Somer Thompson murder investigation is not a "cold case," Sheriff's Office says

2-2-2010 Florida:

ORANGE PARK – While Somer Thompson’s face may have disappeared from the nightly television news broadcasts, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation into the Orange Park girl’s murder remains very active.

A 15-member “Team Somer” detective unit dedicated to catching whomever is responsible for the first-grader’s murder continues to work inside a small office at the Sheriff’s Office Orange Park substation on Blanding Boulevard.

“The Somer Thompson case remains an active investigation … not a ‘cold case’,” says a Sheriff’s Office statement released Monday, Feb. 1. “Our investigators remain determined and are optimistic that Somer’s killer will be identified and arrested.”

Somer disappeared on Monday, Oct. 19, as she was walking to her Debarry Avenue home from Grove Park Elementary School. The little girl's body was found two days later in the Chesser Island Road Landfill near Folkston, Ga.

Investigators have not released any details on how the girl was killed and have not indentified any suspects in the case.

On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office also gave the media a brief glimpse inside the room where detectives are going over the 4,477 leads received so far.

Detective Dan Mahla spoke briefly to reporters as they visited the room Monday, Feb. 1, but he took no questions about the investigation.

Mahla pointed out the plastic boxes with file folders each containing 500 leads. Hundreds of “neighborhood canvas” forms –filled out by detectives who spoke to residents in Somer’s neighborhood -- sit in boxes along one wall.

Large aerial maps showing the Orange Park area where the girl went missing and where her home is located also hang on the wall at one end. At the other end is a large banner with Somer’s picture and chalk boards where pertinent information is written.

Reminders of Somer are everywhere that Team Somer works, starting with the entrance to the robbery/homicide room where there hangs a wooden plaque made by detective Eddie Howell has the girl’s picture and small purple ribbon on it.

Stickers and banners with Somer’s name or slogans urging that people not forget her case also can be seen throughout the room.

Members of Team Somer include the Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Service and Naval Criminal Investigative Services.

The girl’s disappearance sparked a search involving hundreds of volunteers. After her body was found, hundreds of people attended a memorial service for her and lined Kingsley Avenue and Blanding Boulevard the next day as her funeral procession passed by. The case received nationwide attention and Somer’s mother, Diena Thompson, has made several appearances on national television to comment on the case, most recently on NBC’s Today Show in January.

The Justice Coalition is offering a $48,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Somer’s murder. First Coast Crime Stoppers also has a $16,000 reward for an arrest in the case, bringing the total for both reward funds to $64,000. To donate to the Crime Stoppers reward fund or report any information, call 866-845-TIPS.

Justice Coalition donations can be made by calling (904) 783-6312, or at Ameris Bank, either at 888 Lane Ave. in Jacksonville or 4835 Town Center Parkway on Fleming Island. Use account number 3123504437.
Anyone with information about the case can call the Clay County Sheriff's Office’s toll-free number at (877) 227-6911. ..Source.. Clay Today staff