of days now. She was last seen at her home in Indianapolis."
Carly frowned and asked, "So you're thinking she's the same age as your victims and may have been targeted by our killer? If so, I agree and would like to talk to her parents with you."
<><><>
Early the next morning, Brody was behind closed doors with Commission President, Bradley Lucas, for at least sixty minutes, while Carly sifted through the files of victims Amanda Jenkins and Sophia Bradford. One entire wall of the conference room where she worked was a whiteboard, so she taped a photo of both girls on the board and began reviewing every element in each victim's file. She wanted to know each victim as well as she possibly could, and made plans to call their families with questions.
Carly compared the two victims, looking at their physical traits, age, school experiences, home life and relationships, habits, demographics, medical history, sexual history, and last activities before their disappearances. She knew from experience that learning about his victims would reveal a lot about the serial killer's preferences, getting them that much closer to stopping him.
Picking up a marker, Carly used it to write notes, as well as her questions, on the whiteboard. Each victim was thirteen-years-old, and both were having problems at school: a victim of bullying, or distancing herself from friends. Neither had a boyfriend. Did the girls' lack of friends and loneliness make them an online target?
Each had recently experienced a major life experience. For Amanda, it was the sudden death of both her parents, and moving in with her grandmother. Sophia was adjusting to her parents' divorce. Neither of the girls had a strong support system at home or at school. Did the lack of a support system make them more likely to visit sites where they could meet and communicate with online friends? Did this make them more susceptible to kind words and attention from a predator?
Both girls spent a lot of time online, and each was careful to take her laptop and cell phone with her. Were the girls advised by the killer to take these items with them to delay the police investigation?
More questions occurred to Carly. Sophia was able to take her sister's car to meet the killer. Amanda didn't have access to a vehicle, so how did she get to Shawnee County? Public transportation? She made a mental note to ask Brody and Cameron.
"Looks like you're making some progress," said Brody as he leaned against the door frame. Moving closer, he scanned the information on the whiteboard. "So what are your thoughts, consultant?"
"Obviously, these two victims are the only two I can use to make assumptions until the remains of the other bodies are identified," Carly began.
"Bryan says it make take weeks."
Carly nodded and continued, "Judging from your identified victims, our killer is targeting lonely preteens, who are having trouble either at home or at school or both. Both girls became secretive about who they were communicating with online."
"So what does that say about our killer?"
"I believe our killer is an online predator who knows exactly what to say to young girls to gain their trust, and he maintains the online relationship until he gets them to the point where they will agree to meet him in person. He's patient enough to develop the relationships and savvy enough to move them offline as soon as he can."
Brody ran his fingers through his hair, and said, "I can't believe these girls are naive enough to believe a stranger."
"Keep in mind, many teens and preteens spend hours online chatting with friends. These friendships can easily turn into what they think are ‘relationships.’ The girls get caught up in the predator's web when they start believing their online buddy is their boyfriend."
"I'm willing to bet Amanda and Sophie had never had a boyfriend before."
"Exactly," Carly agreed. "That's what our predator is looking for. The loneliness makes the girls easier to seduce,
Carly frowned and asked, "So you're thinking she's the same age as your victims and may have been targeted by our killer? If so, I agree and would like to talk to her parents with you."
<><><>
Early the next morning, Brody was behind closed doors with Commission President, Bradley Lucas, for at least sixty minutes, while Carly sifted through the files of victims Amanda Jenkins and Sophia Bradford. One entire wall of the conference room where she worked was a whiteboard, so she taped a photo of both girls on the board and began reviewing every element in each victim's file. She wanted to know each victim as well as she possibly could, and made plans to call their families with questions.
Carly compared the two victims, looking at their physical traits, age, school experiences, home life and relationships, habits, demographics, medical history, sexual history, and last activities before their disappearances. She knew from experience that learning about his victims would reveal a lot about the serial killer's preferences, getting them that much closer to stopping him.
Picking up a marker, Carly used it to write notes, as well as her questions, on the whiteboard. Each victim was thirteen-years-old, and both were having problems at school: a victim of bullying, or distancing herself from friends. Neither had a boyfriend. Did the girls' lack of friends and loneliness make them an online target?
Each had recently experienced a major life experience. For Amanda, it was the sudden death of both her parents, and moving in with her grandmother. Sophia was adjusting to her parents' divorce. Neither of the girls had a strong support system at home or at school. Did the lack of a support system make them more likely to visit sites where they could meet and communicate with online friends? Did this make them more susceptible to kind words and attention from a predator?
Both girls spent a lot of time online, and each was careful to take her laptop and cell phone with her. Were the girls advised by the killer to take these items with them to delay the police investigation?
More questions occurred to Carly. Sophia was able to take her sister's car to meet the killer. Amanda didn't have access to a vehicle, so how did she get to Shawnee County? Public transportation? She made a mental note to ask Brody and Cameron.
"Looks like you're making some progress," said Brody as he leaned against the door frame. Moving closer, he scanned the information on the whiteboard. "So what are your thoughts, consultant?"
"Obviously, these two victims are the only two I can use to make assumptions until the remains of the other bodies are identified," Carly began.
"Bryan says it make take weeks."
Carly nodded and continued, "Judging from your identified victims, our killer is targeting lonely preteens, who are having trouble either at home or at school or both. Both girls became secretive about who they were communicating with online."
"So what does that say about our killer?"
"I believe our killer is an online predator who knows exactly what to say to young girls to gain their trust, and he maintains the online relationship until he gets them to the point where they will agree to meet him in person. He's patient enough to develop the relationships and savvy enough to move them offline as soon as he can."
Brody ran his fingers through his hair, and said, "I can't believe these girls are naive enough to believe a stranger."
"Keep in mind, many teens and preteens spend hours online chatting with friends. These friendships can easily turn into what they think are ‘relationships.’ The girls get caught up in the predator's web when they start believing their online buddy is their boyfriend."
"I'm willing to bet Amanda and Sophie had never had a boyfriend before."
"Exactly," Carly agreed. "That's what our predator is looking for. The loneliness makes the girls easier to seduce,
Similar Books
