AMBER ALERT--Florida

[lady cop]

just issued by FDLE.....9 year-old white female, 5'1", brown hair and eyes, deemed to be in danger. no further details yet. call citrus county sheriff office, 352 7261121 or 911. more details as they become available. child is JESSICA LUNSFORD.

there have been way too many missing Children in the last 2 months! What is this world coming too! I hope they find her... Alive..

[polycarp]

This is as serious as it is scary. I hope they find this innocent young girl before human predators do the unthinkable.

[lady cop]

well this has set off my radar...it seems this child lives with her father and grandparents, and was last seen going to bed at 10 PM last night. then daddy reports her missing. no sign of forced entry in home. i have no info on the mother.

[lady cop]

child molesters did exist back in those leave -it -to- beaver days, but it wasn't constantly being played on a 24-hour news cycle. and most of our parents weren't living in constant fear, they knew it existed, but we (mostly) grew up in neighborhoods where every house was a safe house. today, despite the high publicity of AMBER alerts and abductions, STRANGER abduction is statistically rare. this is why my suspicions are engaged in this matter. .......and yes, although i feel it's unrelated, washed out obese kids are due to the stay in and watch TV latchkey culture. we were playing kickball and riding bikes all day after school and after dinner until we had to go home when the street lights came on.

[lady cop]

revised...4'11", 70 pounds. pink nightgown. no shoes on as all her shoes and clothes accounted for. mother not heard from in years, FBI trying to locate her to notify. good student, active in church. sheriff doing comprehensive ground search in area with no result. .... JMO..something not passing the smell test here.

[Beth]

I just watched the press conference. I cannot imagine the fear, distress, and pain her father and grandparents are going through. I hope upon hope that her mother has her and that she is safe. I was sitting here feeling sorry for myself and then this dose of reality appears before me- a parent's nightmare. I mustn't forget to give my kids extra hugs today.

[lady cop]

Hi Beth...i was just going to update this since i saw the presser...i may be WAY too cynical, but the father was 'crying' without actual tears. it could just be his persona, but boy did susan smith leap to my mind. the grandparents were very real. from what i understand, the mother has been indifferent to this child since she was an infant. the FBI are checking, but don't think so.........also, heavy fog hampering search this morning.

[Beth]

Hi, LC. Yes, I was closely observing the father. Thing is, he does not look as fake as Smith did, or Sabrina's parents did when pleading for info on her. I know men who simply do not cry. They also could be on medication to help suppress emotions. When I took an anxiety pill before a beloved uncle's funeral, I had the worst time crying. I almost had to force myself to shed tears so I would not feel like a horrid, cold monster. Anyway, I am extending the benefit of the doubt to him. If he is guilty, I'm sure it is just a matter of time before the jig is up.

[lady cop]

two items....an un-named source has said that the father's whereabouts overnight were verified, he was with a female all night, until 0600. further, this is NOT an official AMBER alert because it does not yet meet the criteria for an abduction, there is no evidence of abduction.