CA - Lily Burk, 17, Los Angeles, 24 July 2009

My heart just breaks for her parents.

I hope they find the perp soon and get him or her off the streets.
 
Lily Burk left home Friday afternoon and never returned. Police found her body the next morning and are investigating the death as a homicide.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-girl-killed26-2009jul26,0,2024771.story

After reading the story, all those calls to parents, trying to withdraw money, makes me think she was being made to by a robber. She was found dead in the passenger seat. I wonder if it was a car-jacker who took control over her.

Her photo is so beautiful. Prayers for her family.
 
This is incredibly sad and I felt my eyes tear as I read that. I wonder if it was someone she knew. Whoever it was, I hope they catch him. I am assuming a 'him'.
 
She was a beautiful girl, from Knox's link...

Lily made separate calls to each of her parents, asking them how to get cash using her credit card at an ATM, police said.

Lily seemed in a rush, her father said, but not frightened. She said she needed money to buy shoes. Her parents said they told her to come home.

(sounds like she was carjacked and made to withdraw money, but tried to stay strong)

The parents were upset, believing that police were handling the case as a missing-person investigation rather than an abduction.

The girl's parents said they told police that they had contacted the cellphone and credit card companies. Their information showed repeated attempts to withdraw money from an ATM using the credit card, they said. Drooz said she told police that their daughter's cellphone calls were moving farther east.
 
I wonder if she never got money off the card? Seems a little odd. Was that her way of trying to alert them that something was wrong? My 17 yr olds know how to get money off all the cards!
 
I wonder if she never got money off the card? Seems a little odd. Was that her way of trying to alert them that something was wrong? My 17 yr olds know how to get money off all the cards!

When one of my son's got his first ATM card it had a Visa Logo on it. I had to tell him that he couldn't use it as a "Credit Card". When swiped, it only takes the money that we put in his account. So, maybe that's why she asked the parent's how to use it as a credit card?
 
What a tragic story. Fwiw, I've never assigned a pin number to any of my credit cards and would not be able to use them at an atm either.
 
I wonder if she never got money off the card? Seems a little odd. Was that her way of trying to alert them that something was wrong? My 17 yr olds know how to get money off all the cards!
I do wonder if she was sending clues. If it was an actual credit card, she could have just purchased the shoes with the card.
 
The story says she was trying to get cash from her credit card (not an ATM card). I thought that was a little odd, no ATM/Debit card? And then also, why not USE the credit card AT the store to buy shoes? I was immediately heart broken as it sounded like she was trying to give them a clue that something was wrong.

I have a 17 year old daughter, I can immediately tell by the tone of her voice when something is wrong. If she is with friends and cannot say out loud what the issue is ... I'll ask the questions and she answers in a way that others hearing the convo can't decipher.

I hope there is footage at the ATM which gives LE a clue.
 
She may have been trying to send a clue. Imo she was trying to get the money because she was being robbed. At 17 she probably did not have an account with an atm card, but only a CC her parents gave her for gas etc. Most people I know can't use their CC's at an atm because they don't have a pin. Also atm cards can look like CC's but they are not.
 
My thoughts and prayers go out to Lily's parents. :rose:


I too believe this could've been a carjacking and she was being forced to try to remove money from the ATMs. Thankfully the banks have cameras and maybe the perp is within camera range. I pray the LAPD catches him soon.
 
I've been trying to MapQuest her route and it looks like she was found about 10 miles from her home. I wonder if the perp jumped her as she was getting into the car from the University. Her mom must feel so guilty that she was running an errand for her! But how was she to know? It isn't her fault and I hope she knows that!
 
Whoever did this to her, most likely has been picked up for other crimes in the past. California takes buccal swabs of anyone arrested or charged with any felony, so maybe the DNA in the car or on her body will aid in identifying this cold blooded creep(s).


Criminals 'profile' their victims as well. She was an easy target:
Young pretty girl catches someones eye
She drives a pricey auto (he's thinking family must have money )
Approaches her in the parking lot, goes for the purse but no real dollars found, hence the ATM rounds.

Am guessing this person has a drug problem.

This world has changed, many more desperate people out there. I think the 'LOW PROFILE' look/appearance for you, me, our children may become more popular with crime on the rise.
 
Whoever did this to her, most likely has been picked up for other crimes in the past. California takes buccal swabs of anyone arrested or charged with any felony, so maybe the DNA in the car or on her body will aid in identifying this cold blooded creep(s).

Thank goodness they do this! Very progressive crime fighting laws on their part!
 
This precious young girl sounds like she had such a promising future ahead of her. She was a creative and bright little lady. I am so sad for her family...so very sad.
 

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