ORANGE PARK, Fla. – The family Somer Thompson, the 7-year-old Orange Park girl who was abducted while walking home from school, assaulted and murdered three and a half years ago, is now the victim of another crime.
The Thompson house was broken into last week, and $15,000 worth of items were taken.
According to a report from the Clay County Sheriff's Office, Diena Thompson (pictured below), Somer's mother, said her house was locked up. She did not notice there was a problem until she came home from work and went inside and saw clothes scattered all over her daughter's bedroom.
Thompson told deputies she then went to her bedroom, where she noticed things were not right. Items on her night stand were moved. She then looked in her jewelry box and found two diamonds rings were gone, according to the report.
Also missing were a laptop computer and an iPad. Deputies said what is baffling is there was no sign of how someone was able to break in to the house, which is well-known in the neighborhood.
Deputies said they have not identified any suspects.
"Not at this time," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Mary Justino said. "We have some indications of how the person got in the home. We can't divulge right yet, but certainly when we make an arrest we will do that. No real obvious break-in as broken windows, that kind of thing."
For the Thompsons, their lives have been forever changed since Somer was murdered in October 2009. She was walking to her home on Gano Avenue when she was abducted and killed by Jarred Harrell, who pleaded guilty to the killing and is now serving a life sentence.
"We certainly feel this family has been violated enough," Justino said. "They have suffered enough, and the idea that someone would target their home for a burglary does bother us as an agency, as well as, I am sure, bothers the neighborhood to think someone would target that home. We are definitely working on that case very hard and hope to have some closure soon."
Anyone with any information about the burglary is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.