Amber Dubois -- Found Deceased 3/6/10 -- UPDATE: John Albert Gardner III admits he murdered Amber

"Amber’s memorial will pay tribute to Chelsea and to Danielle van Dam and Polly Klaas, two other slain children whose parents offered support to Amber’s parents over the agonizing months."

The parents of all four girls will release doves in their honor....this will be a beautiful tribute to these slain girls.

wow - how amazing to see these families pull together - that is EXACTLY what it's going to take to get SO laws changed.
This is a "club" that NO ONE wants to be part of - and I admire them for their bravery and endurance - no parent should ever have to bury their child, esp when they have been stolen from them and them molested and murdered... My prayers are with all of these families as they continue to grieve...

My feelings exactly, Tish. You don't hear anything from the van Dam's but they are apparently reaching out to help others. They were put through hell during the trial. I despised that defense attorney.

It is very classy of Amber's parents to pay tribute to Chelsea, Danielle, and Polly during their time of grief.

10news.com will have the livestream of Amber's memorial on Saturday at 1pm Pacific/4pm Eastern at the following link.

http://www.10news.com/video/15013365/index.html

Remembering Amber

By R. STICKNEY
Updated 4:22 PM PDT, Sat, Mar 27, 2010



With music, laughter and a variety of animals, family, friends and members of the community celebrated the life of Amber Dubois Saturday.

The 14-year old Escondido teenager was the focus of a year-long search until her body was found a rugged, remote area of Pala, in northern San Diego County.

One after another, speakers stood on the stage in front of a huge bouquet of purple flowers and talked of Amber's love for animals and her dream to work with them as a career. In front of them, a huge flower arrangement spelled out Amber's name on the stage.

Amber’s father Moe Dubois thanked the crowd for attending and supporting the family and then asked for their help to demand legislation be enforced.

For every tear that may have been shed for a child who was abducted and killed, Dubois asked the crowd to spend one minute of action protecting our children.

“Amber didn’t need to die for nothing. Chelsea [King], Danielle [van Dam], Polly [Klaas], these are all children taken far too young,” Dubois said. “We need to protect the children we have left.”

Amber Dubois’ death struck a chord with many according to Escondido High School Principal Rich Watkins who recalled the moment at a recent candlelight vigil where someone spontaneously started singing “Amazing Grace.”

“My prayer today for Moe and Carrie and the family and everyone else here is that grace, that amazing grace would manifest itself in peace and comfort today and in the days ahead,” Watkins said.

Taylor Doyle, a longtime friend of Amber, talked of reading and laughing with Amber. She dreamed of growing up and continuing her friendship with Amber as they graduated high school, got married and raised kids. “Whoever did this robbed me from having this legacy. We were supposed to be friends forever,” she said.

Photos of Amber’s life were edited in a video to several songs including Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and Cindi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

Amber was a smart and loving student, as well as one who really cared about people, her fourth grade teacher told the crowd. She left an imprint on his heart one day when he asked if he could pet her horse. “First you have to look into its eyes,” she told him. “Do you see it?” she asked him. “Look hard, don’t you see its spirit?”

The ceremony, started at 1 p.m. in the football stadium at Escondido High on 1535 N. Broadway.

Amber's family and friends held a private funeral service Friday in Orange County ahead of Saturday's public memorial.

Escondido police announced they were acting on a tip when they found skeletal remains near Pala March 6. Later that day they had identified the remains using dental records and had contacted McGonigle and Moe Dubois.

“It’s not the outcome that we wanted but you know what, we know where she’s at," Amber's mother said several days after the discovery of her daughter's body. "I would hate to go through life not knowing.”

“We know she’s safe now, she’s not being hurt anymore but there’s still a lot of justice that needs to be done,” said her father.

Convicted sex offender John Gardner -- who has been charged with the murder and possible rape of Poway teen Chelsea King, who was slain last month -- has been connected by police to the investigation into Amber's death.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Funeral-Held-for-Amber-Dubois-89306212.html

Slain teen’s dad: ‘We need to protect children’
Calif. girl who disappeared on way to school recalled as ‘kind, innocent’

updated 4:00 a.m. ET, Sun., March. 28, 2010


Sandy Huffaker/AP - Allsion Cave reads a poem in honor of her sister Amber Dubois during a celebration of her life ceremony at Escondido High School in Escondido, Calif., on Saturday.

