Missing and Murdered Children

| August 24, 2010 | The New Jersey State Police issued an AMBER Alert this afternoon for Terry Dusseault, Jr., 8 years. He was allegedly abducted by his father, Terry Dusseault, Sr., 38, from the area of 301 Canal Circle in Lumberton, New Jersey.

There are many AMBER Alerts issued when a parent abducts a child and usually it is due to a custody dispute. However, in this case, the parent in question may be feeling more desperate.

Terry Dusseault, Sr. is a registered sex offender. The crimes that earned him the registered sex offender designation were committed in North Carolina in 2005. He was convicted on several counts of Third Degree Sexual Exploitation on June 13, 2007 according to the North Carolina Department Of Correction Offender Public Information site. A story I read stated that Dussealt served a prison term for those convictions and the charges involved possession of child pornography.

The reason he may have decided to take the drastic step of abducting his son and going on the run is that he was charged this morning with sexual assault of three children in Burlington County, New Jersey. None of the charges involve his son.

The AMBER Alert site states the following about outstanding charges:

The suspect is also wanted for 6 counts of Child Sexual Assault & Endangering the Welfare of a Child charges in NJ.¹

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a firm belief that sex offenders cannot be cured, that most remain predators, and that they should be sentenced to long prison terms if not to life without parole. I am in favor of Civil Commitment, if that commitment is for life. But I digress…

I really do not understand why Dussealt, Sr. was allowed to walk out of court after being charged. In my view, given his past convictions and the current charges, which if true shows a progression of his “disease” and warrants no bail or at least a very high bail amount. There is no information at this time that he in fact out on bail.

Anyway you look at this situation, there was an error in judgment made and now an innocent 8-year-old boy is in the company of a most likely desperate father who has nothing to lose.

Terry Dusseault, Jr.

Terry is an 8-year-old white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 4’8″ tall and weighs 80lbs.

Terry Dusseault, Sr., suspect

Dusseault, Sr. is a 38-year-old white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5’10″ tall and weighs 210lbs. When last seen he was wearing a tan, short-sleeved shirt and khaki shorts. He has a tattoo of “NY” on his left arm and tattoo of “Schaney” on his upper chest.

Suspect Vehicle

Black 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe with New Jersey license text: LXB61U. According to some reports, this vehicle belongs to the suspect’s girlfriend, Amy White Additional information gives the Vin number of KM8SC 83D81 U125802.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the New Jersey State Police or 9-1-1.

August 25, 2010

The AMBER Alert issued yesterday has been canceled. Terry Dusseault, Jr. was found safe and unharmed in the company of his father, Terry Dusseault, at a market in Medford Township, New Jersey. The elder Dusseault was taken into custody.

More information has been revealed about the family dynamics. Prior to the alleged abduction, Terry Dussealt, Jr., resided with his father and uncle at an apartment building located at 301 Canal Circle in Lumberton, New Jersey. According to news reports, the child’s mother is deceased.

After finding out charges were filed against him yesterday morning for the sexual assault of three children, Terry Dusseault fled with his son before police could take him into custody.

Some news reports state Dusseault’s previous convictions in North Carolina resulted in prison time, other news accounts state he only received probation.

I am glad this AMBER Alert came to a positive conclusion. It is really sad that this little boy has not only lost his mother, but will now most likely lose his father to prison time. Hopefully his uncle is a positive influence in his life.

NC DOC Offender Public Information, Terry Dussealt, Jr., 08.24.10.

Police: Convicted Sex Offender Abducted Son in NJ, CBS3.com, 08.24.10.

Tom Hester, Sr., State Police Issue AMBER Alert for Burlington County Kidnapping, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, 08.24.10.

NJ Boy Found Safe, Dad in Custody, KYW.CBS.LOCAL.com, 08.25.10.

NJ Father Arrested After Abducting Young Son, CBS3.com, 08.25.10.

1. NCMEC AMBER Alert, Terry Dusseault, Jr., 08.24.10 [↩]

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Brooklyn White, who writes on the topic of Forensic Science Technician Programs. She can be reached at brookwhite26-AT-Gmail.com.

