Missing and Murdered Children

Click on this link to read updates to this story

I have been following this story for a couple of days and I had not decided if I would write about it or not up until tonight. The police in Nye County, Nevada have released clearer images of the little girl they are trying to locate and possibly save from a horrible life of sexual assault that was occurring sometime in 2003-2004. At least that is the best guess by detectives who have viewed the troubling video of the little girl being raped and sexually assaulted in other ways by an unknown adult male.

Images of the victim have been removed because she has been located safe. Images are removed to protect her privacy.

You might wonder how detectives came into possession of the video.

Meet Darren Tuck. The story he gave to detectives when he handed over the video is he found it in the desert about 5 months ago and decided to turn it over to the police.

What a gem of a guy. He supposedly finds this horrific video and keeps it for his own kicks I suppose for 5 months. Notice the background in that picture? It is the typical painted brick wall seen in many mug shot photos. Just because Darren decided to turn into a model citizen did not prevent him from being charged with a crime. Yep, Darren is in custody, charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. According to the latest article I read on the case, Darren is now being pretty uncooperative with the detectives. Maybe his story of finding that video in the desert is not the whole truth. The Sheriff is considering contacting the FBI to see if Darren can be charged under Federal law as well as State law.

How sick is it if he did find the video in the desert, watched it, and then kept it for 5 months before handing it over to authorities? I wonder how many of his sick friends saw the video as well and they too decided not to do anything about what they saw.

Now we come to the other person the police are interested in locating, that being the suspected child rapist. If you click on his image the link will take you to the previous gallery of photos linked to the image of the unidentified child victim. There are a number of other still photographs captured and enhanced from the video of the suspect. I thought this picture was the best one of the bunch. So, do you know this person? Do you know where he is or where the little girl is who would now be about 8 - 10 years of age? If you know where either of these people are or know who they are please send an email to the Nye County Sheriff. You can also call Detective Boruchowitz at 775-751-7000.

The investigators have been able to age the video by assessing the manufacturing date of some of the items seen in the video. The dress worn by the girl in the video was manufactured in 2003 by Laura Dare and the pattern is called leopard rose.

There is also another girl pictured on the video and she appears to be approximately 10 or 11 years of age. Detectives at this point do not believe she is a victim of a sexual assault.

Detectives have received hundreds of tips from the public and think they may already have a name for the victim; they just need to verify the information. I hope the tip leads to the rescue of the little girl and the apprehension and conviction of the perpetrator of this heinous crime.

Sources:

Las Vegas Now.com: More Information Released on Unidentified Exploited Girl

Las Vegas Now.com: Slide Show of Enhanced Photos

Nye County Sheriff’s Office

Updates

September 27, 2007:

According to an article from CBS Los Angeles affiliate KCAL 9 the older girl in the video has been identified and located. According to investigators she is safe and well and was not a victim of abuse. Also the same online news organization reported new information regarding how authorities obtained the video. Apparently Darren Tuck showed the video to one of his friends and that friend notified police of the existence of the video. It was only after Darren’s friend had the good sense to notify police that Darren surrendered it to authorities and was taken into custody. His charges are promoting child pornography and possession of child pornography. The charge of promoting child pornography carries a possible life sentence. Darren was released without having to post bail. At this time detectives do not believe Darren Tuck had anything to do with making the video.

A press conference was held in Pahrump, Nevada this afternoon. Detectives are following 500 of the 1500 tips called in to law enforcement. More pictures have been enhanced and uploaded to the Las Vegas Now website. Detectives have also determined the identity of the other child in the video as well as determining that the video was shot within Nye County.

Sources:

CBS2.com: Authorities: Who is Little Girl on Sex Tape?

Las Vegas Now.com: Police Identify Second Girl in Disturbing Video

September 28,2007

Darren Tuck submitted to a lie detector test this afternoon and he failed. Detectives did not indicate which questions showed deception on the part of Tuck. According to the news report, initially Tuck told investigators he only had the tape for a week and then changed his story to having had the tape since May.

Tuck’s attorney spoke to reporters today and told them Tuck found the tape in the desert when he was dirt bike riding.

A quote from Las Vegas Now.com:

“He is driving around in the desert. He sees it. He’s curious. He picks it up, takes it home, plugs it in, take a few minutes to realize it is what he feared it was — horrible acts being done on a child,” said Kuehn.

Kuehn says Tuck was riding his dirt bike when he ran across the tape, but he won’t say why his client held onto the video for several months.

“We have an explanation that we are not disclosing,” said Kuehn.

The police do not believe his story on many levels. I wonder how his attorney feels about the story now that the lie detector test shows he is being less than truthful about something. As of this writing Tuck has not been charged with any crimes but his attorney claims he is working with police.

Sources:

Las Vegas Now.com: Man Who Turned in Disturbing Video Could Go to Prison