/danielle/20020208-9999_1n8vandam.html

Parents believe daughter taken while they slept
February 8, 2002

On top of dealing with a missing child, the van Dams are the subject of rumors that they are involved in a swinging club, where couples typically engage in sex with other couples. "This is in no way related to the investigation," Brenda van Dam said. "Nothing would get in between me checking on my children. It's a rumor. I don't know why people would want to be hurtful."

[Dante3]

Did Danielle go to bed wearing a choker? That seems odd.

[BunnySlippers]

It's a pretty sick culture that fancies the necklines of 7-year old girls.

We're in agreement about pedophiles. But taking a plastic choker and making a bondage issue out of it is silly at best, And what was your theory pray tell about the Mickey Mouse earrings?

[Cold Heat]

As far as the porn goes, we know nothing. There is alot of porn on the web that puports to be child porn and is not.(it is actually legal) The trial will tell. The blood evidence is the problematic fact for the defense.

Someone told the authorities where to look for the body.(I contend) Who knew? Was it Westerfield?(Where is the confession that would accompany this revelation?)

It is going to get interesting!

[nicmarlo]

Neighborhood . . .Westerfield a threat. . . . I don't understand that if Westerfield took the effort to clean his motorhome out, he didn't also get rid of the child porn. . . . Did he leave the child porn for police to find as a convoluted way of asserting his innocence of the crime of murder and kidnapping?

Hmmmm. I will have to cogitate on that. Interesting thought there. Initial impression: that's a possibility, IF Westerfield killed Danielle. Why? They may have heard rumors that Westerfield was into children or had other deviant behaviors. The neighborhood may not have wanted "his kind" there and told him why. Maybe that's why he killed Danielle.

If he didn't kill her, then that would better explain why there was child porn still left on his computer.....he had no knowledge about anything, until he was already gone in the motorhome and discovered the body.

[BunnySlippers]

If he didn't kill her, then that would better explain why there was child porn still left on his computer.....

If he didn't kill her, he should have passed the lie detector test. He failed.

[Cold Heat]

I'm sure the parents were told to ignore future comments made to them

You try to make the evidence fit the facts on this one. This is a stretch. The words,"this is entirely un-true" could have been uttered at any time and often.

[Freedom2specul8]

My kids use to love going to http://www.claires.com/ at the mall. They've sold the stretch kids necklaces that Danielle was wearing for years. They sell them for about $2 a piece usually with a matching arm band and necklace. They're plastic, they stretch and are pulled over the childs head..no latches..and are also found at toys-r-us kids costume jewelry aisle. They are extremely popular. Remember the little fancy high heel shoes kids could buy in the toy section, with a boa? That is far worse than the little stretch necklaces..

[nicmarlo]

"This is in no way related to the investigation," Brenda van Dam said. "Nothing would get in between me checking on my children. It's a rumor.

Sorry, kim. That's a very odd couple of sentences. I think a person who's innocent of the charges would say something more like:

"I do not participate in that kind of lifestyle or subject my children to that. . . . I don't know why people are saying those things about me, but my friends know I'm not into that." That sounds more like a denial. Sorry.

[SlickWillard]

I'd drop the bondage angle. Chokers of a certain type may be associated with bondage but just take a little trip down to Neiman Marcus and you'll find chokers galore ... they're fashionable and go with certain types of necklines. The child also died with one of her Mickey Mouse earrings on. Is there an association of Mickey Mouse earrings and bondage as well.

When I was a kid [late sixties, decade of the seventies], children did NOT wear jewelry. In that era, a girl getting her ears pierced was a huge event - it usually ocurred in high school, and was accompanied by a knock down drag out fight with her parents. Also - since when does ANY woman [child, adult, octogenarian] go to sleep with her jewelry ON? Women always take their jewelry off before they go to sleep.

[Freedom2specul8]

Correction: matching arm band and necklace should have read arm band and ring.

[GussiedUp]

LOL! I had to get rid of some of my pets when the children came.IE: a seven foot python named Mikie! Sound like you might consider this.

LOL That reminds me of that 70's cereal commercial where they say "let Mikie try it - he'll eat anything!"

The dogs think my son hung the moon (although my female rottie was jealous of him and we were going to get rid of her but she died from cancer). However, I never leave him alone w/any dog - even my own. Can't be too careful!

[Freedom2specul8]

Did kids in your day ever play dress up at all? IE:wanting to wear their parents clothes and drink tea?