It’s one of the worst things that could happen to any parent; it’s sometimes a fate worse than death because while death brings closure, knowing that your child is missing and not knowing what happened to them torments more than you would think possible. Parents of missing children are in a quandary of the worst kind – they are in a sort of limbo that is hard to get out of. They don’t know if they must mourn the loss of their child or continue to hope that they will be found soon, and this dilemma tears them apart and does not let them heal and go on with their lives. If you know someone whose child is missing, you can help in various ways, some of which are detailed below:

• Don’t intrude: There are times when people whose children are lost want to be left alone; they don’t want to repeat the details of the horror they have faced to every person who comes calling, whether out of curiosity or even if it is to help. So know when you’re intruding on their privacy and when they need to be left to themselves. Also, don’t take it the wrong way when they ask you to leave because they wish to be alone with their thoughts and misery.
• Don’t judge: People have different ways to cope with grief, so just because your idea of coping does not coincide with theirs, don’t judge the parents of missing children. Be of help in any way you can, but don’t think that this gives you the right to decide if what they do is morally or ethically right or wrong. Be supportive without judging what they say or what they do.
• Help out: There are various ways you can help parents of missing children – by looking after their other children, taking care of routine activities like cooking and cleaning, driving their kids to school and other activities like soccer or softball, and others. In short, your time and efforts spent on helping to provide them with a sense of normalcy will go a long way in alleviating their anxiety.
• Understand: Parents of missing children are bound to behave irrationally, have extreme mood swings, and sink into a depression because they are worried about their child and because they are under a great deal of stress. So understand their psyche and don’t take it personally if you’re at the receiving end of their bad moods.
• Cooperate with law enforcement: And finally, you must cooperate with law enforcement officials without hiding any information, even if it means people you know are going to be accused or come under suspicion. You must do all you can to help find the missing child at the earliest, because the more time goes by, the less the chances of finding him/her alive.

Original Post: Tuesday July 21, 2009Last Updated: July 24, 2009View Sources

This AMBER Alert sounds very serious. Diana, 14, was outside in her front yard Monday evening when two masked men came out from behind some trees, grabbed her and dragged her into a black car. Officers came quickly to the home off Carver in the town of Primera, Texas. It has been determined that one of the suspects is Victor Garcia, an old boyfriend of Diana’s sister. When she broke up with him he began making threats that he would ‘do something bad’ to the family. It appears he is making good on his threat.¹

Victim: Diana Izaguirre

Diana is a 14-year-old Hispanic female with black hair and brown eyes. She is 5FT tall and weighs 120LBS. When last seen Diana was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and gray shorts. She has a tattoo on her right ankle.²

Suspect 1: Victor Garcia

Victor Garcia is a 27-year-old Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5’5″ tall and weighs 170LBS. At the time of the abduction Garcia was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants. He has a tattoo on his neck. Garcia is considered armed and dangerous.³

Suspect Vehicle

Black Mercury Grand Marquis. There is no information about year or license number at this time.⁴

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Primera Police Department at 1-956-544-0860. If you see Diana or the suspect do not approach. Call 9-1-1.

Updates

July 24, 2009: 10 p.m. PST

Now I am confused about what really happened with this case. What is confusing me is the following quote from Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique of Brownsville Police:

“It’ll be a very difficult case to defend against when you’re 27 years old and you’re having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old.”⁵

Garcia has not only been charged with kidnapping, he is now charged with sexual assault of a child. From the comment above it sounds as if there was an ongoing relationship between the victim and the suspect. Of course that does not excuse the behavior on Garcia’s part. Diana is still under the age of consent.

Maybe that is why he was denying the kidnapping allegations when he appeared in court. Although authorities have evidence in the form of text messages allegedly sent by Garcia stating he was going to kidnap Diana. There is also evidence indicating Garcia planned to go to Mexico after the kidnapping. The article does not mention whether he planned to flee with Diana.

July 21, 2009: 4:40 p.m. PST

Diana was located safe earlier today after someone phoned in a tip to CrimeStoppers. Diana was located in a motel room at the Plaza Square Motel off Central Boulevard and Price Road in the city of Brownsville. Police say Diana appeared to be unharmed. Initially the abductor, Victor Garcia, was taken into custody by the FBI. However, later custody was transferred to Primera and Brownsville Police so Garcia can faces state kidnapping charges.⁶

Sources

1. Search Under Way for Girl, CBS11TV.com, Last Accessed: July 21, 2009. [↩]
2. AMBER Alert: Diana Izaguirre, NCMEC, Last Accessed: July 21, 2009. [↩]
3. Ibid. [↩]
4. Ibid. [↩]
5. Katie Lopez, Kidnapper Faces Another Charge, Valley Central.com, Last Accessed: July 24, 2009. [↩]
6. Kidnapped Primera Girl Found in Brownsville, ValleyCentral.com, Last Accessed: July 21, 2009. [↩]