Seven-Year-Old Girl Escapes Kidnapper in Grand Terrace: (Eerie similarity to Van Dam Case)

abc7.com Los Angeles ^ | March 5, 2002 | abc7.com

[FresnoDA]

Seven-Year-Old Girl Escapes Kidnapper in Grand Terrace Eerie similarity to Van Dam Case

			GRAND TERRACE — 03/05/02-San Bernardino County sheriff's officials say a seven-year-old girl kidnapped from her bedroom early this morning escaped by jumping from her abductor's car when he stopped to look for his lost wallet. Sheriff's spokesman Chip Patterson says police found a wallet in front of the girl's Grand Terrace home and waited for the suspect at the address on his driver's license.

Dennis Martin Castro was taken into custody after three hours after the 3:30 am abduction. Patterson says the girl "is unharmed, aside from being frightened." The kidnapping occurred a little more than a month after another seven-year-old girl, Danielle van Dam, was reported missing from her San Diego bedroom. Her body was found last week and a neighbor has been charged with her murder. Copyright © 2002 KABC-TV and the Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[Yup!!]

The guy that murdered my neighbor's kindergartener stole a folding chair from the nextdoor neighbor's garage, slit the screen on her bedroom window with a box cutter & climbed right in.

OMG! My heart just breaks for these little ones. I will not allow windows to be open at night. My husband thinks I am paranoid. I consider myself "careful".

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

"Even the worst prisoners hate those who commit these kinds of crimes."

This is a comforting thought for a lot of folks- but it just ain't true! I can tell you with some assurance that the majority of the scumballs who are in prison couldn't care less WHAT another inmate has done- including murdering children.

There may have been a time in this country when these "short eyes" got treated as they deserved in prison- but no longer.

[buffyt]

I have three kids, ages almost 18 son weighs 200 works out all the time, daughter almost 19 petite but smart, and son almost 21. I did worry about them when they were little, worried a lot. That is what parents are for! But having someone kidnap my child from my home in the middle of the night was NEVER one of my fears! Not even when we lived in L A in 1988 and the kids were quite young! This is just sick. I would buy a gun and shoot anyone who came into my house! That is legal in Texas!!!! Thank goodness! and the whiney liberals want to take our guns away - now we know why - so they can prey on us in our beds at night!!!

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Chilling.

[buffyt]

TRUE!!!! Prisoners HATE men who prey on children, they are the lowest of the low in prison.
You have a GREAT screen name too!!!!

[buffyt]

You all have a great point about the little barking dogs. I was in LA for the weekend and I noticed the little nervous dogs barked all the time. We were eating at an outdoor restaurant. The big dogs just laid there. But the little dogs barked every time another dog walked by. Little yappy dog backed up by a shotgun is a great idea! I speak as a mother of three. And my sons can shoot straight, and ask questions later!

[inflorida]

LOL..but I know where you are coming from. My husband and I have two cats that we love to death and you should see how protective I am of them (even so they are house cats).

We are not far away from starting our family. My husband knows that I will be a 'maniac' mom but you just cannot trust strangers and I think it is better to be safe rather than sorry.

[cricket]

"Very scary, with eerie similarities one might say....."

Copy cat crimes; think they will do it better and get way with it.

One smart little girl. . .and so fortunate to have escaped!

[crystalk]

I would know a lot more about this case, if they had said whether this Castro was a relative or friend, or even the father or uncle, etc. of the girl. We are left with a picture of the girl, who doesn't look very Hispanic but is brunette.

Grand Terrace seems like a wholesome spot if I can remember my Calif geography, about 100 miles N of where the Van Dams lived, but not in the economic league to have their kind of lifestyle...at least as I remember. More average-income area I would say.

If this is a true stranger...ill be van dammed?

[Yup!!]

But having someone kidnap my child from my home in the middle of the night was NEVER one of my fears!

And it wasn't all that long ago when yours were little. It's amazing how fast and far downhill we have slid in the past 10 years.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Don't work in Corrections, but some people who do have told me that at least in their prison, those who commit these kinds of crimes have to be segregated from the others at times because they're targeted by the other inmates. Most of them are in for drugs, burglary etc., so they look down on these types as the lowest of low.

[crystalk]

I will amend that to say she NOW appears to be a brunette, in that picture.

So she was grabbed at 3or 4 AM, and jumped out of her abductor's car...

AND THEN WHAT? Ran and hid in the bushes, fled to a house and banged on the door at that hour, hid in a garage, ran towards a town or open business, what? Gutsy little girl, fled first and figured where to go later?

More detail would be of interest.

[Squantos]

Oh yeah, size is not an indication of intelligence in doggy world. I was a K-9 handler my first 3 years in USAF (AFSC 81150A) and you could not convince me that anything existed other than a shepard.

But my wifes little chocolate colored toy poodle had to be the smartest dog I ever encountered. She had named it Prissy and when I teased the dog and said Prissy is a sarcastic way that dog actually was embarrassed and tried to hide it's head under the pillows on the sofa. Anyone that got within five feet of the front door was yapped to oblivion fer sure !

Small dogs are worth their weight as a cheap little alarm IMHO and experience.

Stay Safe ...........!

[Demidog]

"May I go to the bathroom? Ahhhhhhhhh Thank You"

[Yup!!]

My husband knows that I will be a 'maniac' mom....

LOL! Speaking of a "maniac" mom - I am one. I worry about my daughter when she goes out to public places with my husband (or anyone else for that matter) because, ya know, NO ONE can keep a watchful eye on their children like a mom.

[Ciexyz]

What's going on out there in California? Kids aren't safe in their own bedrooms.

[HelgaHawk]

It pays to have a Rottweiler inside my home. If anyone even thinks about breaking and entering, they're in for a surprise.

[lsee]

Who posted those great maps of the areas mentioned in Danielle's case? I'd love to see how close this area is to the Van Dam's or what routes cross through this new area.

[Diddle E. Squat]

It also happened to a 5-year old this weekend in Texas.

[Great Dane]

This was one smart and lucky little girl.