Samantha Bree (Jackson) Runnion (July 26, 1996 – July 15, 2002) was a five-year-old girl abducted from outside her home in
Stanton, California
Stanton is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The population was 37,962 at the 2020 United States Census. The city was incorporated in 1956 and operates under the council–manager form o ...
, and murdered.
Kidnapping and murder
On July 15, 2002, Runnion was playing with a friend in her front yard when a man approached them asking for help in finding a lost dog. After a short conversation he grabbed Samantha, forced her into his car, and drove away. A day later, her nude body was found fifty miles south in
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by th ...
.
[Bragg, Rick]
“Man Arrested in California Case Of Child's Abduction and Killing,"
The New York Times, July 20, 2002. Retrieved on April 1, 2013. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Police said the killer was "extremely sloppy" and had left behind "mountains of physical evidence connecting him to the crime".
Alejandro Avila of Lake Elsinore, California, was arrested three days after the abduction. His DNA was found on Samantha's body, and her DNA was found in his car. Avila had previously visited his girlfriend in the condominium complex where Samantha lived and had been acquitted of molesting his girlfriend's daughter and niece. Police found child pornography on Avila's laptop computer, and he had booked a motel room on the day of the murder, where it was believed that Samantha was killed. Avila's public defender argued during the trial that he couldn't have kidnapped the girl, abused, murdered, and then dumped her body 50 miles away in one day as the prosecution believed.
On May 16, 2005, a jury returned a guilty verdict, and Avila was sentenced to death. He is incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison on death row. Her mother Erin Runnion launched a foundation called "The Joyful Child Foundation," whose mission is "Preventing crimes against children through programs that educate, empower, and unite families and communities."
See also
*
List of kidnappings
The following is a list of kidnappings summarizing the events of each individual case, including instances of celebrity abductions, claimed hoaxes, suspected kidnappings, extradition abductions, and mass kidnappings.
Before 1900
1900–1949
...
*
List of solved missing person cases
Lists of solved missing person cases include:
* List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000
* List of solved missing person cases: post-2000
See also
* List of kidnappings
* List of murder convictions without a body
* List of people who dis ...
References
External links
About.com Crime article on the Runnion caseCalifornia Conservatory of the Arts
Kids Next Door is a performance group, in residence at CCA, consisting of students selected by audition from the Conservatory. 2006 is the 25th anniversary of the group.
In memory of Samantha RunnionGood Morning America story
Samantha Runnion
on Find a Grave
Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...
The Joyful Child Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runnion, Samantha
2000s missing person cases
2002 deaths
2002 in California
2002 murders in the United States
Deaths by person in California
Deaths by strangulation in the United States
Female murder victims
Formerly missing people
July 2002 events in the United States
Missing person cases in California
Murder in Riverside County, California
Rapes in the United States
Sexual assaults in the United States
Stanton, California
Incidents of violence against girls