Media Links **NO DISCUSSION**

[Angel Who Cares]

Family statement
Posted: March 7, 2010 5:53 pm
<snipped>
Amber Dubois's grandmother Sheila Welch released the following statement Sunday afternoon:

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2

Amber was joyfully received into her loving family at 2:46 p.m. on October 25, 1994 in Lakewood, California. She was taken from her family on February 13, 2009 while on her way to high school in Escondido, California. She was 14 years old. After a search of more than a year for her, her remains have been found. She was murdered by a person yet unknown.

Amber&#8217;s family expresses everlasting gratitude to the multitude of persons who have dedicated their time, resources, prayers and efforts into the year long search. So many of you have gone from strangers to friends during this time. We so wish that you had been able to meet our Amber and discover for yourself what an extraordinary young woman she was.

Having gone to Christian schools for most of her life, Amber weekly learned Bible verses and kept the words in her heart. She had a deep love of God, family, friends and animals. Her loss dims life as we know it and words cannot express the depth of our anguish. Forever we will treasure the goodness, joy, humor and love she brought into our lives in abundance. But, as the Scriptures tell us, "...the greatest of these is love." I Corinthians 13:13

Beloved Amber. You will forever be in our hearts as a flame of love that burns eternal.

Grandmom

March 8, 2010

Article:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/article_600c79ea-6ce4-52d1-9645-559a102266b6.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

ESCONDIDO: Police chief's statement
Posted: March 7, 2010 6:05 pm
<snipped>
Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher issued this statement regarding Amber Dubois at a press conference Sunday at Escondido Police Station:

I certainly had hoped that when the day came to do a press conference about Amber it would be under much different circumstances, but that was not to be.

With me today is Sheriff Bill Gore, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Keith Slotter and Amber's parents, Moe and Carrie.

Through information developed in the course of the Amber Dubois investigation, human skeletal remains have been positively identified as being those of our missing 14-year-old Amber.

The discovery was made in the early morning hours of Saturday in a very rugged and remote area of Pala, which is in northern San Diego County.

Escondido police and sheriff's homicide detectives were following a lead in the case when they made this discovery.

Positive identification was subsequently made by the San Diego County medical examiner late Saturday afternoon by way of a dental records comparison. The parents were notified in person by Escondido and Sheriff's investigators Saturday night.

I know this will be disappointing to all of you, but I cannot take questions today. This is an ongoing murder investigation and any details, no matter how slight, would be inappropriate to reveal at this point in time.

Article:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/article_917f2174-01ed-50f7-b953-3cd9b33eb0a8.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Video: Amber Dubois' skeletal remains found 3:07
News conference held announcing that the remains of Amber Dubois have been found in Pala.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/vmix_7b5dd5a4-2a51-11df-85bd-001cc4c002e0.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Amber Dubois Facebook: Help us find Amber Dubois
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=search&gid=51889763666

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Police say they've found the remains of Amber Dubois
Posted: March 7, 2010 2:29 pm
<snipped>
Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher said the remains were found early Saturday in a rugged area north of the Pala Indian Reservation and that a murder investigation is under way. "I certainly had hoped that when the day came to do a press conference about Amber it would be under much different circumstances, but that was not to be," Maher said. \

The heart-wrenching news came exactly one week after registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III was arrested for suspicion of rape and murder in the Feb. 25 slaying of 17-year-old Chelsea King of Poway. The 30-year-old Gardner pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the charges in the King case. Gardner reportedly lived in Escondido from January 2008 to January 2010. Police said they contacted him eight times during that span and began a fresh look at him and any possible ties to Amber.

Authorities refused to say if Gardner is being linked to Amber's slaying. &#8220;Any details, no matter how slight, would be inappropriate to reveal at this time,&#8221; Maher said.

Dubois and McGonigle, who are divorced, stood side-by-side at the news conference. Both had red, watering eyes and pained expressions.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said another news conference would take place on Monday and further details would be released at that time.

After the news conference, Maurice Dubois left the police station holding his longtime girlfriend Rebecca Smith's hand. The car they left in still bore large "Missing: Amber" decals on each side, with the teen's smiling picture and the phone number to Escondido police. McGonigle left surrounded by extended family. "I'm extremely sad," Amber's grandmother, Sheila Welch, said when contacted by telephone at her Los Angeles area home. "I don't think that thoughts really describe what happens when you find out someone you love so much was murdered."