ESCONDIDO, Calif. - More than 1,000 people paid tribute Saturday to a 14-year-old girl whose remains were found more than a year after she disappeared walking to school. Her father urged anyone who cried for her to demand a crackdown on child predators.

Amber Dubois was a voracious reader with a fertile imagination and a profound love of animals, friends, family and teachers told the audience on a sun-drenched track field at Escondido High School, north of San Diego. Her favorite animal, the wolf, appeared in front of the stage along with a llama, snake, monkey and goats.

The ceremony ended when the parents of Amber and three other California girls who have been kidnapped and killed each released a dove on stage. They included the parents of Chelsea King, a 17-year-old whose body was found five days after she was last seen running Feb. 25 in a San Diego park.

Amber's bones were discovered March 6 in a rugged, remote area north of San Diego. She vanished Feb. 13, 2009, carrying a $200 check to purchase a lamb she was to raise for Future Farmers of America. The check was never cashed.

'Robbed'
Taylor Doyle, a friend, recalled riding horses with Amber at summer camp, reading books with her in bed and seeing her "radiance and beauty" at freshman homecoming. She hoped to attend college with Amber and raise children together.

"Now I'm robbed," she said. "Whoever did this robbed me of having this legacy."

John Albert Gardner III, 30, is the only suspect that police have named in Amber's death but he has not been charged. Authorities have not said what led them to the remains.

Three days before Amber's bones were found, Gardner pleaded not guilty to murdering Chelsea King and attempting to rape another woman in December. He served five years of a six-year sentence for molesting a 13-year-old neighbor in San Diego in 2000.

Maurice Dubois, Amber's father, recalled how his daughter teased him — how she laughed when a goose attacked him at a park and fiddled with his ear while he was driving. On a more serious note, he pleaded with the audience to demand that laws aimed at stopping child predators are funded and enforced.

"We need to protect the children we have left, the children we have around us," he said. "I don't want this to go in vain. I want us to make a change."

Marc Klaas, who founded Klaaskids Foundation after his 12-year-old daughter was abducted from a slumber party in 1993 and later found slain, also demanded tougher enforcement.

"We worked so hard, we passed so many laws, we keep thinking we've made a difference, but it keeps continuing, it keeps going on. Ladies and gentlemen, we have to hold our politicians accountable," said Klaas, who helped in the search for Amber.

Speakers remembered a quiet but self-assured girl who made friends easily.

Carrie McGonigle, Amber's mother, said her daughter collected rat's bones as a young girl and kept them in her bedroom.

Carrie McGibney, an eighth-grade teacher, said Amber read books while walking down the hallway and flipped the pages under her desk while simultaneously taking history notes.

Another eighth-grade teacher, Pat Gross, said Amber stayed after class to discuss books. She last saw Amber a week before her disappearance when her former student dropped by to tell her of her plans to raise a lamb.

"It was the Amber I knew and remember — kind, enthusiastic and innocent," Gross said.

Mark Reyburn, her high school agriculture teacher, Amber was a talented public speaker who found her niche in his agriculture class and looked forward to a career in animal sciences.

Reyburn said he had to admonish Amber to stop reading while he was lecturing.

"She would reply with her big blue eyes, 'While I was reading, I could hear you,'" he said.

Gardner pleads guilty to murders of Chelsea, Amber

By Dana Littlefield, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Originally published April 16, 2010 at 2:29 p.m., updated April 16, 2010 at 4:11 p.m.

John Albert Gardner III pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to murdering Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, ending weeks of speculation as to whether he would be charged in the deaths of both teenage girls.

As a result of the plea agreement, the 31-year-old convicted sex offender will avoid facing the death penalty and instead be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Gardner also pleaded guilty to the special circumstances of raping or attempting to rape both teenagers. In addition, he pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting a jogger in Rancho Bernardo Community Park on Dec. 27, 2009. The sentence is the maximum under the law other than the death penalty.

As part of the agreement, Gardner waived his right to appeal the convictions. Dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit and orange sandals, Gardner mostly kept his gaze lowered or on San Diego Superior Court Judge David Danielsen. Gardner gave one-word answers acknowledging his guilty pleas, and the judge accepted the pleas.

