Body of Amber Dubois found in Pala area of Poway

[Liberty Belle]

Source: East County Magazine

March 7, 2010 (Escondido) – The county medical examiner’s office has used dental records to positively identify remains found Saturday as those of Amber Dubois, the 14-year-old teenage girl who went missing while walking to Escondido High School on February 13, 2009. Her disappearance resulted in a massive search over more than a year and made headlines nationally.


In a press conference held at 3:30 today at the Escondido Police Department, Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher announced that the remains were found Saturday in a very rugged and remote area of the Pala Indian Reservation in northern Poway. Authorities were acting on a tip, he said. The family was notified by Sheriff's and police officials.


Officials declined to answer any questions on the case. It is not clear whether John Gardner III is suspecting of killing Dubois. The convicted sex offender was arrested and charged this week with the murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King, the Poway High School honor graduated who disappeared while jogging in Rancho Bernardo.

Full story at the link above.

Read more: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/2889

---

This is so sad. I am the author of this story, and have covered the Dubois case in previous stories, as well as the King case. Gardner also attacked a woman in December in the same park where King went missing, but she knew self defense and got away.

How many other deaths might he be responsible for? Police don't even bother looking often if a teen is suspected of being a runaway.

At least Amber's family has closure knowing what happened to her. I hope the police can nail whoever did this, whether it was Gardner or some other perverted beast.

[Walk away]

1. I can't even imagine...

her poor family.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My heart breaks for both these families...

So very sad...

I too hope the police can find out who did this.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. sad.

[MadMaddie]

4. It really is time to start looking at these particular criminals

and coming up with a plan to get them out of society. I am talking about violent sex criminals. I am not talking about two teens or a 17 yr old and a 19 yr old.

May Amber RIP!

[Pavulon]

7. Agree. There is no reason these people should ever be back in society

with a dna conviction of sex assault on a minor should come a life sentence. Rape should always be punished with the full sentence, no pleas.

[alp227]

13. I've been posting about sex offender law on DU for the past week

- GD: California politician proposes bill to ban sex offenders from using social networking sites
- GD: (California) Officials Allow Sex Offender to Live Near School

As the user Mad Hound said on the 2nd linked thread: "If you can't trust a person to control themselves outside of prison, then don't let them out." Seriously. What's the point of forcing someone who did something perverted to hurt another person to live in squalor after having served a prison sentence or parole? That to me is cruel and unusual punishment and unequal protection under the law. People who have no prison or parole obligations should be allowed to cohabit in society freely. Just look at how John Albert Gardner was able to plea bargain his way to a much shorter sentence than he deserved. Instead of imposing restricted freedom to sex offenders beyond parole, the state should impose longer or lifetime sentences and eliminate chances of parole. Why are states flushing so much money down the drain on the failed War on Drugs when the War on Sex Offenders is so much more fighting for?

I remember seeing the Amber DuBois story on a Facebook group last year. And now she turns up dead. My condolences go to her family and friends. If you live in the San Diego area or California, please write to your elected officials and urge them to make our communities safer places for our children, ESPECIALLY for our girls. :cry: There are just too many people who lack basic human dignity, especially towards females, because those fools KNOW that females are so exploitable and vulnerable. :cry: :cry:

[ima_sinnic]

38. it's totally wrong that they have the community do the job that jails should do

and "shunning" is not really working, nor is it fair to the citizens--children are still at risk, and homeowners' property values go down.

I know, b/c I had a duplex in Florida to sell, and one young couple who was very interested totally dropped the deal when they checked the sex offender list and learned that a RSO lived in the neighborhood. I pointed out that that guy had been minding his own business for years, living quietly there, but the young mother wouldn't hear it--and I couldn't blame her. I called the SO unit at the PD to find out more about him, but he had come from another state and they didn't really know anything.

if these people are still so dangerous their names and pix are published so the community can "be aware" of them and "shun" them--what the fuck are they doing out? it is truly an outrage.

[MadMaddie]

51. That's alarming that the PD didn't know anything about him

which means he could be committing crimes under the radar.

[proteus_lives]

12. You're right.

Sexual pedophiles cannot be fixed, it's time to consider automatic life sentences for these people.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. I guess in medieval times

they would have been fixed?

[proteus_lives]

30. No, they would get what they deserve.

A swift and brutal end.

[atreides1]

46. Your station in life

Would determine what would happen to you. That's if you even got caught!

[AllyCat]

31. +1. Until we know how to help these people, they need to be locked up.

There is a sex offender that has just been placed a few blocks from our house, next door to a school and 1.5 blocks from another one with a preschool. What on earth are these people thinking when they place them?

[atreides1]

47. But all 50 States would have to have the same laws

...in order for this to actually work.

You'd have a better chance herding cats.

