Thinking of the past!
It’s now been twenty years that I joined the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, as a Deputy Sheriff, and I’ve been thinking about many of the events and calls that I have been involved in. I thought I might jot some of them down as I remember them. One of which was my first child death that I had to deal with.
I was working patrol in the city of Vista, a City in the North County of San Diego, back in 1992, when I received a radio call of suspicious circumstances at an address on Arena Circle off of West Los Angeles Street. Arena Circle is a small complex of about 10 attached homes that face inward into a small park like center area of this community.
The call was that of a family member arrives at a family member’s home to find the house in disarray and it appears there is something wrong.
Now on this particular day, I was elected by my supervisor to have a media ride-along, ride with me during my shift. I admit I wasn’t too pleased about that, but its part of the job. I was assigned to the West beat at this time and West Los Angeles Street was part of my beat. This area was considered to be one of the worst parts of this city. This so happened to be my first day back to work. This was a Wednesday. I had Monday and Tuesday’s off.
My beat partner, Pat, was a young lady who I thought very highly of as a Deputy Sheriff. She was very capable of doing her job and I enjoyed working with her. She never left me to desire in another beat partner, and was always a good cover unit. Anyway, Pat was given this call to cover me. Pat and I arrived at the address at the same time.
We were met by a very upset female. She had a slight accent and was so upset that it was hard to understand her. I at first could not make out the accent that she was using. After a short time trying to understand what the problem was, I asked her where she was from. She told me that she was from France and has lived in the U.S. for the past twenty years.
The Reporting Party, who we’ll call Veronica, told Pat and I, and of course the media ride-along, that last week on Wednesday, her brother came to her and asked her to take care of his four children while he was away on a business trip. He told her, he’ll return on Sunday to pick up his kids. She agreed and took his children into her home. So she continues to tell us that she attempted to contact him several times after Sunday night.
Late Sunday evening she attempts to get a hold of her brother and there was no answer on his home telephone. She explains that she does not know where he was going and she was only told that he would be back on Sunday to pick up the kids. The lady explained that she knows that her brother has a girlfriend, Kimberly who is currently pregnant with her brother’s child and she has another small girl, about 2 years old, from another relationship.
On Monday, Veronica drives to her brother’s house on Arena Circle and knocks on the door and checks the windows. The house is locked up and it appears that no one has been there. Veronica talks with the neighbors and learns that no one has been there since late last Wednesday night.
Veronica leaves a note for her brother to call her as soon as he gets the message. She than goes home. That night, Veronica finds Kimberly’s mothers telephone number and calls her. Kimberly’s mother lives in the city of Chula Vista, in the southern part of the county of San Diego. Veronica tells Kimberly’s mother of the recent events, and she becomes concerned for Kimberly’s welfare. Kimberly’s mother calls the police in Chula Vista and files a missing persons report. Apparently, Kimberly’s mother has not seen her daughter in well over a week and is concerned. The last conversation she had with her daughter was about some money she would be getting for a law suit she was involved in.
On the morning of the following Wednesday, after repeated calls and left messages Veronica goes back to her brothers house and attempts to break into the house. She is able to slide a window open enough to gain access. Veronica finds the house in disarray and most disturbing is the hallway bathroom. Veronica said she found the floor wet and the bathroom a mess. The bathtub had a pair of sliding glass doors that were removed and placed in the hallway. The hallway floor was soaked with water. Veronica claims the house smells of chemical, but could not identify the smell. Veronica said she became fearful, and left the house to call the police.
My partner, Pat and I decided to check the house out for any signs of foul play. We both checked the house out and as Veronica said it appeared that something had happened. I noticed that in the living room, under an office type desk, there was a safe that was left open. It was empty.
The living room’s and hallway carpets were soaked with water. It appeared that the water was from the bathroom. As I stepped on the carpet the water would squeeze out of the carpet onto my boots. There had to have been a flood in this house. But what was that smell. I never could identify the smell.
I continued to check the rest of the residence and found no one inside. However, my impression was that they had left in a hurry. The whole house was checked and no one was found. The attached house a two car garage attached to it and I made entry through the inside kitchen door.
Pat followed me and within two steps into the garage I could smell it. Yep! That odor was the smell of human decay. There was a green Ford Escort station wagon parked in the garage. I noticed that the rear compartment’s pull cover was closed over the rear compartment. I used my flashlight and began to check through the window the edges of the compartment. I started my check at the rear of the vehicle and shined my flashlight through the crake of the pull over cover and the side of the vehicle. It was dark and I couldn’t see much until I saw a persons toe. It appeared to be that of an adult. I wasn’t too surprised by this, due to the circumstances and smell.
As I continued to check the edge of the cover and the inside of the vehicle, I came to the rear seat where the cover pulls from and I saw something I’ll never forget. I saw that face of a child. The child had clear liquid coming from her nose and her eyes were slightly open. Light blue eyes that had a light white cloudy look to them. Dead eyes! The child was dead. She was blond, you know the almost white blond that you see young children have at an early age. Clearly, it was the face of a 2 year old little girl. I was not prepared for that shock. It knocked me back. To this day, I have that image imprinted in my mind as clear as it was than. This was my first child death that I had every dealt with, let a lone to discover.
