AMBER ALERT SARASOTA FLORIDA

[Rainband]

http://www.baynews9.com/site/content/32840.html THIS IS SAD THEY HAVE A VIDEO MAYBE THAT WILL HELP.

[DaylilyDawn]

It was shown to be a white male wearing a uniform shirt with a white name patch on the right side. Please pray that this young lady is found ALIVE!

[GalvestonDuck]

Yeah, I saw that video on the Today Show this morning. It's hard to tell, based on their body language, if she knew the guy or not. It's odd that she took his hand without hesitation.

[bfez1]

Yeah, I saw that video on the Today Show this morning. It's hard to tell, based on their body language, if she knew the guy or not. It's odd that she took his hand without hesitation.

I was thinking the same thing. She took his hand and walked off with him. Maybe it was a boy she liked or something. Any word yet???

[stormraiser]

I just saw the picture and she didn't seem afraid. I hope it was a friend and she comes out ok. This happens too much nowadays.

[GalvestonDuck]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs. ... S/40203005

They received a tip from Kissimmee, which they are investigating. And there is a reward for $25,000.

[Colin]

I hope they find her safe and sound! :o

[weatherlover427]

Is there any new updates on the situation?

[GalvestonDuck]

I believe there was supposed to be a press conference from the Sheriff's department at 5:15 EST today, but it's been changed to 7:30. Got that from a Tampa news site, but I'm not at my computer now so I can't check again.

[FreakyWxChick]

They increased the reward to 50K.

I lived a block away from where she was kidnapped. My husband grew up about a half block away from there.

JMHO it looked to me like she was startled by the guy. She was cutting through the car wash area and he may have told her something like "don't you know it's illegal to cut through here" or similar and grabbed her arm which made her walk submissively away with him having no clue that his intentions were to harm her.

[Lindaloo]

It seemed that way to me to freaky. I just wish there was someone that could provide the authorities with a description of the vehicle. My heart goes out to that little girl for what she must be going through right now.

[GalvestonDuck]

I think it would help if they would emphasize how important it is for anyone who saw ANYTHING to come forward and give whatever information they know.

Sometimes a person may not recognize the kidnapper and the victim. However, they may have been in that area a short time before or after the abduction and they may have seen someone else, for example, washing their car (I'm not sure if it's a self-serve place or one of those where they do it for you). Then, authorities can find that person and see if they know anything since they haven't come forward yet (because, believe it or not, not everyone out there watches the news or has a TV...or a clue).

It takes all the links to get to the end of a chain.

[azskyman]

Apparently a suspect in custody. No sign of the girl.

[mf_dolphin]

A little more information...

Sarasota County authorities say they have a suspect in connection with the apparent abduction of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia.

Deputies say they have taken 37-year-old Joseph P. Smith into custody on drug possession charges on Tuesday.

Smith is suspected of abducting Carlie Sunday night, although he has not been charged in that case.

"We have strong evidence to suggest he is the perpetrator," said Capt. Jeff Bell, the lead investigator in the case.

Investigators made the announcement during a news conference Wednesday evening. They added the search for the missing sixth grader will continue.

"It is a very important ongoing investigation," said Col. Terry Lewis of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. "The next 12 hours are crucial. We will be working into the night and in the next few days."

Smith was arrested on charges of possessing cocaine and drug paraphernalia. According to the state Department of Corrections, Smith has served time for a number of drug-related crimes, including heroin possession. He was released from prison in January 2003.

http://www.baynews9.com

[FreakyWxChick]

I really hope they find her alive. My niece and nephew both go to school with her. From what I have heard from my sister the kids are all totally traumatized at school.

[Rainband]

I PRAY for her everyday. I hope she is alive. her mothers interview broke my heart

[ColdFront77]

There was a news conference around 2:15 pm Eastern.

At 10:10 pm-ish Eastern, Fox News' Greta Van Susteren had an investigator, hired by the family say that he got a lead minutes before the interview started that may be an important lead.

[Miss Mary]

I am praying for a good outcome here, but fearing the worst. Oh how I pray they'll find this little girl today. So tragic.

Mary

[streetsoldier]

I heard earlier that NASA enhanced the security tape; it shows that the man had a handgun, displayed it briefly, THEN led the girl away. It certainly wasn't as easy as it originally appeared.

As to the suspect, they have his car, domicile, etc. and are combing through them with great interest...there will be another press conference this AM, but it appears that the police have something more concrete to hold this man.

Note, too, that one of his previous convictions was for "unlawful imprisonment"...he may have the child "stashed" somewhere.

[GalvestonDuck]

Unfortunately, he wasn't convicted of that false imprisonment charge. If he was, he could have still been serving his sentence instead of being able to kidnap his next victim.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... _filmed_32

He was arrested in 1997 in Manatee County on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges, but was acquitted a year later.

What's really scary is that they're mentioning "a body" already.

Smith's car, a Buick Century station wagon, was being combed by investigators for clues. A home he had recently lived in was cordoned off with yellow police tape and several paper bags, presumably holding evidence, were carried out by investigators. A body was not found, officials said.

Chuck Chambers, a private investigator hired by the girl's family, said Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that investigators had told Kansler "something about a body," but "there was no evidence after that there was a body." He said the family was in seclusion.

I hope this isn't like the Danielle Van Damme/David Westerfield case where there was a large amount of blood discovered in his trailer, as well as traces of her hair and blood on his jacket, that led authorities to believe she was dead before they even found her.