Reactions to the news
Amber's best friend, Jade Fidel, was doing "horrible" after she learned the news while watching the live news conference on television, Jade's father Jeff Fidel said.

"I was in the other room, I didn't know," he said. "I just heard her (Jade) wailing and screaming. How is it they find one girl after two days and one after 14 months. "In the first two days that Amber was missing, they wouldn't stop calling her a runaway. Why didn't they search for Amber like they did for Chelsea."

Stephanie Dorian, a cousin of Chelsea's and a spokeswoman for the King family, said the slain girl's parents were informed of the news about Amber but were withholding any comment for now.

Amber's story
On the morning she was last seen, Amber ate a bowl of cereal, slipped on a hoodie and jeans and left for school, family members said. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary that drizzly winter morning. Her mother awakened her to say goodbye. They spoke about a lamb that Amber was looking forward to buying and raising as part of the school's Future Farmers of America program.

After Cave left that morning, police know little about what happened to Amber. A couple of neighbors told police they spotted her on her way to school. A boy was seen walking next to her minutes before she went missing. On Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009, Amber's cell phone was turned on briefly and then went silent, police said.

Last reports of seeing her
A neighbor who had dropped his son off at school said he noticed Amber walking on the sidewalk as he drove north on Broadway. Another neighbor who was heading south on the same road to drop off her son said she nearly stopped to give Amber a ride because it was drizzling that morning.

She told police she did not stop because she believed Amber was walking with a boy. Both neighbors were seen on the school's security camera video dropping their kids off within minutes of each other, between 7:08 a.m. and 7:10 a.m. The young man was described as tall and dark-skinned, about high school age. Police have said he may have been the last person to see her.

The next day, Amber's cell phone was turned on, police have said. Someone attempted to check the phone's voice mail. The signal was picked up by a cell tower on Amber Lane in northern Escondido. The tower covers a five-mile radius, which means the phone could have been just about anywhere in Escondido.

On Friday and Saturday, searchers scoured Kit Carson Park following a report from a group of girls that they had seen a bag containing hair last May. The girls reminded their parents of that last week, and Escondido Police initiated the search in response. The search effort ended shortly after noon, apparently called off after Amber's body was identified.
*Much More At Link!

The father of Amber Dubois, Maurice "Moe" Dubois, right, puts his arm around his ex-wife and Amber's mother, Carrie McGonigle, as Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher announces Sunday the discovery of Amber's remains in Pala.

Article:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_24b443c5-8634-598e-a5ff-2bea337f6d73.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

SoCal Police: Missing Girl, 14, Found Dead
Mar 7, 2010 6:32 pm US/Pacific
<snipped>
The bones of a 14-year-old Southern California girl who vanished more than a year ago while walking to school were discovered in a rugged, remote area, authorities said Sunday, less than a week after a registered sex offender was charged with murdering another teenage girl who lived nearby.

The search for Amber Dubois had produced few leads until 17-year-old Chelsea King disappeared Feb. 25, last seen wearing running clothes in a park about 10 miles south of where Amber was last seen walking with a man. A body presumed to be Chelsea's was found in a shallow, lakeside grave five days after Chelsea disappeared.

Searchers found Amber's skeletal remains early Saturday on the Pala Indian Reservation, a sparsely populated area that occupies more than 12,000 acres in the northeast corner of San Diego County, said Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher. The county medical examiner's office confirmed later in the day the remains were Amber's through dental records, he said.

A spokesman for the San Diego County district attorney's office, Paul Levikow, declined to comment Sunday on the investigation into Amber's death.

Gardner was registered as a sex offender in Escondido, a north San Diego suburb, from January 2008 to January 2010, with some gaps, police say.

Gardner is being represented by Michael Popkins, a public defender who declined to speak with reporters after Wednesday's arraignment. No one answered the phone at the public defender's office Sunday night.

Article:
http://cbs13.com/local/amber.dubois.found.2.1543746.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Larry King Live: Mother of missing teen speaks
Mar 04, 2010 Amber Dubois' mother talks about the possibility that the suspect in Chelsea King's slaying could have been involved.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uckdRm_wBw4[/ame]

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Community speaks out about Amber Dubois
Posted: Mar 07, 2010 9:15 PM EST
Updated: Mar 07, 2010 9:15 PM EST
<snipped>
Throughout the past year community members have helped with the search for Amber Dubois. Now, News 8 is hearing from some in the community, after Sunday's announcement that remains found in Pala Saturday morning are those of Amber Dubois.