Attending the hearing were Chelsea’s parents, Brent and Kelly King, and Amber’s parents, Moe Dubois and Carrie McGonigle.

Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis had consulted parents of both teenagers before making the plea agreement with Gardner.

“Both families understand the reasons behind this decision and support this decision,” Spieler told Danielsen.

Gardner’s admissions during the hearing revealed new information in the circumstances of both girls’ deaths.

Gardner acknowledged to Danielsen that he took Amber to a remote area near Pala, raped and stabbed the 14-year-old Escondido girl within 90 minutes of first contacting her, then buried her in a shallow grave. Amber disappeared on Feb. 13, 2009 while walking to Escondido High School.

Gardner admitted in court that he attacked Chelsea while she was running in Rancho Bernardo Community Park on Feb. 25, then dragged her to a remote area where he raped and strangled her before burying her.

The 17-year-old Poway girl’s body was found five days later in a shallow grave in a tributary of nearby Lake Hodges. Thousands of volunteers and law enforcement officials had searched for the girl.

Gardner was arrested Feb. 28 and arraigned the next day on charges he raped and murdered Chelsea. He was linked to the crime through DNA evidence found on a piece of Chelsea’s clothing.

On March 6, authorities announced they had found Amber’s skeletal remains 13 months after she went missing. Escondido police said Gardner was a focus in the investigation into Amber’s death but would not discuss any further details. Citing a gag order, lawyers in the case refused to answer any questions about Gardner, including whether he had led authorities to Amber’s body.

The gag order remains in effect until a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

The families were joined in court Friday by about 10 supporters, some wearing buttons with Amber’s face on them. Some wore T-shirts emblazoned with, “Hope never sleeps, bring Amber home” and “Amber’s eyes will always shine.” Three people wore shirts promoting Chelsea’s Light Foundation with the phrase, “They can because they think they can.”

After the hearing, supporters gathered outside the courtroom and hugged each other but declined to comment.

Gardner’s attorneys, deputy public defenders Mel Epley and Michael Popkins, declined to make statements after the hearing.

Dumanis and Sheriff Bill Gore also attended the hearing, sitting in the front row of onlookers.

Staff writers Janet Lavelle and Matthew T. Hall contributed to this article.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/16/gardner-pleads-guilty-murders-chelsea-amber/

Read Gardner's plea at the following link.

http://media.nbcsandiego.com/documents/04-16-10+-+John+A.+Gardner+-+Charges.pdf

Charges against Gardner and his admission.

CHARGES

COUNT 1 - MURDER
On or about February 25, 2010, JOHN ALBERT GARDNER did unlawfully murder Chelsea K., a human being, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 187(a).

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE
And it is further alleged that the murder of Chelsea K. was committed by defendant JOHN ALBERT GARDNER while the said defendant was engaged in the commission and attempted commission of the crime of Rape, in violation of Penal Code Section 261, within the meaning of PENAL CODE SECTION 190.2(a)(17).

COUNT 2 - ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO COMMIT A SPECIFIC FELONY
On or about December 27, 2009, JOHN ALBERT GARDNER did unlawfully assault Candice M., with the intent to commit rape, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 220(a).

COUNT 3 - MURDER
On or about February 13, 2009, JOHN ALBERT GARDNER did unlawfully murder Amber D., a human being, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 187(a).

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE
And it is further alleged that the murder of Amber D. was committed by defendant JOHN ALBERT GARDNER while the said defendant was engaged in the commission and attempted commission of the crime of Rape, in violation of Penal Code Section 261, within the meaning of PENAL CODE SECTION 190.2(a)(17).

Gardner’s Admission

As to Count One, I admit that on February 25, 2010, I attacked Chelsea King while she was running. I dragged her to a remote area where I raped and strangled her. I then buried her in a shallow grave. I admit that this killing was done with premeditation and deliberation. I further admit that this murder occurred during the course of a rape, within the meaning of Penal Code Section 190.2(a)(17). This murder took place within an hour of my initial contact with Chelsea King.

As to Count Two, I admit that on December 27, 2009, I attacked Candice Moncayo while she was running and unlawfully assaulted her with the intent to rape her.

