They Found Carlie's body

[feelgood]

Linky

Just horrible to think that a child could simply be grabbed and then murdered, where have this world gone to?!

SARASOTA, Florida (CNN)
A suspect has been charged in the kidnapping and death of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia, whose body has been found, Sarasota County Sheriff Bill Balkwill said Friday.

The suspect, Joseph Smith, was jailed Tuesday on unrelated drug and probation violation charges.

A surveillance video camera caught the girl's abduction Sunday behind a car wash, and her disappearance has received national media attention. Her remains were found behind a church near Interstate 75 in the Sarasota area, law enforcement sources said.

The Brucia family has been notified, authorities said.

"Our sympathy goes out to the entire family of Carlie," Balkwill said tearfully.

Late Thursday, Carlie's stepfather, Steve Kansler, said he had been told that DNA evidence had been found in a 1992 Buick Century station wagon believed to have been used in the kidnapping. Kansler said he did not know the specifics of the evidence.

Investigators impounded the station wagon Wednesday. Balkwill urged those in the area to try to remember whether they had seen the vehicle between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday.

Police subsequently arrested Smith based on a tip from his housemate.

Authorities said Thursday that Smith was not cooperating with the investigation.

Balkwill said there have been more than 750 leads in the case.

In the videotape, recorded just after 6:20 p.m. ET Sunday, a white man in some kind of a work uniform is seen approaching Carlie. He briefly speaks to her as she hesitates, then takes her by the forearm and leads her away.

The man in the video has tattoos on his forearms.

NASA experts and those at the FBI's lab in Washington worked to enhance the videotape to get a clearer image of the man's face, tattoos and apparent name tag on his shirt.

The images have been enhanced and are in Sarasota. Balkwill said the images will be released to the public soon.

Authorities searched Smith's home and a field behind it Wednesday and found nothing immediately linking him to the girl's disappearance, a law enforcement source involved in the investigation said.

Forensic examinations are being conducted on certain items taken in the search, the source said.

The public defender's office said Smith's two attorneys had no comment on the case.


Carlie Brucia's mother, Susan Schorpen, had pleaded for her daughter's return.
Smith's criminal record in the area dates to 1993, when he was convicted of aggravated battery and sentenced to probation.

In November 1997, Smith was arrested on a charge of kidnapping and false imprisonment in neighboring Manatee County. He was acquitted of those charges a year later.

According to records from the Manatee County Sheriff's Department, a woman accused Smith of grabbing her as she was walking along a street and threatening to "cut her if she failed to remain quiet."

A passing vehicle stopped and intervened, allowing her to flee, records said.

The records also said Smith told authorities "he had been in an altercation earlier" that evening "and wanted somebody to walk with."

A few months before, Smith was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon -- a knife, according to his arrest record from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.


Authorities have charged Joseph Smith. 37, in the girl's kidnapping and death.
Smith has faced numerous drug charges. In 2001, he was convicted of heroin possession, possession of controlled substances and attempting to obtain controlled substances by fraudulent means. He served a little more than a year in prison. He was on probation when he was arrested Tuesday.

A woman who lives with him said she has known Smith and his ex-wife as well as their three children for many years. She would not say how long he has been living with her.

"He never knew the dark side of anybody," she said.

Smith's neighbor, Ron Thompson, said he was shocked to hear of his arrest.

"[He] has three beautiful little girls," Thompson said. "And he just adored them. And he played with them. And he took good care of them. It's just a different picture than what we see today."

[Cynthetiq]

i watched the press conference....

shame that's the town where I got married.

[quadro2000]

What a terrible story. I wish there was more I could say about it except my thoughts are with her family. To have to go through this and have your worst fears confirmed...I'm not sure whether it's better to find out this soon, or for it to be dragged out like Chandra Levy. Either way, what a tragedy.

[skysooner]

Sounds like they have the evidence against him. I have a hard time expressing the rage I feel against people that do things like this. I feel deeply for that family. I can't imagine losing a child in that way.