Video: Community speaks out about Amber Dubois 2:39
http://www.cbs8.com/global/category...default&clipId=4601953&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

Article:
http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12099954

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Dubois Family Publicist Upset With Response From Authorities
*Michelle Bart Feels Police Dismissed Results Of Search Dogs
POSTED: 7:08 pm PST March 7, 2010
<snipped>
After the announcement Sunday afternoon that the remains of 14-year-old Escondido teen Amber Dubois were located in Pala, 10News spoke with the publicist hired by Amber's grandmother about the dogs the family brought out to search for the teen last year and the positive hit they received on the Pala reservation. Publicist Michelle Bart was noticeably upset in her interview with 10News' Itica Milanes. Bart broke into tears when describing the frustration she felt dealing with Escondido police. The dogs brought to locate Amber in August of 2009, were scent dogs with special training for cold cases.

10News reporter Steve Fiorina spoke with the veteran dog handlers who told him that they'd found clues on cases where the person had been missing longer than Amber Dubois had been at that point. The two dogs, Jack, a German shorthaired pointer, and Quincy, a yellow labrador retriever, were each trained to track an old scent but with different specialties. "Jack is a very air-sensitive dog," dog handler Sarah Platts said. "Quincy is detail oriented."

But Bart said the officer assigned to their search didn't seem interested. "The officer that was with us didn't do anything, he kept quiet the whole time just like he was our escort," she said.

"It was unbelievable, just unbelievable," she said. "When the police came out and told all of you in the media that the dogs didn't hit on anything, nothing was found... my heart has been dropping because we could not say anything."

Bart said she was assured by authorities that Escondido police and other law enforcement were going to look into the area in Pala where the dogs responded. "We gave our reports to cops that patronized us," she said.

Article:
http://www.10news.com/news/22770513/detail.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Caring strangers mourn Amber at Escondido High
Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 7:49 p.m.
<snipped>
Shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, Lori Coburn of Poway walked down Broadway next to Escondido High School and approached a poster asking for information on Amber Dubois&#8217; disappearance. She pulled yellow ribbon from a bag and fashioned two bows, hanging them on each side of the poster on a fence outside the school. Coburn was already planning to go to the high school when her brother called her with the news that Amber&#8217;s remains had been found in Pala on Saturday.

They placed on the fence above the poster two purple fabric flowers that light up. They also hung a note and card in a plastic bag to protect them from the rain that was falling.

&#8220;Dear Amber,&#8221; the note read, &#8220;You&#8217;re in a much better place now. May you rest in peace. You will be missed by everyone. Love, the Warren family.&#8221; On the same note was a message to the Dubois family from the Joyce family: &#8220;Words are hard to come by at a time like this. Please know that Amber is in a safer place now where she is loved.&#8221;

The family of Chelsea King, a 17-year-old Poway girl whose body was found Tuesday at Lake Hodges in a similar disappearance, posted a comment on Chelsea&#8217;s memorial Facebook page expressing sympathy for Amber&#8217;s family.

Sunday at Escondido High School, Jamie Clayton and her daughter Brianna, 5, came to pay respects, leaving a potted flower and signing the banner to bring Amber Dubois home.

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/07/caring-strangers-mourn-amber-escondido-high/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Video: Remains of Amber Dubois found 3/7/10 3:01
Authorities announced on Sunday that the skeletal remains of Amber Dubois, missing for more than a year, were found in San Diego County early on Saturday, March 6th.
http://www.kusi.com/home/86767002.html?video=YHI&t=a

Video: Skeletal remains ID'd as Amber DuBois 3/7/10 3:57
It's the news the parents of Amber DuBois did not want to hear. Skeletal remains found in the north county.. are those of the missing Escondido teenager. Authorities informed the public at a brief news conference at 3:30 this afternoon. KUSI's John Soderman has more.
http://www.kusi.com/home/86770052.html?video=YHI&t=a

Video: Escondido mourns Amber's death 3/7/10 4:42
This has not only been a tough year for the DuBois family, but also the entire Escondido community which spent countless hours looking for her.
Lena Lewis has more from Escondido.
http://www.kusi.com/home/86776942.html?video=YHI&t=a

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Site of Amber's remains is north of Pala Mission
It's the same road along which Leticia Hernandez was found in 1989
Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 9:15 p.m.
<snipped>
The body of Amber Dubois was apparently found about three miles north of the historic Pala Mission, in a woodsy area.

