Danielle van Dam
Seven-year-old Danielle van Dam was kidnapped from her bedroom by neighbor David Westerfield. Her remains were found weeks later. Westerfield was sentenced to death.
On February 2, 2002, seven-year-old Danielle Nicole van Dam was discovered missing from her bedroom in the Sabre Springs neighborhood of San Diego, California. Her parents had been out with friends the previous evening, and the family's sliding glass door had been left unlocked.
Suspicion quickly fell on David Westerfield, a 50-year-old neighbor and engineer who lived two houses away. Westerfield had been seen at a bar where Danielle's parents socialized, and he left on an impromptu trip in his motorhome the morning after Danielle disappeared.
Danielle's remains were found on February 27 in a rural area east of San Diego. DNA evidence linked Westerfield to the crime, including Danielle's blood and hair found in his motorhome and his laundry.
Westerfield was convicted of kidnapping, murder, and possession of child pornography in August 2002. He was sentenced to death.
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