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Account for Danielle's search still has $24,000 (What about money promised to Laura Recovery?)
Union Trib ^
| March 31, 2002
| Kristen Green
Posted on 03/31/2002 1:52:12 PM PST by FresnoDA
|
|
Van Dams undecided on how money will be used
By Kristen Green UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 24, 2002 After Danielle van Dam was abducted from her Sabre Springs home, neighbors, friends and even strangers volunteered to help out. Some put up fliers in storefronts around the county, and others joined the search party. But many also opened their checkbooks. As of Friday, more than $33,000 had been donated by people from New Jersey to Oregon. During the search for the 7-year-old, donations totaling more than $10,600 flowed into an account in Danielle's name. And since the discovery of her body in rural East County nearly a month after she was reported missing, an additional $22,800 has been deposited. "We didn't go open an account and ask for money," said family friend Bill Libby, who handled donations for the van Dams. "I opened the account because people wanted to donate money." Initially, the family expected to use the donations to pay for search expenses, like posters and fliers. After Danielle's body was found, the family Web site said additional donations would be used to pay memorial expenses. But Libby said the family's expenses have been limited because of numerous donations, from fliers to cremation fees. So far, the van Dams have spent $4,200 of the donations to buy banners, posters and buttons. And they are writing a $5,000 check to the Laura Recovery Center, which coordinated the search for Danielle.
The family hasn't decided how to use the remaining $24,000. "I'm sure in due time that they will turn their attention to the appropriate and productive use of those funds, but right now they're really still dealing with the loss of their daughter," said family spokeswoman Sara Muller Fraunces. Close friends have suggested the van Dams take their time considering how the money will be used. Libby has said the funds could be used to pay for counseling for the family, and the van Dams are considering establishing a local foundation to conduct searches for missing San Diego children. After Danielle's parents realized she wasn't in her bed the morning of Feb. 2, people began donating money to cover search expenses. Libby tried to open an account at Wells Fargo on behalf of the van Dams. But the account had to be set up by a nonprofit organization, and a family friend who attends Community Bible Church in Scripps Ranch asked the pastor if the church would sponsor the account. Even though the van Dams aren't members of his congregation, the Rev. Barry Minkow agreed. Minkow, who was convicted of securities and bank fraud in the late 1980s and served a 71/2-year prison sentence, doesn't have access to the van Dam account, church treasurer Bruce Brown said. Brown said he is the only person who can withdraw money from the account, taking requests for checks directly from Libby, who acts on the van Dams' behalf. |
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: vandam; westerfield
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Interesting picture. Look at the measuring guide on the right. The span of the child's fingers had to be less than an inch. Um, I don't think so.
Another thing I noticed. If I grab one arm and dig my nails in just enough to leave an impression, I can't make a perfect arc like that in one the picture no matter how I try. Can anyone else?
181
posted on
04/01/2002 1:49:19 PM PST
by
wonders
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Police error? Media error? Never say it is so.
182
posted on
04/01/2002 1:49:45 PM PST
by
Jaded
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Do you have better pictures or links to better pictures. They don't look like nail marks to me. I bet you're surprised.
183
posted on
04/01/2002 1:51:18 PM PST
by
Jaded
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
The pizza leftovers was confirmed by the vd's .That sounds like a police error or reporters error. But it's not proof the vd's err'd. It was more important to know it was ordered vs frozen, correct? Do you think they had it delivered and if so, was the delivery boy/girl interviewed? Besides, what counts is their PH testimony, right?SORRY KIMMIE.....you are once again in full VD Apologist mode.......I.....am.....ugh....looking all around.....hmmm....can't find the switch to....turn...your VD Apoligist mode...to the.....off...position.....
Note, this is the official report the VD's gave SDPD, which their apolgist friend, John Walsh posted on the AMW website.......
Additional Quirks:
Danielle was last seen wearing blue flowered pajamas with flowers Her favorite colors are pink and purple Danielle belongs to her local Brownie troop Family friends have set up a website at: http://daniellemissing.tripod.com
San Diego police are scouring the Sabre Springs area for 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. Police say Danielle's parents, Damon and Brenda van Dam, reported her missing when they discovered Danielle was not in her room at about 9 a.m. Saturday, February 2, 2002.