Authorities have not confirmed the location, but Escondido police perimeter tape is strung around a spot west of Pala Temecula Road &#8212; about 10 miles north of the city limits.

It's the same area where 7-year-old Leticia Hernandez was discovered 15 months after she disappeared from her Oceanside home in 1989.

As of this evening, the site was guarded by a lone Escondido officer who declined comment. Two police cruisers were parked nearby.

Pala Creek is near the area where Amber's body was apparently found. But because authorities would take no questions at the news conference, there is no official information about how or where her remains were situated.

On Sunday, the scene of discovery of Amber Dubois' skeletal remains were taped off on the west side of rural Pala Temecula Road about 3.5 miles from the intersection with Pala Mission Road near the Pala Casino.

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/07/site-ambers-remains-north-pala-mission/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Aug. 20, 2009: Specially trained dog teams join search for missing teen
Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 2 a.m.
<snipped>
The dogs belong to the VK9 Scent Specific Search and Recovery Unit, a nonprofit organization, said Sarah Platts, the officer in charge of the group. They arrived with their handlers at Lindbergh Field about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The canines, a 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever named Quincy and an 8-year-old German shorthaired pointer named Jack, are trained to follow the odor of a specific person to the exclusion of all others and are often deployed on cases that have gone cold, Platts said.

She declined to specify where the dogs were searching yesterday, but said there is a dual purpose: to confirm whether Amber was actually at any of the places where she may have been sighted, and to develop new leads &#8212; &#8220;ideas perhaps they never thought of.&#8221;

Amber's mother, Carrie McGonigle, said she was very anxious but also &#8220;absolutely hopeful&#8221; that something would turn up. She said that although search dogs had already scoured the area for her daughter, she thinks these dogs, with their special training, might be the key to finding Amber.
*More at link!

Quincy (left), a yellow Labrador retriever, and Jack, a German shorthaired pointer, were brought from Virginia to search for Amber Dubois, who disappeared in February.

OVERVIEW
*Background: 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido was last seen walking to school Feb. 13 in Escondido. Her disappearance sparked dozens of searches in the past six months.

*What's new: Specialized search dogs were flown in from Virginia on Tuesday to develop new leads and confirm whether Amber was actually at any of the places where she may have been sighted.

*What's next: The dogs are scheduled to leave Saturday.

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/aug/20/specially-trained-dog-teams-join-search-missing-te/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Remains ID'd as Amber Dubois
The remains of the missing Escondido teenager were found near Pala
Updated 4:45 PM PST, Sun, Mar 7, 2010
<snipped>
The remains were found early Saturday in an area described as very rugged and remote area of Pala, in northern San Diego County. With the help of dental records, investigators were able to identify Amber's body. Escondido police and San Diego County Sheriff's investigators were following a lead in the case when they made this discovery, said Escondido's Police Chief Jim Maher. Media packed the briefing room at the Escondido police department on West Grand Avenue at 3:30 p.m. Sunday after news leaked that there had been a major development in the case.

John Albert Gardner III pleaded not guilty in the rape and slaying of 17-year-old Chelsea King. After the discovery of a body in the King search, the search for Amber intensified.

Amber's father has said he can't help but draw connections between his daughter's case and Chelsea King's and that he's spoken with investigators with Escondido police as well as the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Even the television program "America's Most Wanted" has profiled the case. The family told producers of the show that Amber sent four texts to her grandmother before leaving the house that morning for the roughly mile long walk to school. Amber&#8217;s family says Amber was a model student who never talked about running away and they believe she was abducted.

Raw Video: Amber Dubois Remains Found
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Amber_Dubois_Remains_Found__Raw_Video_San_Diego.html

Article:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loc...nt-in-Amber-Dubois-Case-Sources-86763297.html

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Amber's friends take the news hard
They get the news on the way out of 'Avatar'
Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 6:05 p.m.
<snipped>
Amber Dubois' closest friends took the sad news hard Sunday.

