Sheriff Says Somer Thompson's Killer May Exhibit Behavioral Changes

Oct. 28, 2009— -- The day after little Somer Thompson was buried, Sheriff Rick Beseler said his focus has changed from the 7-year-old girl to the person who killed her.

"Yesterday was about Somer Thompson," Beseler said at a news conference today, referring to the Florida girl who disappeared Oct. 19 while walking home from school. Her body was later found in a Georgia landfill. "Today is about her killer."

Beseler, the Clay County sheriff, said investigators have checked out hundreds of leads called in to a hotline, but he said the key people have yet to call in.

"We're referring to people associated with the offender in this case," Beseler said. They likely don't realize they are associated with the killer, he said.

The sheriff urged people to alert detectives if they notice certain changes in people's behavior, like "an unnatural interest" in the girl's case, or hiding their vehicle in a shed or giving it away.

"You will recognize the change and even question them about it but not realize it is associated" with the Somer Thompson case, Beseler said.

He said telltale signs would be a combination of several behaviorial changes, including:

Unexplained injuries such as cuts or bruises on the head, arms and hands.