Van Dam Family Honors Volunteers, Police
Tribute Reception Held At Mission Bay Park
POSTED: 2:55 pm PST March 22,
2002
UPDATED: 9:48 pm PST March 24,
2002
SAN DIEGO -- The van Dam family held a tribute reception this weekend for the thousands of citizens and law enforcement who helped look for their daughter Danielle.
Saturday's catered social at Mission Bay Park featured musical entertainment and a presentation by the San Diego Police Department, which made the girl's disappearance its top priority last month.
The luncheon get-together had to be moved from a hotel to the harbor shoreline due to the extent of interest from the thousands of locals who pitched in for weeks to try to find Danielle, organizers said. The 7-year-old disappeared from her bed late Feb. 1 or early the next morning, allegedly in the clutches of a man who lived two doors away from her family, 10News reported. Within days, the case of the kidnapped second-grader became a national press obsession. Working out of a makeshift "recovery center," teams of civilians joined law enforcement in combing vast swaths of the San Diego area and its environs in hopes of locating Danielle alive. Most had no connection to the child, knowing her only from the "missing" fliers visible all over town and via news broadcasts of heartbreaking home videos that captured a carefree, playful little girl with a flare for fashion. During the three-plus weeks she remained missing, about 2,500 people registered at the Poway search center to join in the endeavor. Volunteers found Danielle's body under an oak tree in the rural East County community of Dehesa on Feb. 27, days after detectives arrested van Dam neighbor David Westerfield in connection with her abduction. Westerfield, a 50-year-old design engineer and twice-divorced father of two, has been ordered to stand trial on murder and kidnapping charges. He could get the death penalty if convicted.
 DANIELLE VAN DAM 1994-2002 DONATIONS The Danielle van Dam Family Trust Mail donations to: Community Bible Church 9919 Carroll Center Road San Diego, 92126 DISCUSSION |
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Previous Stories:
- March 19, 2002: Neighborhood Danielle Memorial Removed
- March 19, 2002: Danielle Memorial May Be Scrapped
- March 17, 2002: Memorial Celebrates Danielle van Dam
- March 15, 2002: San Diegans To Remember Danielle At Memorial
- March 15, 2002: Westerfield To Stand Trial In Van Dam Murder
- March 14, 2002: Revised Soap Schedule
- March 12, 2002: Preliminary Hearing Offers Additional Details
- March 11, 2002: Witness: Danielle's Body Found Nude, Decomposing
- March 8, 2002: Gag Order Issued In Van Dam Murder Case
- March 6, 2002: Where To Put Danielle's Flowers Sparks Row
- March 5, 2002: Danielle's Parents Speak Out
- March 4, 2002: Westerfield Affidavits To Remain Sealed
- March 3, 2002: Experts Try To Determine Danielle's Cause Of Death
- March 1, 2002: Body Found Believed To Be Danielle's
- March 1, 2002: Autopsy Confirms Body Found Is Danielle's
- February 27, 2002: Search Warrants Show Police Sought Child Porn
- February 27, 2002: Danielle's Parents Respond To Neighbor's Arraignment
- February 26, 2002: Trial Set For Accused South Bay Boys' Killer
- February 26, 2002: Westerfield To Be Charged With Murder
- February 25, 2002: Danielle's Blood Found On Neighbor's Clothing
- February 21, 2002: Search For Danielle Extends To Mexico
- February 21, 2002: Marines Assist In Search For Danielle
- February 20, 2002: Governor Shows His Support For Van Dam Family
- February 20, 2002: Police Use Old Murder For Clues In Van Dam Case
- February 20, 2002: Crime Lab Personnel Return To Van Dam Home
- February 18, 2002: Search Continues For Danielle van Dam
- February 15, 2002: Police: Break In Missing Girl Case Expected
- February 14, 2002: Police Search Neighbor's House Again
- February 13, 2002: Marc Klaas Lends Support To Van Dam Family
- February 13, 2002: Reward For Danielle Reaches $185,000
- February 13, 2002: 'Better Trained' Dog Joins Danielle Search
- February 12, 2002: Rewards Grow In Search Of Missing Girl
- February 11, 2002: Missing Girl's Family Offers $25,000 Reward
- February 8, 2002: Police: Westerfield Had Child Porn
- February 8, 2002: Investigation Operations Base Leaves North County
- February 8, 2002: Search For Danielle Goes Nationwide
- February 7, 2002: Parents Plead For Help Finding Missing Daughter
- February 5, 2002: Police Question Neighbor In Missing Girl Case
- February 4, 2002: Parents Plead For Daughter's Safe Return
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