[MadMaddie]

52. True unless it was made a federal law

I am not sure how it would work to get something like this through Congress but it warrents serious attention. If they don't do something communities will become vigilanties.

[KT2000]

26. Yes -

this is a separate category than other felonies.
This has to stop.

[AngryOldDem]

39. I'm hoping that these cases will finally spur some action.

This guy NEVER should have been let out in the first place.

I am not for the death penalty, but these types of crimes really lead me to question that opinion.

Condolences to the King and DuBois families for two totally needless, senseless, and PREVENTABLE deaths.

[Odin2005]

59. +1

[YvonneCa]

5. This is such sad news. Thanks for posting this...

...here. As a mother of two daughters, I too hope police nail the person responsible...and prevent this from happening again.

[mn9driver]

6. His arrest and the "tip" are probably linked.

At least I hope so. I hate to think there's another active predator in the area that they haven't caught yet.

[democrat2thecore]

8. Absolutely. It's clear Gardner is linked to several missing cases. RIP, Amber -nt

[Misskittycat]

9. But wasn't the tip re Amber in a different location than Pala?

They were draining a pond a day ago, weren't they? How did the authorities know to look near the Pala Reservation suddenly? The news reports were silent on that point.

[YvonneCa]

10. I'd guess they had several tips. And the timing is very...

...telling, IMHO.

[Liberty Belle]

16. Amber's family hired dogs that found her scent in the Pala Library

a long time ago. Not sure if this ties in with that.

[Liberty Belle]

36. There could be a different predator on the loose.

A very young girl was found dead in that same area in 1999, and the murder was never solved. I'm not sure if Gardner was in jail at the time or not.

[thereismore]

48. I think he committed sexual assault in 2000, for which he got 6 years, so he was

free in 1999.

[Trajan]

56. It seems the implication here is ....

HE offered the 'tip' during interrogation .... and is actually responsible for both crimes ....

Just an implication, but strong enough to follow up on ....

It would be 'usual' if such an asshole fucked up more than once ...

[JI7]

11. many violent offenders, especially sex offenders

should not get 2nd chances. they should get life in prison.

[alp227]

14. +1

Another thread I recommend for you:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7864266

[athenasatanjesus]

15. This guy was taking up much needed prison space.

People like this that prey on others take room away from the drug users who prey upon themselves.

[thereismore]

49. I hear you! nt

[cbgb2112]

17. He gave up the location

while in custody; I am sure they used "heightened interrogation techniques".

I just got off of the phone with my brother that assured me that "Merica is sick of this" and that "it is a boiling pot out there". I reminded him that 'Mericans (white guys) do not like to be pulled over and complain for random stops and questions. Just like what has happened to him in his town.

He can't have it both ways; Office of Precrimes or "freedoms".

I reminded him that I am a (non weapon carrying) government worker and we are getting tactical police training to deal with these redneck assbites that are " at the boiling point". We have jobs and go to work and somehow people can kill us because they are sick of things? All the while, refusing to pay more taxes to keep their water and streets safe.

Escondido Police are top notch and they care deeply. All the while positions get cut in the police departments, budgets get cut for advanced software for law enforcement, less funding goes into schools, and pot heads/medical marijuana users take up the space in our jails This will continue to happen.

Americans are so backwards and I can barely speak to my brother right now as he represents the ignorant "regular guy".

*Please read this twice before flaming me, you may have misunderstood what I am trying to say on the first read!

[Dreamer Tatum]

32. The cops say the killer didn't lead them to the remains

so your post is rubbish.

[cbgb2112]

41. Robot

The press said the cops said....sheeple. Believe in the Easter Bunny also?

[Dreamer Tatum]

45. But if I believed YOU, I'd be brilliant, huh? nt

[IScreamSundays]

43. I don't think that is how it went down.

SAN DIEGO - We are learning more about Chelsea King's suspected murderer, John Albert Gardner III. One of Gardner's relatives phoned into a Los Angeles radio talk show and gave an in depth talk about the man now behind bars.

"He was impulsive and prone to violent outburst," the unidentified man said in a 26-minute exchange. "I was in shock I couldn't believe what I was hearing."

The man poured his heart out on the John and Ken radio show, telling listeners the FBI interviewed him, and just a couple of weeks ago he and Gardner got into a very bad argument. The relative said he kicked John out of his grandmother's Lake Elsinore home where he had been staying.

"There may be other victims out there. Some of this info needs to be shared every dot needs to be connected," he said on the air.

<snip>



http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Chelsea-King-missing-Poway-Rancho-Bernardo-jogging/zTLAKar0XUGyf78trbfHvg.cspx

There has been a serial killer on the rampage in North San Diego and Riverside counties. The cops missed this. They never even characterized the Dubois case as an "abduction", she was always classified as just "missing". When the dust settles we are going to find out about a lot more murders.

