In Part 3 of this miniseries, Curtis Dean Anderson confesses to a high-profile missing child case.  He would be investigated for a series of abductions and murders of children in Northern California.  Was he a serial killer as he claimed or was it just another manipulation by this serial predator? 

Resources: 

“Portrait of ‘an absolute monster’” by Kevin Fagan for The San Francisco Chronicle, July 7, 2009

“List of Bay Area child kidnapping cases”, San Jose Mercury News, August 27, 2009. 

“Murderer’s Confession to 1988 Slaying is Valid”. LawOfficer.com, July 7, 2009. 

Most Wanted: Curtis Dean Anderson.  Retrieved from FBI.gov  Link: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/curtis-dean-anderson 

The Charley Project: 

Amber Swartz-Garcia. Link: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/curtis-dean-anderson

Ilene Misheloff.  Link: https://charleyproject.org/case/ilene-beth-misheloff

Sponsors: 

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Best Fiends: Download on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

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A 7-year-old goes missing from Vallejo, California in 1999.  It would be some time before Xiana Fairchild would be linked to a serial predator who would ultimately be connected to several missing and murdered women and children in Northern California and beyond. This is the first part of a month-long series about serial predator Curtis Dean Anderson. 

Resources: 

Letters from a Serial Killer: The true story of a mother and a journalist's fight to save a little girl's life by Kristi Belcamino and Stephanie Kahalekulu, Publisher: Kristi Belcamino, 2018. 

"A Sad End to Xiana's Story" by Stacy Finz, Patrick Hoge, Tyche, Hendricks, Matthew B. Standard for The San Francisco Chronicle, Feb 4, 2001. 

Sponsors: 

Skout's Honor: www.SkoutsHonor.com/once for 20% off your order.

Acorn TV:  www.acorn.tv - use offer code ONCE to get your first 30 days free. 

Links:

www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime

A 9-year-old girl is abducted in Arlington, Texas. The community and, ultimately, the country would call for changes in the way law enforcement responds to missing and abducted children  

You can find the video about Amber and her family here: WFAA Amber Hagerman Documentary

Click here to find out more about the AMBER Alert System

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children can be contacted at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.missingkids.org .

You can see a list of active AMBER alerts here.

Tips to keep your children safe:

1) Have a code word phrase. This is a phrase that you would share with your children, especially as it relates to adults they should and can trust. They should know that if you send someone to pick them up from school or any activity, the code word will be used. Make it something funny or personal so it’s easy for the kids to remember. A child should only go with someone who tells them that phrase. 2) Teach your kids that adults don’t need help from kids. If an adult needs directions, help finding a pet or anything else, they should ask another adult, not a child.

3) Let your child know it’s OK to yell, scream, and say no to an adult if they feel uncomfortable or scared. We teach children to listen to adults and not to be disruptive, but there are times they should disobey and be loud. It’s a good idea to practice with your kids. Give them a scenario and have them practice say no firmly and loudly, screaming, and running away.

4) Be careful of sharing too much identifying information on the internet. Of course, we like to share pictures and information about the cute and fun things are children do on Facebook and other social media. But predators can get information about a child's location, routine, etc., if identifying information is shared such as school names, names of parks you frequent, even locations of meeting places like scout troop meetings, sports fields, etc. So, just keep that information to a minimum and without details. Family members and good friends already probably know it so it's not necessary to share.  

The murder of a young girls leads to sweeping changes in sentencing laws.

Polly Hannah Klaas was 12 years old when she was abducted by a stranger out of her own bedroom.

Resources: 

People v. Davis, Appeal Record, Superior Court of California, June 1, 2009

"The Man Who Kept Going Free" by Jeffrey Toobin for The New Yorker, March 7, 1994. 

Polly's Story - www.pollyklaas.org 

"An Angel Named Polly" by Elizabeth Gleick and Maria Eftimiades for People Magazine, Nov 28, 1994. 

Book recommendation: American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin