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.

[SlickWillard]

Believe me, I am pretty straight laced; FAITHFULLY married for 31 years and the director of my church's Sunday School.

Okay, now I have to ask whether you're joking: You've been married for 31 years [that would probably make you at least 51 years old], and you wear an ankle bracelet when you teach Sunday School? Please tell me I got some of that wrong.

[cake_crumb]

"I'd bet money there is someone being offered a handsome sum right now to speak to the tabloids."

No doubt.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Thanks for believing me. I explained it in post #162 and have spoken of it on other threads.

[Cold Heat]

Slick, everyone has kinted the point so I will be blunt.

You sir, are a prude! ...:-)

[crystalk]

Plant blood or corpse on me in my vehicle, I would fail a lie detector too. I would freak worse than Westerfield did.

[Cold Heat]

kinted=hinted....Break time! Buh bye for now!

[SlickWillard]

When Daddy puts the kid to bed in a hurry because he's getting ready to do something else? I don't know who did what in this sordid tale, but I do know that even good dads will put kids to bed in their street clothes if they are in a hurry and the kid is sleepy!

She wasn't a toddler; she was 7 years old. 7 year olds crawl into bed on their own. As far as I'm concerned, the very fact that he would allow her to wear jewelry at the age of 7 is ample evidence of his failure as a father [although I'm also aware that that's not a very popular opinion here at the ostensibly conservative FreeRepublic.com]; the fact that he would allow her to go to sleep without removing her jewelry and bathing herself is even more evidence of his inadequacy.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

You've been married for 31 years [that would probably make you at least 51 years old], and you wear an ankle bracelet when you teach Sunday School? Please tell me I got some of that wrong.

Actually, I'm 52 and grandmother of three. During the spring and summer I wear my anklet everywhere. I even wear it to my very conservative church.........oh shudder!!!!!

You really have a problem, Slick. A very delicate anklet is a piece of jewelry like any other. Get over it !!!!!

[afraidfortherepublic]

I have a fair amount of experience with family photos from that era, and women from respectable families did NOT wear jewelry, much less chokers. Respectable people were very pious and very humble in that era.

Now, that is just nonsense! Of course they did. They wore brooches and watches on chains and earrings and bracelets and rings when they were dressed up in the day time, and chokers or a ribbon around their necks at night when they went to dances and balls, depending on the gown they were wearing. I own some of that jewlery that has been passed down in my family (dating back to the Civil War) and I have seem plenty of it in pictures. go to a museum some time, and you will see what respectable ladies wore.

[crypt2k]

A certain over the counter allergy medicine will do this. I heard a person say once (out of desperation) that she gave her overly active disabled child a normal dose just so he would take a nap and she could get some rest.

And the van Dams had three (3) probably very active kids who were putting a crimp on the evening's possible activities. I personally think that the parents are not capable of murder, but would go to (what we would regard) as great lengths to further their "freedom of expression", and at the same time feel good in the knowledge that they were protecting their child from things that they "weren't old enough" yet to know about.

Some have remarked that it was strange that the kids went to bed so early. When did Danielle's brothers wake up? Has anyone been allowed to ask them that question?

Clearly, if Westerfield had an inkling that this was how the van Dams dealt with their children on "swing-nights", his "opportunity detector" would have gone off-scale.

The only unknown for Westerfield was how to know if Danielle would awaken during the act, for surely that would lead to a surprise that Westerfield would not have expected.

I don't see the van Dams admitting that they medication their child with sleeping potions, because that could open them up to an allegation from the defense that Danielle may have been overdosed.

[crypt2k]

A certain over the counter allergy medicine will do this. I heard a person say once (out of desperation) that she gave her overly active disabled child a normal dose just so he would take a nap and she could get some rest.

And the van Dams had three (3) probably very active kids who were putting a crimp on the evening's possible activities. I personally think that the parents are not capable of murder, but would go to (what we would regard) as great lengths to further their "freedom of expression", and at the same time feel good in the knowledge that they were protecting their child from things that they "weren't old enough" yet to know about.

Some have remarked that it was strange that the kids went to bed so early. When did Danielle's brothers wake up? Has anyone been allowed to ask them that question?

Clearly, if Westerfield had an inkling that this was how the van Dams dealt with their children on "swing-nights", his "opportunity detector" would have gone off-scale.

The only unknown for Westerfield was how to know if Danielle would awaken during the act, for surely that would lead to a surprise that Westerfield would not have expected.

