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John Daley ReportingSo how closely does Craig Gregerson fit the description of child murderers in other cases? A report on Missing Children and Homicide provides some interesting insights.
In many ways, the case against Destiny Norton corresponds with national statistics, in that her alleged killer lived nearby and had a previous arrest for violent crime. In the first days of the Destiny Norton investigation, police and volunteers were putting the word out far and wide, while investigators focused closer to home in the neighborhood.
Lou Bertram, a former FBI agent, says based on previous cases and statistics, that was no coincidence.
Lou Bertram, Former FBI Agent: "Neighborhood, family, yard. You know, get on your hands and knees, you know, it's right there."
The Washington state Attorney General's Office and Justice Department recently studied investigations involving missing children who were murdered. They found, in 80% of cases, the initial contact between the victim and killer is within 1/4 mile of the victim's home. 57% of child abduction murders are committed by a stranger.
And in this case, police did indeed zero in on their suspect after interviewing more than 200 people, most from the neighborhood.
Tim Fuhrman, FBI, Special Agent in Charge: "We always want to make sure, hey, does this person have an alibi? Does it make sense what they're telling us? And that's how we conduct our investigations."
The man charged lived two doors away and was not known to the parents. 20-year-old Craig Roger Gregerson did have a prior record for 2004 domestic assault, but none for sex abuse.
According to that study, the average age of a killer of abducted children is around 27-years old. 61% had prior arrest for violent crimes. 53% of those had previously committed crimes against children. The primary motivation in these child abduction murders is sexual assault.
Bertram sees a fairly strong link between national numbers and this case.
Lou Bertram, Former FBI Agent: "If you want to use a scale of 1 to 10, does he fit the profile? I would say on a 7 to an 8 he would fit the profile."
Gregerson's age does surprise him.
Lou Bertram, Former FBI Agent: "the background fits. The age does not fit for a murder of this magnitude. The age is the thing that just boggles me. The 20-year-old."
What does this report say to parents who want to protect their children? It says the greatest single thing we can do as parents is to be certain children are supervised, even if they are in their own front yard.