[tritium]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...duction_filmed

The body of an 11-year-old girl whose abduction was captured by a surveillance camera was found in a church parking lot, and a mechanic has been charged with her murder, officials said Friday.

Sarasota County sheriff's officials said Carlie Brucia's body was found about 1 a.m. outside a church a few miles from the car wash where she was abducted. Authorities did not say how she died or whether she had been raped.

Sheriff Bill Balkwill said Joseph P. Smith, 37, has been charged with the girl's murder. Smith is believed to be the tattooed man in a mechanic's shirt who was seen in the surveillance video leading Carlie away by the arm Sunday evening, authorities said.

Investigators found the body after negotiations with Smith, said a law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity. Earlier, authorities had said Smith was not cooperating.

"We now stand ready to complete our obligation, and assure you that he will pay the ultimate price for what he did to her," Capt. Jeff Bell said.

The girl's father, Joe Brucia, somberly thanked "all the (law enforcement) people behind me and all the people that were behind them in their efforts to find my daughter." He also thanked "the community that was so involved."

The Central Church of Christ was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape Friday, and about a dozen detectives walked in a line across the field in an evidence sweep. The declined to comment.

Carlie's stepfather, Steven Kansler, and some friends gathered at the edge of the church property Friday morning, kneeling in a prayer circle.

Rod Myers, the church's minister, said a Bible study group met there Wednesday night but nobody saw the body because it was dark.

"We are all upset about it, and we all feel helpless when things like this happen," Myers said.

In the front yard of Carlie's home, decorated with banners and posters reading, "We love you, Carlie," another small group of supporters joined hands and bowed their heads in prayer. The girl's family includes Carlie's 6-year-old half brother and a 10-year-old stepbrother.

Friends described Carlie as a beautiful girl who loved watching actress Jennifer Lopez, going to the mall and greeting friends with warm hugs. She was heading home from a slumber party when she was abducted.

Bob Hagemann, principal of MacIntosh Middle School, called Carlie "a shining light" at his school.

Carlie's friend Natalie Thomas cried after hearing that her classmate's body was found. She remembered Carlie's smile and that she liked to go on walks.

"There's nothing you can do to make anybody feel better and it's going to hurt for a long, long time," said Chuck Chambers, a private investigator who was working with the family.

"I need my daughter home," Carlie's mother, Susan Schorpen, had said Thursday. "She's a very, very important part of this family and community."

Members of her former Girl Scout troop took a day off from school Wednesday to pass out fliers at shopping centers, canvass neighborhoods and distribute pink ribbons adorned with Carlie's name.

A reward fund of $50,000 was offered for information.

Smith has been arrested at least 13 times in Florida since 1993, according to state records, and convicted of drug possession and other charges. He was arrested in 1997 in Manatee County on a false imprisonment charge but was acquitted a year later.

An aide to Smith's public defender, Adam Tebrugge, had declined to comment Thursday.

Carlie was walking home from a friend's house at about 6:20 p.m. Sunday when she took a short cut behind Evie's Car Wash, which was closed for the day.

Bloodhounds led deputies to the business, and car wash owner Mike Evanoff checked the security system video Monday, he said. The images of Carlie popped up almost immediately, he said.

"It was cold chills right up my back," Evanoff said earlier this week. "My manager couldn't even look at it. It's an awful feeling."

In the 1997 false imprisonment case, a 20-year-old woman in Bradenton said a man grabbed her as she walked by and tried to pull her away, according to records released by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

"He got on top of me and told me to shut up or he would cut me," she told authorities. After a struggle, she said, she managed to run into the street, and passengers in an approaching van stopped and rescued her.

Smith, found hiding behind a house by a police tracking dog, was acquitted by jurors after telling them he was trying to keep the woman from running into the street and she misunderstood

If he's guilty, I hope that pig fries. By the sound of it, Smith told them where the body was...

And on hallowed ground... What a pig. She was 11... I can't believe how repugnany humans can be.

[Troublebot]

Things like this that make me lose faith.

Hearing the news of this girls death this morning was like a punch to the gut.

