Investigation timeline
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
At 9 a.m., Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree, is dropped off at Cumberland Farms in Randolph by her uncle, Michael Jacques, and a cousin. Family members told police she intended to meet her friend there and then visit a sick relative of the friend at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.
A witness later reports seeing Brooke at about 9:45 a.m. at Randolph Village Laundromat.
At 9 p.m., Brooke is reported missing to police.
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
Clothing similar to what Brooke was wearing is found near Vermont 65 in Brookfield. A search by police and dogs in the area of the Brookfield Floating Bridge ensues.
Police say Brookes story of a trip to the hospital is a ruse and that she might have been bound for a meeting with an unknown person with whom she had communicated through MySpace.com, an online social networking site.
Vermont State Police post an Amber Alert, the states first.
FRIDAY, JUNE 27
Investigators focus on a possible online relationship that might have developed between Brooke and an unknown person. This case is about a MySpace visitation, Col. James Baker said.
State police dive teams search Sunset Lake, near where items belonging to Brooke were found.
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
State police arrest Brookes uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor after uncovering information during the investigation into Brookes disappearance.
MONDAY, JUNE 30
Jacques, a convicted sex offender, is charged in Vermont District Court in Chelsea and held for lack of $250,000. His victim tells police Jacques sexually assaulted her over the past five years beginning when she was 9 years old as an indoctrination into a program for sex called Breckenridge, according to a police affidavit. Police and FBI investigators search Jacques residence at 1850 E. Bethel Road in Randolph.
TUESDAY, JULY 1
Police arrest Raymond A. Gagnon, 40, of San Antonio, citing a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor. Gagnon, Brookes former stepfather, is transferred to federal custody and will be arraigned on obstruction charges in U.S. District Court in Burlington today.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2
FBI investigators reveal in court papers that according to a witness, Brooke returned to Jacques home in Randolph on the morning of June 25. The witness, the victim of Jacques sexual assaults that led to his arrest, told investigators Brooke was to be initiated into the Breckenridge sex club that day. The witness said Brooke went upstairs with Jacques on June 25 and she never saw her again.
At 4:45 p.m., police discover the remains of a young girl they believe to be Brooke near a sugarhouse in Randolph near Jacques home. An autopsy will be performed today to determine time and cause of death. Michael Jacques is charged with kidnapping Brooke.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS01/80702039