DA: Danielle's Body Believed Found
The body of a young girl found dumped off a road east of El Cajon Wednesday is believed to be that of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, San Diego County District Attorney Paul Pfingst said. "Tonight, we believe that Danielle van Dam's body has been found," he said during a news conference with San Diego police Chief David Bejarano.
The district attorney said volunteer searchers found the body east of El Cajon, off Dehesa Road, and that a sheriff's deputy arrived on the scene at 2:40 p.m.
He said that the remains were of a 3-to-4-foot-tall white girl with blond hair, on her back and wearing a plastic necklace similar to one seen on a missing persons poster.
Pfingst said one earring was visible, matching the one the second-grader reportedly was wearing on Feb. 1, the night she was abducted from her home in Sabre Springs. He said investigators believe the partially decomposed body was dumped at the scene.
The district attorney said no instruments of homicide were found, and the cause of death was not immediately known.
A police captain and sergeant went to give Brenda and Damon van Dam the terrible news, Bejarano said, adding that a female sergeant remained with the couple this evening.
"They will continue to remain with the family as long as necessary," he added.
Bejarano said it would be 12-18 hours before the medical examiner arrives at scene, and it could be 24 hours before there is positive identification. If dental records cannot be used, he said, DNA identification could take three to four days.
But identification "will be accomplished as soon as we can," Bejarano said.
Pfingst said that the body does not appear to have been burned, as was initially speculated.
"Investigators are operating on the assumption that the body was dumped there," Pfingst said.
He would not say whether the defendant in the case, 50-year-old, self- employed engineer David A. Westerfield, took investigators by the area when he drove with them days after Danielle was reported missing.
Bejarano was thankful for the volunteer search effort that led to the discovery (news - web sites) of the remains -- even after Westerfield was charged Tuesday with felonies that could cost him his life if he is convicted.
"We would always prefer to have a body," Pfingst said, before going to trial. He said clues often can be found on or near the body.
"Hopefully, we will know what happened to this young girl," Pfingst said.
Only noted wearing the plastic necklace. Channel 7 news at 11:00 reported that the body had no other clothing. Only the necklace and 1 earring...