I hope her family and loved ones feel better knowing how many of us share their grief.

As for the man who did this, I hope he's off the skin of this world as soon as justice will allow.

[denim]

He's in Florida, right? Fire up "ol' Sparky".

[cj22009]

Yea Im the same way fire up old sparky if he is guilty this is just so sad nobodys family should have to go though a thing like this but lifes not fair all we can do is pray for them

[water_boy1999]

Originally posted by skysooner
Sounds like they have the evidence against him. I have a hard time expressing the rage I feel against people that do things like this. I feel deeply for that family. I can't imagine losing a child in that way.

I feel the same. Words sometimes can not justify the emotions we feel for such an awful act of violence. That poor family.

[moonstrucksoul]

at least they caught the bastard.

WTF? why would you let an 11 yr old, boy or girl, walk home alone in the evening?

[InTeGrA77]

That story really scares me.....enough for me to now carry pepper spray on my keychain.

!!!

Originally posted by water_boy1999
I feel the same. Words sometimes can not justify the emotions we feel for such an awful act of violence. That poor family.

They had better come down on that asshole HARD!

[Averett]

On the video it doesnt even look as if she struggled at all. And he didnt even really drag her away. Just took her arm and off they went.

Put up a fight! Struggle! Scream at the top of your lungs! I'll be damned if I let some guy take me. So he says he has a gun or a knife and he's going to use it on me. Go for it asshole. But I'm sure as hell not letting you take me anywhere.

[yournamehere]

Originally posted by Averett
. . Put up a fight! Struggle! Scream at the top of your lungs! I'll be damned if I let some guy take me. So he says he has a gun or a knife and he's going to use it on me. Go for it asshole. But I'm sure as hell not letting you take me anywhere.

You're absolutely right - letting someone take you to a second location severely reduces your chance of survival. If they're going to do something, make them do it in front of witnesses, at least.

Such a sad thing, though - what the hell have some of us become?

[tritium]

The question had crossed my mind too, moonstrucksoul. I'm not precisely sure how far she had to walk; that might have had something to do with it.

She has 2 brothers, too, who will never really have any freedom again. The parents are going to be paranoid for the rest of their lives (and for *good* reason!). There are so many lives that are going to be crushed (or already have been) by the reality of Carlie's death.

Its cases like these that make me wish for creative punishments for the convicted...

[BuDDaH]

IF he is the guilty one, .. what am I saying?!?!?

Sentence his ass 20 years in the electric chair..

Anyone who does shit like that need to have his testicles SLEDGEHAMMERED, then strung up. (Hanged)

Hang 'em very high..

I have an 11 years old daughter, nothing like that will ever happen to her, atleast for the sake of the State I am in. I shiver at the thought of something like that happening. God forbid if it does. I'd lose my mind..

I think I'd do something so horrible to any person that ever offends my daughter that if I wrote it, it can't possibly be 10% close to what I'd do, and NO court in any country would even think about trying my case in court...
This time, I am glad Florida has the DEATH penalty..

[SecretMethod70]

Originally posted by Averett
On the video it doesnt even look as if she struggled at all. And he didnt even really drag her away. Just took her arm and off they went.

Put up a fight! Struggle! Scream at the top of your lungs! I'll be damned if I let some guy take me. So he says he has a gun or a knife and he's going to use it on me. Go for it asshole. But I'm sure as hell not letting you take me anywhere.

Dude she was 11 years old. Children do not think with the same logic as we do. Children do no comprehend the concept of death very well (even at 11, at least in a situation like that). It is a distant concept that only happens to old people and sick people. The idea that if she doesn't put up a fight she will quite possibly "cease to exist" is just not there.

I'm not saying you're not right, but you have to understand she's a child. The fact she didn't put up enough of a fight isn't misunderstandable at all and it's not something to get upset at. You're right, it's good to put up a fight of some sort and it most certainly does increase your chances of survival. But....she's a child for God's sake. When I see/hear about a child not putting up a fight, I don't get upset that they didn't, because how could they know or understand? Their brains are simply not wired that way yet. Personally, I find it to be simply sad...a person so innocent, not even able to truly comprehend the concept of their own death in order to understand the possible outcomes of what's happening to them. Very sad.