&#8220;Even if she was in another country, like maybe as long as she was still alive, it would have been OK,&#8221; said Hailey Kosinski, a 15-year-old Escondido High School sophomore. &#8220;I was telling myself she&#8217;s not dead, she&#8217;s somewhere else, she&#8217;s somewhere, she can&#8217;t find us. But I guess I was proven wrong.&#8221;

Hailey got the news as she was exiting Avatar, a movie she said Amber would have loved for its message and nature scenes. &#8220;She was always so kind of connected with nature, sort of the whole circle of life, balance, everything,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I think the graphics would catch her, the lush green forests and the creatures. It would be something she&#8217;d be into.&#8221;

She&#8217;s been missing so long, Hailey said, &#8220;It&#8217;s hard to even remember how she acted around you.&#8221;

Tomorrow will be a tough day at school, she said.

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/07/ambers-friends-take-news-hard/?imw=Y

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Family of missing teen hires private investigator
Friday, February 20, 2009 at 2 a.m.
<snipped>
The family of missing teenager Amber Dubois has hired a private investigator long associated with local missing-children cases.

The FBI also is &#8220;providing investigative assistance&#8221; to Escondido police, FBI spokesman Darrell Foxworth said yesterday.

Private investigator Bill Garcia, who has been involved in a number of high-profile cases in the county, said he is helping the family search for Amber, as well as aiding with publicity.

Amber's father, Maurice Dubois, who lives in Orange County and has custody of Amber on weekends, thanked the police for their efforts at a news conference yesterday in front of Amber's Escondido home.

Maurice Dubois said the family is convinced Amber has been abducted because it would be out of character for her to have run away.

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/feb/20/1m20pubsafe234436-public-safety/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Where did Amber go?
Candlelight vigil for missing teen held at school; police seek public's help
Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 2 a.m.
<snipped>
It's been more than two weeks since Amber Dubois disappeared, and police have no idea whether the 14-year-old Escondido High School student has been abducted or left home on her own.

Now police are re-evaluating an early sighting of Amber and following numerous tips and leads, including possible links to other recent cases. Investigators believe help from the public may be the best way to find answers.

&#8220;We're looking for somebody out there that has information about something that took place, or maybe has a friend who knows something,&#8221; Escondido Police Lt. Craig Carter said. &#8220;If they don't want to get involved, they can leave an anonymous tip.&#8221;

In addition to local news coverage, the case has attracted national attention on television shows such as CNN's &#8220;Nancy Grace.&#8221; It is scheduled to be featured tonight on Fox TV's &#8220;America's Most Wanted.&#8221; Tips have poured in as a result, but most have not been fruitful.

At Escondido High last night, Maurice Dubois wept after a prayer was said for his daughter Amber, now missing more than two weeks. Police are re-evaluating an early sighting of the teen and following numerous tips.

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/feb/28/1m28amber00330-where-did-amber-go/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

$60,000 reward offered for tips on missing teen
Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 2 a.m.
<snipped>
Reward money totaling $60,000 is being offered for information regarding missing Escondido teenager Amber Dubois, nationally known missing children advocate Marc Klaas announced yesterday.

Meanwhile, police and Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue team members searched rugged terrain in northern Escondido on Tuesday evening and yesterday for any sign of the 14-year-old girl who disappeared while walking to Escondido High School the morning of Feb. 13.

The reward is split into two segments. Fifty thousand dollars is offered for information leading to the girl's safe return while $10,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for her disappearance.

The reward money has been donated by individuals and businesses who prefer to remain anonymous, Klaas said.

The Dubois family asked Klaas and his KlaasKids Foundation for Children to help with the search for Amber. Klaas created the organization after his daughter, Polly, was kidnapped from her Northern California home and murdered in 1993.

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/...-reward-offered-tips-missing-te/?zIndex=62215

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Police sifting Internet for Amber Dubois clues
Sunday, March 15, 2009 at 1:18 p.m.
<snipped>
Escondido police are sifting through the electronic trail that missing 14-year-old Amber Dubois left on Yahoo and social networking and writing Web sites in hopes of finding clues to her whereabouts. Last week, police served a search warrant on Yahoo Inc., requesting information under Amber's screen name &#8220;wolfintheend.&#8221;

&#8220;We don't anticipate anything until at least next week,&#8221; Lt. Craig Carter said. &#8220;This is one of the many things we do in these cases. We did the same thing with her cell phone records.&#8221; Amber has been missing for more than one month.

When police investigators interviewed a couple of her school friends, they said Amber had told them she was chatting on line with boys. When police searched the hard drive of Amber's family computer, they found a spike in Internet activity the week before her disappearance, and applied for a search warrant for Yahoo from the North County Superior Court.

