I doubt that the ill mother of these children could ever, in her wildest imagination, have contemplated this result. But given the number of registered sex offenders in this community, and given that his man did have a criminal background, I would argue that this was also not a man who was a good candidate to be entrusted with children either.
The larger point here is that people are too trusting, that people make decisions that can result in someone DYING, without knowing enough about their backgrounds. I doubt we can do much about requiring people to be more careful about their children, but it is for the most part their own families that are at risk.
In the case of firearms, that people allow into the hands of others, it is the rest of us in society that are at risk from those decisions. I would argue, again, that we need the original gun owners, the ones where there is no obvious theft, to have more at risk to them for a bad decision, a too-casual decision, a decision where like this mom, they didn't know enough or were not cautious ENOUGH about where they placed their trust, and their weapons.
This is just heartbreaking - from MSNBC.com and the news services:
Babysitter bludgeoned Ind. girl, 9, then dismembered her, police say
'Family friend' admitted killing Aliahna Lemmon, who had emotional, physical problems
breaking news
Editor's note: This story contains graphic content.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A babysitter bludgeoned a 9-year-old to death with a brick then dismembered her with a hacksaw, police in Indiana said Tuesday.
Michael Plumadore admitted he killed Aliahna Lemmon on Dec. 22, the Allen County Sheriff's Department said in an affidavit Tuesday. According to the affidavit, Plumadore, 39, said that after beating Aliahna to death, he stuffed her body into trash bags and hid her in his freezer.
He later chopped up her body, stuffed her remains into freezer bags and hid some at his trailer and some at a nearby business, he alleged told authorities.
Police spokesman Cpl. Jeremy Tinkel said a judge ordered Plumadore be held without bail or bond at an initial hearing Tuesday. He has yet to be formally charged in Aliahna's death.
Aliahna Lemmon, 9, had vision, hearing and emotional problems and suffered from attention deficit disorder.
He had been watching Aliahna and her two sisters when she went missing Friday, was being held on a murder charge. He and Aliahna's family lived in the same mobile home park in Fort Wayne.
"He was a trusted family friend," Aliahna's step-grandfather, David Story, told The Associated Press late Monday.
Allen County Sheriff Ken Fries said Plumadore told investigators on Monday where the girl's body could be found, ending the hopes of authorities that Aliahna would be found safe.
"It did come to a horrible conclusion," Fries told WANE-TV. "We have somebody in custody now who can pay the price for it."
On Monday, FBI agents descended on the rundown mobile home park where Aliahna lived and was last seen. It's a known haven for registered sex offenders, though Plumadore is not on Indiana's registered sex offenders list. He has a criminal record in Florida and North Carolina that includes convictions for trespassing and assault.
Story: Missing Indiana girl found dead, babysitter held No active search was done Sunday for Aliahna, though more than 100 emergency workers searched for her Saturday around the mobile home park. Allen County sheriff's spokesman Cpl. Jeremy Tinkel said the same size search could not be sustained because of the Christmas holiday.
Aliahna had emotional, physical problems
Aliahna's mother, Tarah Souders, told The Journal Gazette on Sunday that her daughter had vision, hearing and emotional problems and suffered from attention deficit disorder. Aliahna and her sisters were staying with Plumadore because their mother had been sick with the flu and Aliahna's stepfather works at night and sleeps during the day.
"This was a child with the face of an angel," Story told the newspaper. "She truly believed everybody had good in them, it just had to be found."
Plumadore told the newspaper Sunday that he left the three girls in his mobile home about 6 a.m. Friday and went to a gas station about a mile away to buy a cigar. Authorities have said the store's surveillance video shows him there about that time.
"I had dead-bolted the door," he said. "When I got back, all the girls was here."
He said he smoked his cigar and went back to sleep, then woke up about 10 a.m. when Aliahna's mother called. After that call, he realized the door to the home was unlocked and that Aliahna was gone. He said Aliahna's 6-year-old sisters told him Aliahna had left with her mother.
Plumadore said it wasn't until he talked with Aliahna's mother about 8:30 p.m. that they realized she was missing and police were notified. Souders said the miscommunication caused the delay in determining that Aliahna had vanished.
Megan Lehman, center, stands among a crowd of over 50 people who gathered Monday night for a candlelight vigil for Aliahna Lemmon in Fort Wayne, Ind.
"The story just didn't make sense to our investigators or to me when I first heard it," Fries said. "I thought this is the guy we needed to focus on. If we are going to find her, he's going to be the one who has the answers for us."
Elizabeth Watkins, who lives nearby, said residents are cautious and keep to themselves in part because of the number of sex offenders living in the mobile home park. According to a state website, 15 registered sex offenders live in the park that numbers about two dozen homes. Watkins and she didn't know Plumadore and was shocked when told of the girl's death.
"I'm numb, I'm totally numb. I don't know what to think," she said.