Originally posted by feelgood
Just horrible to think that a child could simply be grabbed and then murdered, where have this world gone to?!

On a side not - and I don't mean to take away from the sadness of an occurance like this BY ANY MEANS - this world, unfortunately, hasn't gone anywhere. Things like this have always happened and will always continue to happen. We're just much more aware of it thanks to our advances in spreading news.

[illesturban]

that is so awful. Such a tragic tragic thing to happen, and it makes me so mad. Just the thought that someone can something like that to an innocent child baffles me. He better get the death penalty.

I'm glad that the family has some sort of closure and will be able to give their daughter and sister a funeral. That scumbag needs to be burned at the stake or something; it's just so sick.

[Cycler]

Originally posted by Averett
On the video it doesnt even look as if she struggled at all. And he didnt even really drag her away. Just took her arm and off they went.

Put up a fight! Struggle! Scream at the top of your lungs! I'll be damned if I let some guy take me. So he says he has a gun or a knife and he's going to use it on me. Go for it asshole. But I'm sure as hell not letting you take me anywhere.

<p>It has got to be taught and re-enforced as to what to do in a given situation. Unfortunately all you need is a few seconds/minutes to shock a kid's thinking to lead them where ever. I work in a school and it is a hard thing for kids to understand that this can happen. Sad and scary world.

[SecretMethod70]

Originally posted by Cycler
<p>It has got to be taught and re-enforced as to what to do in a given situation. Unfortunately all you need is a few seconds/minutes to shock a kid's thinking to lead them where ever. I work in a school and it is a hard thing for kids to understand that this can happen. (emphasis added) Sad and scary world.

That's the unfortunate point. No matter how hard you try to drill it into their brains, until they can truly comprehend it - and that's something that can't be taught - chances are it won't work. That's not to say it SHOULDN'T be taught though...even if they'er acting out of pure conditioning and not understanding the underlying reasons why it's so important for them to do so, they're still resisting, and that counts for something to say the least.

[raeanna74]

I can hardly imagine the pain her family is in right now.

We live in a very low crime area but my daughter will take some self defense training. I will not have her intimidated by some creep. Also I may be a little strict but she will be safe.

[merkerguitars]

Sorry to think negative....but as soon as i heard she was missing I pretty much assumed they would find her dead...just cause if a sick fuck like that takes a girl.....thats probably how she is gonna end up....

Originally posted by BuDDaH

This time, I am glad Florida has the DEATH penalty..

Death penalty won't be enough they have torture and then kill him would be better...make that person suffer...but they will never be able to make him suffer as much as her family did.....

[powerclown]

The electric chair is being too kind to him. Flip the switch and he dies, no suffering, too quick.

Drop him onto a deserted island full of real predators (oh, 15' komodo dragons, tigers, cobras, bears, sharks off-shore, giant poisonous spiders, scorpions, plants, insects) and let him die slowly and painfully, and preferably in pieces.

[Hrothgar]

Originally posted by Averett
On the video it doesnt even look as if she struggled at all. And he didnt even really drag her away. Just took her arm and off they went.

Put up a fight! Struggle! Scream at the top of your lungs! I'll be damned if I let some guy take me. So he says he has a gun or a knife and he's going to use it on me. Go for it asshole. But I'm sure as hell not letting you take me anywhere.

Exactly what I was thinking. Where the fuck was the "fight or flight" response. This fundamental physiologic response forms the foundation of modern day stress medicine. The "fight or flight response" is our body's primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to "fight" or "flee" from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival.

[mingusfingers]

Situtation like that in Toronto..hope it does not turn out that way.

[powerclown]

He might have told her that her mom/aunt/uncle/sibling/friend was in a car accident, to come with him, etc, etc, etc. It looked to me like he was dragging her a bit, seemed like she was trailing behind him.