As to Count Three, I admit that on February 13, 2009, I took Amber Dubois to a remote area of Pala where I raped and stabbed her. I then buried her in a shallow grave. I admit that this killing was done with premeditation and deliberation. I further admit that this murder occurred during the course of a rape, within the meaning of Penal Code section 190.2(a)(17). This murder took place within an hour and a half of my initial contact with Amber Dubois.

I don't even know what to say, except for the fact Amber's parents now know where their daughter was while they were frantically searching for her. They know when she was abducted, what he did to her and how she died.

Unfortunately, it will not bring their child back to them. And they will replay the 90 minutes of the end of her life over and over again in their minds for the rest of their days. I wish them peace.

For Amber's Family, Closure

By ERIC S. PAGE
Updated 5:30 PM PDT, Fri, Apr 16, 2010



Amber Dubois' mother, Carrie McGonigle, strained for emotional control on Friday as District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis discussed why her office accepted a plea deal with now-convicted double murderer and rapist John Gardner.

For the first time, officials explained how they found Amber's body since her disappearance on Feb. 13, 2009, as she walked to class at Escondido High School. Dumanis said on Friday that Gardner led sheriff's deputies on March 5 of this year -- shortly after his arrest -- to the 14-year-old's body in the remote area of Pala where he raped and stabbed her to death less than two hours after he first came into contact with her. He also admitted Friday that he then buried her body in a shallow grave, as he did a little over a year later after raping and strangling Chelsea King in Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

Under the terms of the deal Gardner worked out for leading investigators to the body, though, prosecutors could not use that information against him. However, they would be allowed to use evidence found at the scene. Because no DNA evidence was found to link the killer to the girl, and because nothing seized through search warrants tied the two together, prosecutors ultimately agreed to take the death penalty off the table in exchange for guilty pleas to murder charges in the deaths of both Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

After Dumanis spoke Friday about accepting a deal which, in all likelihood, will result in a life sentence without the possibility of parole in lieu of a death sentence -- "a hollow promise" anyway, according to the DA -- Maurice "Moe" Dubois stepped forward to talk about his daughter's case.

Video: Amber's Father Talks About the Case's Turn of Events

Dubois first thanked the District Attorney's office for its diligence in prosecuting both cases and also extended his appreciation to law enforcement for their efforts. He then discussed how shocking the developments of the last 24 hours were since they learned of the turn in the case.

"As you can imagine, this turn of events in the case came as a surprise to us when we were informed about the details yesterday," Dubois said. "As a parent, I am thankful for the work put forth by the D.A.'s office and the defense team in coming forth with a resolution in the case and allowing us to have justice and closure for Amber's case."

Dubois concluded his remarks by thanking the community for the support it has offered to his family and the King family, and requested that the media and public grant them the time to heal.

"We ask that after today's press conference, you once again allow our families a bit of time to grieve, and we thank you for your understanding," Dubois said.

Gardner is due for sentencing on June 1. At that time, both families will be able to tell the court about their losses during victim impact statements.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/For-Ambers-Family-Closure-91114589.html

Amber's Stepfather Explains His Rage
Police questioned David Cave for months after Amber Dubois disappeared

By KATIA LÓPEZ-HODOYÁN and MICHELLE WAYLAND
Updated 1:55 PM PDT, Sun, Apr 18, 2010



Amber Dubois’ stepfather says a trial for John Albert Gardner III would have been a waste of taxpayer’s money. Now he hopes this ordeal will somehow trigger change.

David Cave was questioned by Escondido Police for months in Amber’s disappearance.

“Opened my house, gave them my computers, opened my vehicles up for them, gave them all my corporate account information,” Cave said. “I said, ‘you guys investigate me, do what you have to do, but hurry up so you can find the right person’.”

He says detectives always treated him with respect, but until recently, never ruled him out as a possible suspect.

Video: Dave Cave Explains His Rage

Now that the right person is behind bars, Cave says he feels a sense of closure -- but still, plenty of rage.

“The jerk does not realize how many people's lives he's affected and destroyed,” Cave said.

Now, his focus is on changing the state's law. He calls the death penalty "a joke."

“How many millions of dollars get spent a year by Californians on people who have been sitting on death row for 30 years, for 20 years for 10 years?” Cave said.

His plea is for legislators to take action and leave all the talk behind.

“Last time I checked, they worked for us,” Cave said.