Damon told police he put Danielle and her two brothers to bed at around 10:30 Friday night while Brenda was out celebrating with friends until about 2 a.m. Saturday, a send-off for a woman who was leaving the area, detectives said. When Brenda arrived home with four friends at about 2 am, police say they ate pizza with Damon and talked for about an hour. Shortly after the friends left, police say Damon and Brenda told them they noticed lights blinking on their burglar alarm panel and found a sliding glass door and a side garage door open. Police say the alarm was not set, but the panel is a type that indicates when doors and windows are opened and shut at all times. The couple told police they closed the doors and went to bed, and did not check on the children.
Saturday morning, police say the couple told them a friend stopped by at about 9 am to see if Danielle could come out and play. Damon and Brenda told police that they thought Danielle was still sleeping and that Brenda went to wake Danielle. That is when police say the couple discovered Danielle was missing from her room and called 9-1-1.
Police began investigating immediately, using helicopters, horses and dogs to search the area canyons for Danielle, a second-grader at Creekside Elementary School in Sabre Springs. Officers also conducted door-to-door searches and provided the Border Patrol and Customs Service with photos of Danielle to keep watch for her at the border. Detectives additionally interviewed family members, neighbors, schoolmates and friends about the disappearance, hoping to develop leads, but had no luck.
Danielle was last seen wearing blue pajamas with flowers. She is white, 4 feet tall and weighs about 58 pounds. She has blue eyes and blond hair.
Police say at this point the parents are not considered suspects and have been extremely cooperative with investigators. Police are considering one of the van Dam's neighbors to be the prime suspect. Police have searched his home and impounded his vehicles. At the time of this writing, an arrest has not been made.
|
The most recent Television Interview with the VD's contradicts what they told SDPD and AMW just 2 weeks ago!! The March 2 interview will be the third major revision to the events of the evening of Feb. 1-2, 2002.
This is the original post, from the February 9, 2002 broadcast of Americas Most Wanted. As of March 4, 2002, it was still posted on the AMW website.
Recap of the Americas Most Wanted MISSING PERSONS REPORT
..
1. Kids Put To Bed at 10:30 P.M., by Damon VD.
2. Brenda arrives at VD residence at 2:00 A.M. with FOUR FRIENDS
3. Brenda and her friends "The Four Amigos" eat pizza with Damon, and talk for about one hour.
4. 3:00 A.M., "The Four Amigos" depart the VD residence.
5. Damon and Brenda notice the alarm lights blinking.
6. Damon and Brenda notice BOTH the sliding glass door AND the side garage door are open.
7. Damon and Brenda note that alarm was not SET but was only in the monitoring mode.
8. Damon and Brenda tell police they closed all doors, and went to bed.
9. Damon and Brenda DID NOT CHECK on the condition of the children.
10. Approximate time, 3:15 A.M.
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~;MizSterious
Scratches, scratches......
I will see your scratch photos.....
And raise you two solid days of VD preliminary testimony by Brenda and The D(a)mon, chucked full of inconsistencies, vagrancies and out right contradictions. In fact, if not for the Judge shutting down the Prelim.....Feldman had multiple witnesses, locked and loaded, ready to impeach Brenda VD about her, uhm...intimate contact with D. Westerfield that evening.
Also, the ace card Feldman did not play.....could it be the "Alibi" that DW was with an adult female, amorously involved, until 3:00 A.M., when DW informed SDPD that he drove by the VD house, on the way home, and saw lots of activity going on? Cars in driveway, lights on.......
For thoughtful consideration and discussion.......
FresnoDA
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~;Fresno DA;all
What do you all think made those scratches? I guess I have not yet given them serious consideration. I hadn't realized they were less than 1" total length. Too small for fingernails - even on a small hand. Teeth? No - still too small and uniform (no wide incisors in the front,etc) - no bottom set to indicate a biting either. They look almost like a series of punctures to me - they seem uniform in size and depth. How about a beer bottle cap? Could something like that - pressed into the skin make a mark like that? Hmmmn.... I'm off to experiment.
186
posted on
04/01/2002 1:56:08 PM PST
by
mommya
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Padlock for garage: $10
Leather whips and chains: $150
Marijuana: $45
State of the art Alarm system: $2000
Pizza: $20 60" Sabre Swing Special
Late Night Dinner for a "small group" of friends: Priceless
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Well, their choices for recreation was horrible and disgusting..as most on these threads will agree.. at least what they admitted to in court was awful.Did they?I must have missed that
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
I don't care how well mannered the children are. They are living with horrible examples and deserve a time to heal away from the environment their parents have provided.