[cbgb2112]

44. I agree

that we are to find out more; my son works with EPD and maybe they did not advertise it but they did treat it as an abduction. I still think the bad guy gave up Amber's location.

[thereismore]

50. I think he is talking for a chance to get life instead of the death penalty. Pure conjecture. nt

[Ken Burch]

18. How horrible for her parents. How horrible for the parents of her killer, if they are living

Neither deserved to suffer as they are now suffering.

Why do people DO these things?

[cbgb2112]

19. Killer's parents

are living; their house was vandalized because they harbored him knowing what he was.

[Ken Burch]

21. I have no sympathy for the killer

His parents didn't make him a killer, though.

They must be sickened by what he did.

[cbgb2112]

22. No doubt; Look at the poor dad of Dahmer n/t

[Ken Burch]

24. Worst of all, this killer probably didn't even HAVE a reason for his acts

or, if he did, he'll take it with him to his grave, since the only power he still has is the power to deny the victims' families an explanation for their losses.

[Liquorice]

20. Rapists and child molesters should never be trusted to be completely free. One conviction and they

should be locked up for the absolute maximum time. If they are to be released from prison, they should be tracked with GPS for the rest of their lives. Parole should be lifelong for these people because they cannot be rehabilitated. Things have to change regarding sexual assault and how it is treated in this country.

[cbgb2112]

23. Put them to sleep, like a pit bull that attacks.

[Ken Burch]

25. When they're put in a general prison population, that tends to take care of itself

n/t.

[cbgb2112]

42. I don't believe that

Most of the population are sex offenders anymore.

[Ken Burch]

53. Most of the prison population are drug offenders, actually.

they STARTED as nonviolent, before the system kept throwing them in prison.

[laconicsax]

29. Too bad they're protected as long as they have 'priest' in the job description.

[Ken Burch]

55. The priests aren't ALWAYS protected

Remember what happened to Father Geoghan.

[Odin2005]

57. Ditto!

[kimi]

28. How terribly sad

How utterly, overwhelmingly sad. As parents, we want to think that we have an element of control over what will happen in our childrens' lives. Events like this show us how fragile and tenuous that idea is.

I love my children fiercely; I love them more fiercely knowing that I have so little hold over what happens to them in their day-to-day lives.

[LibDemAlways]

33. Horrific. And should serve as a reminder to kids that

it's safer to pair up with a friend whenever possible. A child or young teen walking alone is an easy mark for a predator.

[mackerel]

34. It still surprises me when I see kids walking alone to school.

The girl may have had a cell phone with her and still it didn't keep her safe. I think it would benefit so many if schools had yearly assemblies to discuss this with children from the time they're in kindergarten until they graduate from high school. It's hard to pinpoint all the predators but I think a more educated community would make a difference.

[LibDemAlways]

35. I worry when I see kids walking alone. Knowing how

vulnerable they are is scary. I live in a quiet corner of suburbia, and I think many of the people around here have a false sense of security. There's one guy who, for a reason I cannot fathom, drops his daugher (who has to be all of 7 or 8) several blocks from school each morning on the side of the street that requires that she cross not only that street but 4 other unprotected intersections to get there. Why he just doesn't drop her off at school is a mystery.

Years ago when my daughter was taking ballet lessons, the dance school needed more room and opened an annex that could only be entered through a narrow driveway. I would wait with my daughter until the teacher arrived and then I walked her safely in and waited until the class was over. But I was the exception. Most parents just dropped the kids off in the driveway and took off before the instructor arrived. Leaving a six year old to fend for herself in a narrow driveway is, IMO, child endangerment.

Adults definitely need safety reminders too - as much, if not more, than their kids.

[Odin2005]

60. Most child rapists (and rapists in general) already know the victim.

The vast majority of rapes are acquaintance rapes, not "grab someone off the street" rapes, even though the latter are the ones that make the news. It is easy to become obsessed with hysterical "stranger danger" when the real threat is much closer to home in most cases. What especially angers me is that acquaintance rapists tend to get convicted less, and often the convictions are slaps on the wrist, as what happened with the person who raped my friend.

[Liberty Belle]

37. EDIT: Pala is north of Escondido, not in Poway

This was an erroneous early report.

[theHandpuppet]

40. Until such time that these vermin get mandatory life sentences...

... classes in self -defense should be required in all schools. If you're a parent, start pushing for self-defense classes or organize after-school groups where girls can be taught to defend themselves. Get involved and fight back! Don't wait for justice or you'll be waiting forever.

[Mike 03]

54. Very sad, but encouraged that so many others are paying attention to this story.

Thank you all for caring. I am amazed by the number of Recs. Awesome.

[Odin2005]

58. Damn, just, just damn!

:(