Baby Shannon is FOUND ALIVE in a Cedar Box
Baby Shannon found ALIVE in a cedar box
Seven month old Shannon Lea Dedrick, who at just 11 pounds and 2 feet tall, was reported missing by her parents on October 31st. Four days later she was found in a locked 2-by-3 foot cedar chest hidden underneath her aunt/babysitter’s bed. Baby Shannon is believed to have been in the box for 12 hours before police found her.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said “There was no bottle, just a blanket to cover her. She was healthy. She was just wide open and surprised.” Something else in the box with the baby was a box of baking soda to help cover the smell of the baby’s soiled diapers. Surprisingly, the baby is healthy.
To me, this story ”felt wrong” from the beginning. Why didn’t the parents ever interview on TV or plead for their child’s safe return? The actions of these parents, or lack there of, shows there was something seriously wrong in this home. Another thing that “felt wrong”, a 7 month old baby only weighing 11 pounds, there was definitely something wrong.
Police think Chrystina Lynn Mercer, the mother of Shannon, gave her daughter to the baby’s paternal aunt and babysitter, Susan Baker, a day before reporting her missing. Haddock said.
Both women have been charged with
***Interference of child custody.
***Making a false report of a missing child.
***Making a false report of a crime and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
Police have also charged separately,
***The mother, Chrystina Lynn Mercer, 25, with desertion of a child.
***The Aunt/Babysitter, Susan Elizabeth Baker, 50, with neglect of a child with aggravated circumstances and interference of child custody.
Baker’s husband was also in custody, but he was released without being charged, Haddock said.
Haddock offered no suspected motive.
Mother, Chrystina Mercer and Aunt/Babysitter, Susan Baker
Jaycee Dugard at the age of 29
Jaycee Dugard on the cover of People Magazine set to be on newsstands Friday, October 16th
The anticipation is over and the veil has been lifted, so to speak. After all the speculation. We finally get a look at Jaycee Dugard. There she is….alive, well and beautiful on the cover of People magazine.
She did not give an interview to the magazine, but did give some statements. One statement being “I’m so happy to be back with my family. Nothing is more important than the unconditional love and support I have from them”.
The picture of her shows her with light brown hair and the same blue eyes that match her picture when she was 11 years old and abducted while walking to the bus stop before school all those years ago.
She is beautiful and surprisingly looks to be around 19 years old. Not her actual age of 29. She really looks amazing for what she has been through. Inside the magazine is several pages of more pictures of Jaycee and her mother. Her two daughters, allegedly fathered by Jaycee’s abductor, are also photographed, but only from the back.
What an inspiration to other parents who are desperately looking for their missing children. Gives them some hope that their loved one is still out there. As for Jaycee Dugard, I am thankful to her for sharing the photos. It is wonderful to see her and know she is O.K. She is a miracle.
Jaycee Dugard’s Captors Phillip and Nancy Garrido
How much more disgusting can this story get? Sorry to say…..but I am sure much much more. I think we are just getting to know the real freak (not even an appropriate word to use for this monster)…..named by his neighbors “creepy Phil”.
It is sick to read about the neighbors feeling that there was something wrong, but did nothing. I don’t necessarily blame them, they have to live with the decisions that they made NOT to do anything. But the rest of us should learn something from this! If you are suspisious…CALL and follow up with police, making sure that they actually DID somehting!
Elizabeth Smart (the 14 year old girl who also was abducted by a man AND wife in Salt Lake city….to live with them on the street and eventually be found alive after 9 long months) and her dad have spoken publicly about Jaycee Dugard and what she might be going through and feeling right now.
The father of Elizabeth Smart from Utah, said he’s horrified by the parallels between the latest abduction story to shock the nation and his own daughter’s long journey with an alleged kidnapper. In both cases, the accused abductor seems to have been motivated by religious beliefs, Ed Smart said. “It makes you angry that anyone would use God as an excuse to rationalize their predatory behavior,” he said.