To: mommya
Well - I'm not so sure it was a bottle cap. I tried it with the edge of a cap (off the bottle) and while I didn't press hard enough to draw blood, it seems a bit of a different pattern to me - however - it did leave like 6 or 7 small impressions in an arc very similar to the one in the photos - maybe I'm not so far off - will someone else try this and tell me what they think? I think the ridge of the bottle cap would have cut into the skin too if it was deep enough to draw blood - then there wouldn't be only the puncture type cuts, but a continuous cut.
190
posted on
04/01/2002 2:09:27 PM PST
by
mommya
To: mommya
A more clear view of th photo for those who are interested--
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Those scratches/punctures look more like a cactus got him...notice the redness and swelling
192
posted on
04/01/2002 2:28:55 PM PST
by
demsux
To: FresnoDA
hysterical html and image shrieker!!! LOLNote, this is the official report the VD's gave SDPD, which their apolgist friend, John Walsh posted on the AMW website.......
I don't see the point of what you posted except to post the time line...again and your extreme bias against the parents of the murdered child. Did you know there were people against john walsh too? Regardless......your insinuation that this is a game..is yours and yours alone. I consider it not a game but yet another search for the truth. Have you ever considered the fact that if you had simply presented all the facts without your bias, then maybe more learning and less shrieking would be happening? but that's not fun is it
POINT BY POINT
To: MizSterious
could be a chain of some kind...did they use chains to get the RV "unstuck"?
194
posted on
04/01/2002 2:31:23 PM PST
by
demsux
To: RnMomof7, wonders, Jaded
RnMom..yes, the vd's admited to smoking pot in the garage, having a lock on the I guess you would call it the wrong side of the garage door so the kids wouldn't catch them partying.. and DVD admitted kissing barbara, the one Keith was interested in. DVD did not say admit it was a sexual, greeting/friendship kiss or what. If he did, I missed it and I did watch the testimony.
Wonders/Jaded.. Those pics are the only ones that I know about. Maybe when they rehydrated the hand(s) with the embalming fluid, maybe they found some tissue under the nails. I can't wait until they answer these questions.
To: demsux
Considering the fact that he left behind needed tools and took off in a hurry, one has to wonder, why why why. If there were cactuses, I'd have to ask the tow truck driver if there were...and I'm sure that will be brought out too.
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Kim I know they admitted to what they did
the vd's admited to smoking pot in the garage, having a lock on the I guess you would call it the wrong side of the garage door so the kids wouldn't catch them partying.. and DVD admitted kissing barbara, the one Keith was interested in. DVD did not say admit it was a sexual, greeting/friendship kiss or what. If he did, I missed it and I did watch the testimony.
But what you said earlier was Well, their choices for recreation was horrible and disgusting..as most on these threads will agree.. at least what they admitted to in court was awful..
This sounded as if THEY admitted it was "awful"..I see now you did not mean that..like most hedonists they still do not see it as wrong I would guess...just another 'lifestyle choice' ya know:>(
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
Is there any more news today about the $$$$$? I noticed that the daniellemissing.com website has been closed and refers you to an e-mail address. The Laura Recovery Center did a remarkable job and the VD's should turn over the money that was promised now.
198
posted on
04/01/2002 3:20:03 PM PST
by
vacrn
To: ~Kim4VRWC's~
I don't see the point of what you posted except to post the time line...again and your extreme bias against the parents of the murdered child. Did you know there were people against john walsh too?
Yeah, you bet I am against the VD's....at the least, their lifestyle invited the EVIL into their home, at worst, they in fact ARE THE EVIL.....
As for John Walsh....they guy is the Ultimate VD Apologist. I heard him on Hannity and Colmes (did you listen to the interview kimmie??)
Walsh said, and I quote, "I don't care if they Brenda was a Crack Whore, David Westerfield is guilty!" Now I don't know about you kimmie, but that was a very strange thing for JW to say. In fact, there have been numerous reports that JW has a proclivity for just the Freudian slip he mentioned on the Hannity & Colmes show......yep, that is right, Crack Whores........so if you want to call that EXTREME BIAS, touché'
I also believe that ignoring reams of reports, witness testimony, and most of all, the Van Damning testimony of Brenda and The D(a)mon during the prelims, shows signs of EXTREME BIAS, toward the VD's......
There you go....we are now officially at an impasse.
To: RnMomof7
My apologies..that wasn't clear. I thought what they admitted to was awful. You know what...maybe they weren't allowed to show regrets for their behavior...because the prosecution isn't blaming them or holding them responsible for the murder. It would be interseting to know if they do regret being stoned and having fun while their daughter was being murdered. If someone were to file a civil to against them for neglecting Danielle, I would be very curious as to what the results would be. I'm off to do some shopping... Cya later
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