Amber vanished in February 2009 with a $200 check to purchase a lamb she was to raise for Future Farmers of America. The check was never cashed.

The investigation produced few solid leads until Chelsea King disappeared Feb. 25 near the site where Amber went missing.

Gardner led authorities to the 14-year-old Escondido teen’s body on March 5 with the agreement that it couldn’t be used against him in court. Her bones were discovered March 6 in a rugged, remote area north of San Diego.

On Friday, Gardner pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping and stabbing Amber one and a half hours after he met her. In the plea deal, he will avoid the death penalty and get two consecutive life terms without parole and a third life term with a minimum of 33 years. He relinquished his right to appeal.

On Saturday Cave had a tearful message for his stepdaughter.

”I love you Amber. I miss you and I love you and I'm going to keep missing your forever,” Cave said.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Ambers-Stepfather-Explains-His-Rage---91393939.html

Amber's Dad Grateful to Gardner: Report
There is one thing Moe Dubois would thank John Gardner for. Just one.

By R. STICKNEY and TONY SHIN
Updated 7:29 AM PDT, Mon, Apr 19, 2010



John Gardner admitted he killed and raped Amber Dubois, the Escondido teenager who disappeared in February 2009 and whose body was found near Pala more than a year later.

Even after that disclosure, Amber’s father, Moe Dubois, told a local television reporter that he would actually thank the killer for one thing – telling him where his daughter was.

"Is he a monster? Of course. Did he ruin my life? Yes. Did he allow my family to have closure and be able to bury our daughter? Yeah, he did. So, I would actually thank him for giving us the closure, and I wouldn’t say anything else to him," Dubois told KGTV.

Gardner accepted a plea deal with the San Diego county district attorney’s office. He would plead guilty to raping and murdering Poway teenager Chelsea King, as well as Amber but would avoid the death penalty.

Gardner's attorneys would only agree to the deal if it meant life in prison without the possibility of parole. Chelsea’s parents Brent and Kelly King agreed, so Amber’s parents could have closure.

"I have to thank the King family for going the route they did or we wouldn't have the closure you know," said Amber’s mother Carrie McGonigle. "It put a lot of weight on them to say, give the Dubois family some closure."

McGonigle, who said she learned the details of the plea in a secret parking-lot meeting with the DA’s office, found Friday’s court appearance nearly unbearable.

"Rage, wanting to go up there and just kill him myself basically," McGonigle said. "It's a lot to handle.”

“Just looking at him and seeing that kind of person hurting our girls and killing them,” she said. “There's no words for it, the disgust."

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Ambers-Dad-Grateful-to-Gardner-Report-91463634.html

It's sad that the DP can't be used BUT, in all actuality, he probably wouldn't have been put to death anyway. What I mean is this...most of the time, the perp ends up dying in prison of old age before they can be put to death. Between all the mandatory appeals & the ones these scumbags come up with to file, well, they usually don't get the DP anyway. At least this way, there is closure for these families now.

Workers Report Seeing Amber Alive

By TONY SHIN
Updated 8:23 AM PDT, Tue, Apr 27, 2010

Amber Dubois may have been alive when John Gardner took her to the spot where he buried her, according to details in a search warrant released late Monday.

Shortly after Gardner was arrested and Amber's remains were found, Escondido police got a call from two San Diego Gas & Electric employees.

The utility workers said on Feb. 13, 2009 -- the same day the Escondido teenager was last seen -- they saw a man and someone who they thought was a young woman near a silver Ford Escort in Pala. The sighting was about 8 a.m., about 50 minutes after witnesses spotted Amber as she walked to Escondido High School.

"They may have been the last persons to see Amber alive," Amber's mother Carrie McGonigle said Monday. The sighting gives her some answers when it comes to her daughter's death.

McGonigle spoke to Escondido Police investigators on Monday afternoon to get more details about the sighting. She said investigators told her that the utility workers didn't think the sighting was unusual.

"They thought they were a couple of drunk people who were there after going to a casino," McGonigle said. "They thought the girl was a woman about 20 years old."

McGonigle also said investigators told her that the workers didn't realize they had seen Amber and Gardner until after his arrest on Feb. 28 when it was learned that the convicted sex offender was driving a silver car.

