Account for Danielle's search still has $24,000 (What about money promised to Laura Recovery?)

Union Trib ^ | March 31, 2002 | Kristen Green

[FresnoDA]

Account set up for Danielle's search still has about $24,000

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.

[Freedom2specul8]

Sounds like you're on the defense side, that's for sure..so that must make you ta da..a westerfield apologist... have fun annointing yourself the judge. While you do that, I'll sit on the sidelines with the rest of the folks and wait for the FACTS to come in.. *dna, prints, scratches, porn, strange behaviours etc..* cya

[Freedom2specul8]

Not that I'm aware of...they will answer emails..they sent me a very nice and well thought out reply to questions..

[MizSterious]

"Did you know there were people against john walsh too? "

Perhaps you're too young to remember the kidnapping of Wash's son. I'm not. There was a very good reason why people gave Walsh the fish-eye: he hung around with a lot of lowlifes at the time (apparently still does), including people who owned casinos off-shore and tended to break peoples' knees if they didn't repay loans on time. A lot of people, newsies included, thought at first maybe this was mob payback. It wasn't, but their suspicions were not entirely unfounded--at least in how he lived his life.

[MizSterious]

I don't know about a cactus--most cacti I've seen would have put more holes in him than that. But the punctures--maybe they can be done by fingernails, but it would be difficult with the usual shape of fingernails. Someone would have to have them filed to a very sharp point. I confess I tried gouging my hands with my own nails--my nails are rounded on the ends, sort of an oval shape, not really long, rather like the picture of Danielle's nails. No puncture marks, these were little half-moon looking marks. I'm not sure what made those marks, but they don't seem right for fingernails.

[FresnoDA]

And Val was not whining, she was humorously pointing out FDA's penchant for drama in comparsion (comparison) to John Walsh's very valid LEO experience.

Sorry VP...can't let you get away with that comment, at least not without firing some HTML Code Shriek at ya....

JOHN WALSH IS NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER....NEVER HAS BEEN, NEVER WILL BE.....

HE IS SIMPLY AN ACTOR/NEWSREADER.....

Bernie Shaw, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw....they read the news, many times crime related.....

But they know about as much about tracking a case toward resolution as Clinton does by becoming a priest, and hearing confessional.....

 

[MizSterious]

Well, maybe some of us have extreme bias--I actually prefer to keep an open mind for who did it at this point (although Kim and Val often push me away from the Westerfield scenario just on principle), but of one thing I am dead sure: the van Dams are horrible, evil people who should have their other two children removed from the home. Immediately. Everything they do reinforces this conviction.

The other bias I have is that anyone who lies loses my respect and trust forever. The van Dams have lied to the press, they've lied to the police, and they've lied to the court. The police have lied to the press and to the public. Anyone who lies like that should be closely watched: they cannot be trusted.

[tutstar]

Pleeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzz.............LOL

She wants to be my next gov.,,,,,, gag!

[vacrn]

Kim, I just read on the KFMB website that Rick Roberts has just reported that the Laura Center has received $5,000.00

[MizSterious]

Facts? I posted several "facts" such as testimony and direct interviews. Guess what? You and Val just blew them off. I'll be convinced you're interested in the facts when you actually start quoting them--instead of the media misinformation you usually favor.

[vacrn]

Miz, I agree about your comments on liars. Once a liar, always a liar.

[MizSterious]

Excellent! I guess now we'll always wonder if it was public pressure, or good hearts that brought this about. The important thing is, they did about half of the right thing--they should have given more, considering the money they collected.

[vacrn]

News reports stated they had received about $10,600 prior to March 1st. This would be the total amount of money that "honest" people would have reimbursed to the Foundation with deep gratitude for their tremendous efforts.

[Amore]

Records show 13 registered sex offenders are in the Sabre Springs neighborhood where Danielle lives and in nearby San Diego neighborhoods. None of them are considered by the state to be high-risk offenders. An additional 31 registered sex offenders live in nearby Poway.

Ok, thanks for finding that Fresno. I was right. That's only a count of sex offenders, not child molesters. The two terms are not synonymous. It sounds like none of those 13 even qualified as "child molesters" if none were "considered . . . .to be "high-risk offenders." I knew there was no way they had that many child molesters running around the immediate area.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Re: The Scratches

FWIW, Brenda van Dam testified that Danielle had a habit of constantly biting her fingernails. I think we all know what bitten nails look like. Typical ones couldn't scratch much of anything.

[rolling_stone]

Some info on categories of registed sex offenders..by the way one better not get caught peeing in public..Megan's Law

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Also regarding the photo of the scratches, I noticed that all fingers and thumb would have to be involved to make 5 marks. How is it a small hand could grasp a thick forearm and have no thumb underneath with which to apply pressure.

It would be nearly impossible to inflict scratches of that nature with top pressure only. It also seems reasonable to see the dragging of scratches rather than puncture wounds; especially since all fingers and thumb would have to be on top of the arm to reflect the five marks. Does anyone think that a man couldn't easily pull his arm from the weak clutch of a child who could hardly have a real grip on him?

[Amore]

Thanks for pointing me to that source. As can be seen, many of those offenses have nothing to do with children. (Or even, as you say, in the case of indecent exposure, nothing to do with sex if they happen to nail you for public urination.)

[Valpal1]

Since you don't know, and can't know, what is not mentioned in the interview, your speculations are worth about as much as anyone else's.

Read your own post! The article snippet you posted explicitly references to LEO SOP

Officer: During the course of our investigation, the resident here, his name came up, as someone who had contact with the family.

You are so stuck on the evil Van Dams, you can't rationally and logically see this reference for what it is. They came up with his name through standard police work, not a hot tip or evil Van Dam insinuations. They did an interview and his manner and answers made them suspicious. It really is that simple.

[Freedom2specul8]

She wants to be my next gov.,,,,,, gag!

WHO WHO?

[MizSterious]

Yes, I know. I quoted that piece to you several times. You choose to ignore it, because you think you know better. I disagree. I think you know about as much as any of us. I'll take the man at his word. Someone pointed them in Westerfield's direction. He did not say they settled on Westerfield because he's one of a zillion people they interviewed. He said they focused on him because his name came up. I'm not putting anything more into it than what he said. You, on the other hand, are assuming volumes more than what he said. Which doesn't particularly strike me as impressive in an investigator--armchair or otherwise.