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SAN DIEGO (AP) The parents of a missing 7-year-old girl who
police believe was abducted appealed for her return Tuesday.
"Please drop her off safe somewhere," Brenda van Dam said on
NBC's "Today" show. "Just drop her off and leave and let her
come home to us. Our only concern is getting her back. We just want
our baby back."
Danielle van Dam, who has blue eyes and shoulder-length blond
hair, was last seen Friday night when her father put her to bed in
their suburban home. Her parents said they discovered she was
missing Saturday morning when her mother went to wake her up.
Investigators say they have no suspects and few leads. "We have
no reason to believe she walked away," police spokesman Dave Cohen
said. "We would have found her already if that was the case."
Police said Danielle's parents were not considered suspects.
Investigators questioned registered sex offenders in the area,
and the FBI was offering assistance but was not actively
investigating because there was no evidence Danielle had left
California, spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said.
Authorities believe Danielle left her home between 10:30 p.m.
Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday, when her older and younger brother woke
up.
The girl's father, Damon van Dam, told investigators he woke up
around 1:30 a.m. Saturday to let the dog out and noticed a burglar
alarm light was blinking. He discovered a sliding glass door was
open and he closed it. He said he did not check Danielle's room at
that time.
Brenda van Dam, who came home from a bar around 2:30 a.m. and
stayed up for an hour with her husband and friends, said she made
sure the children's bedroom doors were closed to keep from
disturbing them, but she said she didn't check on them.
The family moved three years ago from Florida to Sabre Springs,
about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego. Their quiet
neighborhood has immaculate subdivisions and a new elementary
school.
Neighbors found it hard to believe a stranger could have seized
the girl from her bedroom.
"For the peace of mind of the neighborhood we need to know if
this was random," said Gretchen Barnett, a mother of three who
lives nearby. "It would put us at ease to know that there's not
somebody scoping out the neighborhood looking for the next kid."
On the Net:
Van Dam Family's Web site: http://daniellemissing.tripod.com
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