I don't see the van Dams admitting that they medication their child with sleeping potions, because that could open them up to an allegation from the defense that Danielle may have been overdosed.

[cake_crumb]

Sheesh, Slick: I've been reading the exchange between you and Southflanknorthpawsis. Are you for real??

I'm a happily married woman. I wear several necklaces at all times. I wear earrings, but not to bed unless they're posts. I own an ANKLE BRACELET. I even wear, at all times...A GOLD WEDDING BAND. Even when I leave the HOUSE!

A piece of advice from a grandma who has successfuly raised three kids to adulthood: get your priorities straight. A woman wearing an anklet is not unusual.

Now a MAN wearing an ankle bracelet...well, that's a different story.

[SlickWillard]

I hope you are never on the jury of a rape trial, you remind me of the type that would say what the girl wore caused the rapist to do it.

For the umpteenth time: The problem is not that Danielle may have wanted to dress like a whore, the problem is that her parents allowed her to dress like a whore. [In fairness to poor Danielle, it could have been that she wanted to dress like a nice girl and her parents forced her to dress like a whore, but, since she's dead, we'll never know.]

[Freedom2specul8]

I figured it was because she was going to miss her friend after she moved away. :( If the kids were in terrible shape, not nurtured and well taken care of...and if the mom' s life style was harming their life in the sense of not being trained to become a productive citizen, than I too would question her for why she went to a bar 2 times in one week. All testimony from friends, family, neighbors etc., indicate that Danielle was smart, happy and well adjusted. In other words, if the mom is indeed an alcholic whore, then by all means, she should have her reputation trashed in public. ????? What do you think?

[FixitGuy]

Hey Slick... I agreed with you initially about the coller

I figured it to be out of place on a 7 year old and thought that she might be emulating adult behavior. (speculating)

(But I think you may have lost it roughly around the ankle bracelet thing.)

None of us has the FACTS of the case.

For me, speculating helps with the grief over how this heinous thing could have happened to a child!

[Danielle]

Well, let's just say that if people don't deny accusations, the public tends to believe they're true. That's reason enough to publicly deny something like this when offered the chance, as they have been numerous times--including on national television.

I understand what you are saying, I am just glad I am not one of those people that thinks just because someone does not feel a need to defend themselves against something that has nothing to do with the cause at hand, espcially when it is based on conjecture or rumor, is guilty. Then again, I am one of those people that thinks that saying to people if you have nothing to hide then you should not worry about being investigated is BS too, it is a little thing that has to do with the Constitution. I personally, prefer to see the evidence, maybe even seek it out if it is possible, and hopefully that is what the inevstigators are doing.

[crystalk]

That is just what has been haunting ME about this case for the last 5 to 7 days. My guess is she was drugged; the other option is that sex act against her accidentally resulted in her death, not intended to cause it.

I deny her death was willed by whoever interfered in her life.

Back to the sleeping pills, depending upon what was used, it is highly variable and unpredictable depending upon child's health (any colds or bronchitis?), diet, temperature of room, how tired she was, a HUNDRED things--as to just how many of a sleeping pill might be lethal, or might with pressure of an adult male on top of her be lethal. An amount that previously seemed right might just happen to have put her out of our vale of sin that night.

A friend of mine years ago, who was in his forties at the time and was being medicated for severe pain, just found it took more and more to have any effect...and got to looking forward to Fri nites so he could take more, enough to really sleep etc without impairing job performance next day...A few weeks later one Fri nite--you guessed it, asleep for ever.

Danielle case seems like a Friday night to me!

[The Right Stuff]

You're welcome! I don't know how long you've been a member, but those who tried to pull a fast one on the FR crowd don't last long...

There was a fake military guy named Deep In The Hurtgen Forest, for one, and who could ever forget the mysterious Eschoir, who purported to be a worker deep in the bowels of the Clinton Administration! Both, eventually outed!

[Freedom2specul8]

Victorian Jewelry?

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

I'm not here to defend the van Dams in any way; in fact quite the opposite. However, this necklace thing is not a big deal. I wouldn't leave it on my daughter for bed, but lots of people are not exactly attentive.

From what I can tell by the pictures, it's one of those plastic stretchy chokers that are popular with elementary school aged girls. It's more like a toy than a piece of jewelry. There are much more serious things to consider about the family life than Crackerjack prizes.