Ive tried to teach my kids about strangers, but in the heat of the moment in an isolated area, if some sick fuck is motivated enough to kidnap, its going to happen.

[ShaniFaye]

Originally posted by cj22009
Yea Im the same way fire up old sparky if he is guilty this is just so sad nobodys family should have to go though a thing like this but lifes not fair all we can do is pray for them

I agree, but death is too good...ANYONE who hurts somebody, whether they kill them or just hurt them, especially women or children for some kind of twisted fun and enjoyment should be castrated immediately....with a rusty razor blade than have alcohol poured on

People like that should be really glad I cant get my hands on them

[thedrake]

That is terrible

[Fire]

horror is now a part of everyday news-
people like this have always been there-
now we KNOW they are there in a way we did not before, as we can no longer avoid/miss/not be bombarded with the fact-
I feel that all kids ought to learn self defence and more important, situational awareness- may not help, and i agree with all the talk above about kids not "getting" it, but as said above, even conditioned responses might help- as for the guy, just kill him and get it over with- he is not worth torture or lowering ourselves, he should just cease to be.....

[analog]

It is so sad when I have to open up my local newspaper and, yet again, sigh long and hard for the human race. What a horrible thing to happen. Burn the one responsible alive.

[kel]

Well honestly it doesn't bother me.
It has been like this since the beginning of time.

[tritium]

Originally posted by ShaniFaye
I agree, but death is too good...ANYONE who hurts somebody, whether they kill them or just hurt them, especially women or children for some kind of twisted fun and enjoyment should be castrated immediately....with a rusty razor blade than have alcohol poured on

People like that should be really glad I cant get my hands on them

Amen, sister! Preach on!

Originally posted by Averett
On the video it doesnt even look as if she struggled at all. And he didnt even really drag her away. Just took her arm and off they went.

Put up a fight! Struggle! Scream at the top of your lungs! I'll be damned if I let some guy take me. So he says he has a gun or a knife and he's going to use it on me. Go for it asshole. But I'm sure as hell not letting you take me anywhere.

Yup. Possibly this girl was not taught on how to act if that were to happen. I sure as hell would bite, kick, scream, hit....whatever I had to do.
And, like Moonstrucksoul said, why would you let your 11 yr old child walk alone, especially at night? I know I wouldn't.

[omega2K4]

Its makes me sick that this gets this much publicity. People are kidnapped, raped, and/or murdered EVERYDAY. It is sickening to see one case overlooked by another because of our idiotic media. Like with that Jon-Benet shit, 5 years later they are still talking about it. Goddamn, let that shit rest. She was murdered, I understand. That's a terrible goddamned thing, but being fixated on the past isn't going to help anything. I'm not trying to be an asshole about this, its disgusting seeing this children killed, but one child's life isn't worth more than another.

[DDDDave]

Disclaimer: I live in Sarasota, FL. One mile from all of this.

SecretMethod70 has it exactly right. She was only a child. I have two girls 15 and 12, and I could get any 11 yo to come around the corner with me. I will tell you some of the fine points that most of the country has not been hearing. This monster had three kids of his own. All around her age. When they raided the car, they found powdered coke and hypo needles. He was acquitted in the next county of aggravated battery on a 19yo about three years ago. Very similar situation. Judge and prosecutors couldn't believe the jury found him innocent. He was basically a guy with a drug problem. Convicted of illegally obtaining opiate 'scrips. Couldn't hold down a job. The police didn't release the rest of the videos. There were cameras all around the car wash. He circled the lot and parked his car so right after you saw him walk out of the camera range, he put her in his car. It wasn't his car, but a friends who he borrowed. The friend said he put on three hundred miles in the day that he borrowed it. That is from here to the east coast of FL and back. He did not tell the cops where she was. A corrections officer (supposedly a woman) got him to tell one of the other inmates and then that guy told the cops where to find her. It will take two years to prosecute him. He will get the death penalty. He will sit on death row for 15 to 20 years while all the appeals are heard. Hopefully, whoever is governor at the time will speed things along.


They just had her memorial service last night.

Just a shame......a damn shame.