McGonigle said she doesn't blame the workers for not reporting the incident sooner. She believes at the time of the sighting the men didn't have any reason to think anything was unusual because local law enforcement didn't react quickly to the disappearance, like they did with Poway teenager Chelsea King's abduction.

"We didn't even have the big command center and search teams for three weeks, so had [law enforcement] put something out there, an alert of some sort, maybe the two guys would have said "Hey, what about the two guys we saw today?"

An Escondido police lieutenant declined to comment Monday about the sighting.

McGonigle is having a video put together showcasing Amber's life. She plans to play that video during Garnder's upcoming sentencing, hoping he will feel her pain.

"I don't know if he'll watch it or not, but he took away our baby," McGonigle said. She's also putting together a speech that she'll read to Gardner that will include questions still unanswered.

"Why her?” McGonigle is waiting to ask, “Was she in the wrong place at the wrong time? How did you come in contact with her?"

Gardner, who accepted a plea agreement April 16 and pleaded guilty to the deaths of both Amber and Chelsea, will be sentenced to life in prison without parole on June 1.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Workers-Think-They-Saw-Amber-Dubois-Alive.html

My heart just broke as I read the words of Amber's parents. The grief they must be feeling is so beyond my wildest ability to comprehend. I can only imagine what they must be dealing with, as I KNOW I have never had to deal with pain even remotely close to that which they are now facing.

Although I believe strongly in the death penalty for monsters of Gardner's type, I agree with Fysty in that even if he had received the death penalty, it would have been years before he was executed. It is so much better that Amber's parent have the peace of having their little girl back with them, albeit not in the way they had hoped. And frequently, LWOP can be much worse for an inmate. Sometimes, the DP is the easy way out.

God bless the families of Amber and Chelsea.

Gardner Refuses to See Amber's Mom


NBCSanDiego.com
updated 19 minutes ago
May 5, 2010

Carrie McGonigle, the mother of murdered teenager Amber Dubois, was turned away from a visit with her daughter's killer, John Gardner.

Gardner, 31, pleaded guilty to killing Dubois and Poway teenager Chelsea King and had said he would talk to his victim's parents if they wanted more information.

"I'm calling him out on what he said, so let's see if he does it," McGonigle said.

She called deputies on Monday, to try and get a visit, but there weren't any times available. She called back on Tuesday several times until she said deputies went up to Gardner's cell to ask him if he'll meet with her.

"He wanted me to speak to his attorneys and he was asking deputies 'Should I or shouldn't I?' and the deputy said you just need to say yes or no, 'Do you want to meet? Yes or no? I can't give you advice,'"McGonigle said.

Gardner's attorneys told McGonigle that she couldn't meet with their client until after his sentencing on May 14.

McGonigle said Gardner eventually declined. But she's hoping he will say yes before the sentencing when she and other family members will give their victim impact speeches.

"I've waited 15 months for answers and I want them before sentencing because it completely changes what I'm going to say at the hearing," McGonigle said."I don't want to have to hold back on my statement because of being afraid of him saying 'You know what? I'm never going to give this family the answers that they want.'"

McGonigle has a list of 20 questions for Gardner. The number one question is "Why Amber?" She says the rest of the questions are private.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36960853/ns/local_news-san_diego_ca/

Dad of murdered girl fights back

By DENISSE SALAZAR
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: May 7, 2010



BUENA PARK – For nearly 13 months, Moe DuBois hoped that his blue-eyed daughter who loved books, bugs and animals would be found alive. But his hopes for a happy ending evaporated when her remains were found in a rugged area of the Pala Indian Reservation.

Amber DuBois vanished while walking to Escondido High School in February 2009.

Her father remembers getting a call from Amber's mother saying she didn't go to school and immediately knew something was wrong.

Amber had a $200 check in hand to adopt a lamb through her school's Future Farmers of America Program. Her father said Amber had been looking forward to getting the lamb for a year and a half and had already picked out a name: Nanette.

"You can't describe all the thoughts that go through your head," DuBois, who lives in Buena Park, said during an interview. "It's just a devastating experience."

The agony of not knowing what happened to his only child went on for days, weeks and months. One of the hardest days was Oct. 25. It would have been Amber's 15th birthday.

On March 6, Moe DuBois and Amber's mother, Carrie McGonigle, were called to the Escondido Police Department.

