 "I think it's safe to say that we've narrowed our field of investigation to several people, and that this puzzle is coming together and every minute we're getting closer to solving this crime," Carona said during an interview Friday on the "Today" show. The girl and a 5-year-old friend were playing only about 150 feet from Samantha's front door in a complex of Stanton townhomes Monday evening when a man drove up in a two-door light green Honda or Acura after making a U-turn. The man got out and asked for help finding his puppy, then took off with the kicking and screaming girl.
| DETECTIVES ARE STILL TAKING TIPS - THE 24-HOUR HOTLINE IS 714 890-4280. |
The announcement was made after Riverside County Sheriff-elect Bob Doyle released a 911 tape of a male caller reporting finding the body on a rural highway. The caller told the operator in at least two calls that he was scared and was going home and would call back. "Hey, can I go to my house I'm really nervous right now," the caller said at one point on the tape, which was edited at various points. "We're gonna go 'cause I'm really scared now," he said. "I'm so scared. It was a little kid," he said. "I'm freaking out," he said. The arrest came during an extensive dragnet following Samantha's abduction. The girl and a 5-year-old friend were playing only about 150 feet from Samantha's front door in a complex of Stanton townhomes Monday evening when a man drove up in a two-door light green car after making a U-turn. The man got out and asked for help finding his puppy, then took off with the kicking and screaming girl. Samantha's nude body was discovered Tuesday afternoon along Highway 74 on the edge of the Cleveland National Forest, about 50 miles from Stanton. An autopsy revealed the girl was alive for several hours after she was snatched and was killed sometime Tuesday by asphyxiation. Carona said earlier that warrants were served at four locations, including an apartment complex near Lake Elsinore, and at a business in Temecula. Adelina Avila said her Lake Elsinore apartment was searched by authorities late Thursday and her 27-year-old son was being detained. She said her son was taken in early Thursday for questioning and she was able to speak with him over the phone. "I don't think my son did anything, but I notice he is cooperating," said Avila. "I don't have anything against that. He hasn't been through this before so he doesn't know what's going on. He doesn't have no record." Authorities said Thursday the dragnet was so extensive that there had been numerous detentions and a few arrests on unrelated violations as law enforcement officers encountered people generally matching the suspect's description. In Sunderland, Mass., Samantha's biological father, Derek Jackson, mourned her Thursday at a news conference from his home. "I will always stay connected with her. She will live in my heart when I wake up every day," Jackson said. "I love her dearly. I miss you, Samantha." Jackson also offered advice to other parents. "Please watch your children. Every second, don't let them out of your sight, especially now," he said. Outside Samantha's home, a memorial continued to grow. Flowers, stuffed animals, balloons, candles and personal messages to her were laid out on 14 tables in a courtyard of the housing complex. Once full of children playing and skateboarding, it was vacant Thursday morning. A nearby park was also sparsely populated, and parents kept a careful watch. Tara Frietas, 13, walked with her grandfather, Art Domen, 79, from their Garden Grove home a few blocks away to pay their respects. They said they had taken extra precautions. "I have to be home before dark. I can't go anywhere alone, and I'm not to speak to strangers," Tara said, adding she was afraid after hearing the sheriff comment Wednesday that the killer could strike again. |
Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona said Alejandro Avila was arrested after search warrants were served overnight at an apartment complex not far from where the girl's body was found Tuesday. 