Dugard’s alleged captors, 58-year-old Phillip Garrido and 54-year-old Nancy Garrido, have pleaded not guilty to a total of 29 counts, including forcible abduction, rape and false imprisonment. Are you kidding me??!! NOT GUILTY! What kind of defense are they going to use? Insanity? They were crazy all right, but not crazy enough to know right from wrong, to continue to hide Jaycee and her two children in their backyard. Not too crazy to have their own printing business.
I realize the defense attorney has an ubelieveable tough job, but come on here. This is a sicken story. I am hoping for Jaycee, her daughters, and her family that they plead guilty and go to prison for the rest of their lives….hhmmm the death penalty doesn’t sound too bad either.
More on Jaycee Lee Dugard
The picture on the left is of Jaycee Dugard that was posted everywhere in 1991 when she first went missing. The picture on the right is an age progression picture of what Jaycee might look like today.
What an incredible story to follow. Jaycee and her two daughters ages 15 and 11 (who she had with her kidnapper) are said to be reunited with Jaycee’s mother. There has not been any public appearances. I am glad they are getting some time to be alone, talk about the last 18 years, and cry. Can you imagine what the conversation would be? So much to talk about. 18 years. Does Jaycee remember her school classmates from when she was 11 years old? What does she remember about her parents, her home, her family? The day she was taken? What has she been thinking all these years? Did she think her parents stopped looking for her? What a joy that she is alive, but what sorrow for what she and her parents went through.
There are reports that she suffers from “Stockholm Syndrome”. This is a condition that develops after the initial feelings of terror and confusion wear off and involves the victim building a positive bond/relationship with their kidnapper as a way to cope with the trauma of being held captive. Instead of feeling anger and hating the person who has abducted them, they come to empathise with them and view the outside world as the enemy. Jaycee’s stepfather made comments to the press suggesting that Jaycee has guilty feelings of forming a bond with her kidnapper.
Jaycee’s grandmother Wilma Probyn, age 83, claims that is the only reason that her granddaughter is still alive, because she did bond with the kidnapper.
No doubt about it, this story is taking on all kinds of twists and turns. Now, the FBI have said they are checking into many murders of prostitutes in the area, possibly Jaycee’s abductor is also a serial killer!??
More postings to come. For now, if you are a parent, hug your children a little tighter tonight. Enjoy the blessings of the day and your family. How lucky we are…..to have and know where our children are right now. The knowledge that they are safe. Pray for those families that still don’t know, that don’t have answers….and now, because of Jaycee Dugard, maybe some of those families have more hope then ever before.
Jaycee Lee Dugard
Most of you have probably already heard this breaking news….Jaycee Lee Dugard is ALIVE! Now the question is “is she well”.
What an unbelievable story! How amazing! What joy….she has been found and she is alive! But how can your stomach not be tied in knots and feel the real sickness of the life she has had? So sad and disgusting to hear about the abuse she went through.
Laws need to be changed. Sex offenders need to be locked up for GOOD! They prove to all the communities in this world, that they WILL offend again. Our children are not safe with these sick freaks out there. As parents….this is our worst nightmare…and it must STOP! We need to protect our children from these people.
As neighbors, we need to always be watching. You can’t feel like “this is none of my business”. If you have questions or concerns, you need to call and report. And the most important thing….you MUST follow UP!! Make sure something was done….make sure the police checked on your concern. In Jaycee Dugard’s case, a neighbor DID call the police, complaining of children living in tents in her neighbors backyard. The police went to the home and spoke with the abductor and sexual predator, not even checking the backyard. BIG mistakes were obviously made! I am glad that the police are taking responsibility for this now, but things need to change! We need laws with ZERO tolerance for these people. You hurt our children ONCE….you go to jail…..you die in jail….you DON’T get a second, third, or fourth chance.
I would love to hear your responses and comments about this.