Pat and I immediately backed out to call for the crimes of violence unit, (COV) or Homicide. My suspicious circumstances call has now changed into a Homicide case. As usual after it’s been determined to be something of this nature, it becomes a closed scene and the special units handle.
I was later briefed as to who the suspect was and the unique circumstances around this case. Apparently, the suspect was the boyfriend and he had fled the United States to South Africa were there is no extradition treaty with the U.S. Both the mother and the child died of affixation. It’s unknown by me if they died of drowning, or what exactly.
Almost eleven years later, 2003 I received a subpoena for a deposition on this case. To my surprise, this guy was arrested in France where he was born and raised. The deposition was being held in a downtown court room in San Diego. I called the District Attorney’s office and learned that the suspect was arrested in France, but would not be extradited to the United States; due to California having the Death Penalty for a Capital Crime of Homicide. France has no Death Penalty and will not extradite to a country that does. It’s ironic that a country that invented the guillotine now has no capital punishment for any of their crimes.
I also learned that this criminal case was being prosecuted in France. Their judicial system sent three French Judges to our county and reviewed evidence and deposed those of us that were involved in this case.
A few months after I was deposed by the French Judges, the defense attorney’s not to mention our own D.A.’s office; I learned that the suspect was found guilty of the three murders. Those were for the mother with her eight month old fetus and her two year old child. He was sentenced to life in prison in France.
So, after eleven years of wondering if there would ever be any type of justice for this little girl and her mother, I finally got to see it. I can only guess what the families of the victims had gone through all of those years of no justice seen for their lost love ones. I hope that they have finally found the peace that the perpetrator is being punished for his crimes.
As I said at the beginning of this entry into my journal, this was the first of many cases where I was involved in the investigation, discovery, or some part involving the death of a child. This one was one of the most signifacate, due to it being my first, and that It was the most unexpected sights that I saw. This was the beginning of several more child deaths that I have dealt with while on patrol here in San Diego County. What is most interesting, is that some deputies get the same type of calls all of the time. It seemed for sometime, during that period of time I was getting all of the cases involving child.
Shortely after the Arena Circle murder case, I transferred to the Valley Center Substation, where in the next several months I had three children death cases. I'll write about each of those in the next few weeks as I think them through and decide how I want to tell each event as I can remember them. I'm hoping that while I go through the writing process and write each of them out, I'll be able to get ride of some issues that have been keeping from being the happy person I once was.
I'll tell you right now, it's hard to look into the face of a 2 year old child with blond hair and blues eyes and not see the face of a dead little girl, laying in a rear compartment of an old Ford Escort.
I was working patrol in the city of Vista, a City in the North County of San Diego, back in 1992, when I received a radio call of suspicious circumstances at an address on Arena Circle off of West Los Angeles Street. Arena Circle is a small complex of about 10 attached homes that face inward into a small park like center area of this community.
The call was that of a family member arrives at a family member’s home to find the house in disarray and it appears there is something wrong.
Now on this particular day, I was elected by my supervisor to have a media ride-along, ride with me during my shift. I admit I wasn’t too pleased about that, but its part of the job. I was assigned to the West beat at this time and West Los Angeles Street was part of my beat. This area was considered to be one of the worst parts of this city. This so happened to be my first day back to work. This was a Wednesday. I had Monday and Tuesday’s off.
My beat partner, Pat, was a young lady who I thought very highly of as a Deputy Sheriff. She was very capable of doing her job and I enjoyed working with her. She never left me to desire in another beat partner, and was always a good cover unit. Anyway, Pat was given this call to cover me. Pat and I arrived at the address at the same time.
We were met by a very upset female. She had a slight accent and was so upset that it was hard to understand her. I at first could not make out the accent that she was using. After a short time trying to understand what the problem was, I asked her where she was from. She told me that she was from France and has lived in the U.S. for the past twenty years.
The Reporting Party, who we’ll call Veronica, told Pat and I, and of course the media ride-along, that last week on Wednesday, her brother came to her and asked her to take care of his four children while he was away on a business trip. He told her, he’ll return on Sunday to pick up his kids. She agreed and took his children into her home. So she continues to tell us that she attempted to contact him several times after Sunday night.
Late Sunday evening she attempts to get a hold of her brother and there was no answer on his home telephone. She explains that she does not know where he was going and she was only told that he would be back on Sunday to pick up the kids. The lady explained that she knows that her brother has a girlfriend, Kimberly who is currently pregnant with her brother’s child and she has another small girl, about 2 years old, from another relationship.
On Monday, Veronica drives to her brother’s house on Arena Circle and knocks on the door and checks the windows. The house is locked up and it appears that no one has been there. Veronica talks with the neighbors and learns that no one has been there since late last Wednesday night.