"It's a hard sinking moment because you know what they are going to tell you," DuBois said. "It's awful. It's an awful thing to go through."

Amber's remains found

Amber's remains were discovered in a rugged, remote area of Pala. An autopsy revealed she had been stabbed.

The discovery was made just days after convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III was arrested in connection with the slaying of 17-year-old Chelsea King. The senior at Poway High School disappeared on Feb. 25 after going for a run at Rancho Bernardo Community Park in San Diego. Her body was found five days later in a shallow grave along the shores of Lake Hodges. She had been raped and strangled.

DuBois later learned that Gardner confessed to killing Amber after he was arraigned on charges of murdering Chelsea.

"They took him out at three in the morning and he led them to Amber's body," DuBois said.

Gardner pleaded guilty to both murders April 16 and will be sentenced next week.

What happened to Amber has inspired her father to protect children.

"Amber was my only child. I have no more children I can protect for myself," DuBois said. "I want to be there for other families who have lost their children and help them get them back."

DuBois is working with lawmakers on legislation that would help authorities respond more quickly when children are abducted and to keep better track of registered sex offenders.

Standardized procedures

DuBois is recommending standardized statewide procedures when a child goes missing to ensure a faster, more efficient recovery. This would ensure that all agencies have similar resources and guidelines to handle missing children cases.

He is also proposing to establish a system to quickly identify all registered sex-offenders within a five-mile radius after a child is reported missing.

To realize his goal of protecting children, DuBois wants to speed up notifications of missing children from four hours to two hours through the National Crime Information Center.

Ernie Allen, president of The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said he has not seen a draft of the legislation, but is in favor of the intent for rapid response because time is the enemy on missing children cases.

Allen said data shows that 75 percent of the children who are abducted and murdered by strangers are dead within three hours.

"We believe that if the laws are the best that they can be and if law enforcement has the kind of resources it needs...that many more of these children's lives can be saved," Allen said during a phone interview. "Would they have saved Amber? I don't know. They certainly would have helped."

Dubois is also proposing that registered sex offenders carry state driver's licenses that identify them as such. This would help police immediately know who they are dealing with and raise red flags for signs of inappropriate contact with children.

"I think there is going to be a lot of pushback on that one," said Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, who is working with DuBois. "That is going to be very difficult because of individual rights issues."

Other states like Louisiana and Delaware already use driver's licenses to identify sex offenders.

DuBois is also working with Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, to help close gaps in the system.

The legislation wll be unveiled later this month.

"We don't hold our agency that handled our case at fault for anything, but we did realize throughout this time many, many gaps in the system, leaks in the bowl...and that's what we are trying to patch up," DuBois said.

Need to prevent attacks

Elliott Carrie, a professor of criminology, law and society at UC Irvine, said the problem with the proposed measures is that they are reactive, not preventive.

"They don't speak to what I believe are the most pressing needs if we really want to keep kids safe: working to prevent people from becoming sex offenders in the first place, and working with those who have already committed crimes to reduce the likelihood that they'll offend again," Currie said in an e-mail.

DuBois, who resigned from his job as an electrical engineer the day Amber was abducted, said helping keep children safe has helped him cope with the pain of losing Amber.

"Once I stop I start to get frustrated and get upset, lose my focus, get depressed. I just completely roll down that hill, fall on my face and it's hard to get back up. I gotta keep going everyday. I gotta keep doing something."

For more information about DuBois' efforts, go to morekids.org.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/dubois-247697-amber-children.html

Source: Gardner, Amber's mom meet up
FOX 5 San Diego Staff
7:36 PM PDT, May 12, 2010



SAN DIEGO - Amber Dubois' mother Carrie McGonigle confronted her daughter's killer in a jailhouse meeting Wednesday, according to a source.

Fifteen months after the Escondido teenager was murdered by John Albert Gardner III, the confessed killer of both Amber and Chelsea King, the 14-year-old's mother personally spoke with him at the San Diego Central Jail.

The source close to McGonigle said she received a phone call Wednesday telling her she could go to the jail and meet with Gardner for 30 minutes.

None of the details of the conversation were released Wednesday, yet the source said she felt a sense of closure she'd been hoping for since Amber disappeared February 13, 2009.

http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-ambers-mom-gardner-talk,0,5307431.story