Amber's mother, Carrie McGonigle, said her daughter never told her she was chatting with boys on line. &#8220;I don't know that is necessarily true,&#8221; she said. &#8220;That's why police are getting into her account. She didn't have a boyfriend.&#8221;

Amber's father, Maurice Dubois, who is divorced from Amber's mother, said the teen never mentioned on-line chats to him. &#8220;Whenever she used my computer, I constantly monitored her. I grabbed her to see what she was doing because we don't want her on chat rooms,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don't know who those friends are.&#8221;

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/mar/15/bn15amber-sifting-web/

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Amber&#8217;s mystery
With no solid clues since the Escondido teen disappeared a year ago, family and police remain frustrated and heartbroken over &#8230;
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 12:04 a.m.
<snipped>
On a dresser in Amber Dubois' bedroom sits a pile of neatly folded clothes. For the longest time, Carrie McGonigle, Amber&#8217;s mother, was unable to make herself clean her daughter&#8217;s jeans and blouses. Just last month she finally washed the items, almost a year after Amber went missing. Saturday marks the anniversary of her disappearance. She was 14 at the time and would be 15 now, if she is alive.

&#8220;I never want to say it, but I would rather lose a child to death then to have a child missing,&#8221; said McGonigle, 42. &#8220;I have a friend whose daughter died. She said she would rather know that (her child) was in heaven than not know where she is at all.&#8221;

The school is less than a mile from where Amber lived on Fire Mountain Place with her mother, her mother&#8217;s boyfriend, David Cave, and her younger sister, Allison. A few months after Amber disappeared, McGonigle felt she had to move out of the house. &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t be a mom to my 5-year-old; she&#8217;s 6 now,&#8221; McGonigle said. &#8220;I would just go up to Amber&#8217;s room and cry and yell at her if she would come near me. I isolated myself. I just couldn&#8217;t function in this house with the memories and everything.&#8221; Allison has been seeing a counselor since the second week. At first she was angry and said terrible things, such as that she hated Amber, McGonigle said. &#8220;She just didn&#8217;t know how to deal with it.&#8221; She&#8217;s much better now, her mother said.

When McGonigle moved from Cave&#8217;s house to another home in Escondido, she took with her the small futon that Amber slept on. When she returns to her boyfriend&#8217;s house now, she said, she usually curls up on the floor where the futon had been and cries. Amber&#8217;s books, including the Harry Potter series that Amber, a voracious reader, read in its entirety in three weeks, are still in a bookcase. The posters and photographs of wolves that Amber loved so much still adorn the walls. A cat named Robin that Amber got on her 10th birthday cries at night to be let in and sleep like she did before Amber went away.

Last summer, dogs from Texas hired by the family appeared to have traced Amber&#8217;s scent to the community of Pala, specifically to the Pala library. But no one in Pala remembers having ever seen Amber. Bloodhounds used by the FBI smelled no hint of her in Pala several months later. Police think the most likely scenario is she willingly got into a vehicle with someone. &#8220;Whatever happened after that is anybody&#8217;s guess,&#8221; Benton said.

Police doubt she was forcibly abducted off the street because it was too crowded with students heading to school and someone would have seen it. Two witnesses who knew Amber saw her walking on North Broadway near the football field north of the school&#8217;s entrance with a tall, dark-skinned, but not black, sort of &#8220;doughy&#8221; boy who has yet to be identified, Benton said. Security cameras near the front of the school show Amber never made it that far.

McGonigle said her life has changed dramatically. She said she has become obsessive about certain things yet at the same time has trouble focusing on tasks at hand. How people react to her has changed, as well. &#8220;Some of my friends that I thought would really have my back and really be my support system, not a thing from them,&#8221; McGonigle said. &#8220;And the ones I never would have guessed to be there have been there through everything.&#8221;

There is a $100,000 reward in the case. An additional $30,000 has been raised, money spent largely on the printing and distribution of fliers and the production of glossy pamphlets sent a few months ago to every law enforcement agency in the United States.

&#8220;As investigators, you go by your gut feelings,&#8221; said Russo, the Escondido police sergeant. &#8220;But over the course of the past year our gut feelings have taken us in a dozen different directions. We have nothing to base a gut feeling on.&#8221;
*Much More At Link!

Carrie McGonigle, mother of missing Escondido teenager Amber Dubois, spoke about how her life has changed dramatically in the past year, from her behaviors to her friends to her home.

Amber Dubois: Complete coverage
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/amber-dubois-missing/

Article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/10/ambers-mystery/