Veronica leaves a note for her brother to call her as soon as he gets the message. She than goes home. That night, Veronica finds Kimberly’s mothers telephone number and calls her. Kimberly’s mother lives in the city of Chula Vista, in the southern part of the county of San Diego. Veronica tells Kimberly’s mother of the recent events, and she becomes concerned for Kimberly’s welfare. Kimberly’s mother calls the police in Chula Vista and files a missing persons report. Apparently, Kimberly’s mother has not seen her daughter in well over a week and is concerned. The last conversation she had with her daughter was about some money she would be getting for a law suit she was involved in.
On the morning of the following Wednesday, after repeated calls and left messages Veronica goes back to her brothers house and attempts to break into the house. She is able to slide a window open enough to gain access. Veronica finds the house in disarray and most disturbing is the hallway bathroom. Veronica said she found the floor wet and the bathroom a mess. The bathtub had a pair of sliding glass doors that were removed and placed in the hallway. The hallway floor was soaked with water. Veronica claims the house smells of chemical, but could not identify the smell. Veronica said she became fearful, and left the house to call the police.
My partner, Pat and I decided to check the house out for any signs of foul play. We both checked the house out and as Veronica said it appeared that something had happened. I noticed that in the living room, under an office type desk, there was a safe that was left open. It was empty.
The living room’s and hallway carpets were soaked with water. It appeared that the water was from the bathroom. As I stepped on the carpet the water would squeeze out of the carpet onto my boots. There had to have been a flood in this house. But what was that smell. I never could identify the smell.
I continued to check the rest of the residence and found no one inside. However, my impression was that they had left in a hurry. The whole house was checked and no one was found. The attached house a two car garage attached to it and I made entry through the inside kitchen door.
Pat followed me and within two steps into the garage I could smell it. Yep! That odor was the smell of human decay. There was a green Ford Escort station wagon parked in the garage. I noticed that the rear compartment’s pull cover was closed over the rear compartment. I used my flashlight and began to check through the window the edges of the compartment. I started my check at the rear of the vehicle and shined my flashlight through the crake of the pull over cover and the side of the vehicle. It was dark and I couldn’t see much until I saw a persons toe. It appeared to be that of an adult. I wasn’t too surprised by this, due to the circumstances and smell.
As I continued to check the edge of the cover and the inside of the vehicle, I came to the rear seat where the cover pulls from and I saw something I’ll never forget. I saw that face of a child. The child had clear liquid coming from her nose and her eyes were slightly open. Light blue eyes that had a light white cloudy look to them. Dead eyes! The child was dead. She was blond, you know the almost white blond that you see young children have at an early age. Clearly, it was the face of a 2 year old little girl. I was not prepared for that shock. It knocked me back. To this day, I have that image imprinted in my mind as clear as it was than. This was my first child death that I had every dealt with, let a lone to discover.
Pat and I immediately backed out to call for the crimes of violence unit, (COV) or Homicide. My suspicious circumstances call has now changed into a Homicide case. As usual after it’s been determined to be something of this nature, it becomes a closed scene and the special units handle.
I was later briefed as to who the suspect was and the unique circumstances around this case. Apparently, the suspect was the boyfriend and he had fled the United States to South Africa were there is no extradition treaty with the U.S. Both the mother and the child died of affixation. It’s unknown by me if they died of drowning, or what exactly.
Almost eleven years later, 2003 I received a subpoena for a deposition on this case. To my surprise, this guy was arrested in France where he was born and raised. The deposition was being held in a downtown court room in San Diego. I called the District Attorney’s office and learned that the suspect was arrested in France, but would not be extradited to the United States; due to California having the Death Penalty for a Capital Crime of Homicide. France has no Death Penalty and will not extradite to a country that does. It’s ironic that a country that invented the guillotine now has no capital punishment for any of their crimes.
I also learned that this criminal case was being prosecuted in France. Their judicial system sent three French Judges to our county and reviewed evidence and deposed those of us that were involved in this case.
A few months after I was deposed by the French Judges, the defense attorney’s not to mention our own D.A.’s office; I learned that the suspect was found guilty of the three murders. Those were for the mother with her eight month old fetus and her two year old child. He was sentenced to life in prison in France.
So, after eleven years of wondering if there would ever be any type of justice for this little girl and her mother, I finally got to see it. I can only guess what the families of the victims had gone through all of those years of no justice seen for their lost love ones. I hope that they have finally found the peace that the perpetrator is being punished for his crimes.
As I said at the beginning of this entry into my journal, this was the first of many cases where I was involved in the investigation, discovery, or some part involving the death of a child. This one was one of the most signifacate, due to it being my first, and that It was the most unexpected sights that I saw. This was the beginning of several more child deaths that I have dealt with while on patrol here in San Diego County. What is most interesting, is that some deputies get the same type of calls all of the time. It seemed for sometime, during that period of time I was getting all of the cases involving child.
Shortely after the Arena Circle murder case, I transferred to the Valley Center Substation, where in the next several months I had three children death cases. I'll write about each of those in the next few weeks as I think them through and decide how I want to tell each event as I can remember them. I'm hoping that while I go through the writing process and write each of them out, I'll be able to get ride of some issues that have been keeping from being the happy person I once was.
I'll tell you right now, it's hard to look into the face of a 2 year old child with blond hair and blues eyes and not see the face of a dead little girl, laying in a rear compartment of an old Ford Escort.