ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Three weeks ago Wednesday the entire community was shaken when the body of 7-year-old Somer Thompson was discovered in a Georgia landfill.
Police continue to try to find out who kidnapped and killed her, having received more than 3,000 tips. Somer's mom, Diena Thompson, is trying to help investigators find her daughter's killer by bringing as much attention as possible to her family's nightmare.
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But Diena has recently become the target of hate mail and hate calls.
The distressed mother told Dr. Phil in a taped interview that someone told her it's her fault Somer was killed. Diena will appear on the Dr. Phil show Thursday.
"I got from a fellow here in Florida that said I should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for child abuse and child neglect for letting her walk," Diena said.
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She said she also got a letter suggesting if she hadn't let her daughter walk home from school she'd be alive.
"I've gotten terrible phone calls that I need psychological treatment," Diena said.
Somer was walking home from Grove Park Elementary School when she disappeared.
"I'm just a single mom just trying to do the right thing," Diena said. "I do feel guilty. I don't know what else to say."
She said she is now trying to just survive, being lifted by the overwhelming support of the community and devastated by hateful words from people who've never even met her.
"I feel like a robot," Diena said. "I just get up and do what I have to do, but I can't let them win. I just have to stay strong and maybe be a voice for other children who've ended up like this or who could possibly end up like this."