Found Deceased TX-Erica Botello, 7, San Antonio, 23 August 1990

[SAMS]

Search volunteers remember Erica Botello 25 years later

"Erica Botello disappeared from her West-side apartment complex. The seven-year-old was eventually found dead.But to this day, her case remains unsolved."That's always been my favorite one of Erica she's such a cutie pie in that one," said Vanessa Tate-Wynn, who lead search efforts for Botello back in August of 1990."

 

[SAMS]

1990 kidnapping, murder of two San Antonio girls still unsolved

 

[PayrollNerd]

I hope they have lots of evidence that has been preserved in both cases. Hoping DNA will help crack these two cases. Their families need peace.

 

[Gruffin]

I just noticed Botello was taken I believe the day after Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson were murdered in Houston.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Families seek closure in 1990 deaths of two San Antonio girls | kens5.com

 

[Kell1]

The profile of these individuals doesn't vary all that much

-Individual usually is in the area of the abduction for legit reasons when it occurs (IE they live, work, or travel frequently through the area where the child is abducted) - In this case, it may have been another tenant of the same apartment complex

-Usually mid 20's to early 30's (mean age of 27.8 yo) at the time of incident

-Usually lives alone or with parents at time of incident

-In most cases, the victim does not know the offender, but only slightly less the victim may be a friend or acquaintance of the victim or their family

-Child victim is selected based on opportunity not physical characteristics the main facet in them being targeted is the victim being alone

-Motive is overwhelmingly sexual in these type of cases

-Offender will often have a criminal history usually indicative of some preference for child victims

-Frequent relocation through out their lives, and most have moved to another residence within a year prior to the crime, almost certainly would leave some time after the crime

-Often most familiar with the site where the victims body is recovered (in this case, is less than a mile from the abduction site ) which tells us this individual is most likely VERY familiar with the area

-Often considered odd or strange by those who know him, may have been suspected by those around him.

-May have confided in someone they trust, about his involvement, usually acknowledging the action but denying the intent (IE they "didn't mean to kill the victim")

-Usually not under any type of custody at the time of the incident (parole ,probation etc..)

-Unemployed or underemployed at time of abduction, usually unskilled or semi skilled labor most often in some facet of the construction industry

-Offenders name name usually surfaces, within the investigation within the first 7 days, and has often been questioned

-Offenders will sometimes inject themselves into the investigation such as a volunteer

Its tough to get a lot of information on her case, because it is always mentioned in the media with another abduction (Heidi Seeman) around the same time, but again the type of individuals that abduct and murder children for sexual purposes doesn't vary all that much from case, to case

 

[PayrollNerd]

The profile of these individuals doesn't vary all that much

-Individual usually is in the area of the abduction for legit reasons when it occurs (IE they live, work, or travel frequently through the area where the child is abducted) - In this case, it may have been another tenant of the same apartment complex

-Usually mid 20's to early 30's (mean age of 27.8 yo) at the time of incident

-Usually lives alone or with parents at time of incident

-In most cases, the victim does not know the offender, but only slightly less the victim may be a friend or acquaintance of the victim or their family

-Child victim is selected based on opportunity not physical characteristics the main facet in them being targeted is the victim being alone

-Motive is overwhelmingly sexual in these type of cases

-Offender will often have a criminal history usually indicative of some preference for child victims

-Frequent relocation through out their lives, and most have moved to another residence within a year prior to the crime, almost certainly would leave some time after the crime

-Often most familiar with the site where the victims body is recovered (in this case, is less than a mile from the abduction site ) which tells us this individual is most likely VERY familiar with the area

-Often considered odd or strange by those who know him, may have been suspected by those around him.

-May have confided in someone they trust, about his involvement, usually acknowledging the action but denying the intent (IE they "didn't mean to kill the victim")

-Usually not under any type of custody at the time of the incident (parole ,probation etc..)

-Unemployed or underemployed at time of abduction, usually unskilled or semi skilled labor most often in some facet of the construction industry

-Offenders name name usually surfaces, within the investigation within the first 7 days, and has often been questioned

-Offenders will sometimes inject themselves into the investigation such as a volunteer

Its tough to get a lot of information on her case, because it is always mentioned in the media with another abduction (Heidi Seeman) around the same time, but again the type of individuals that abduct and murder children for sexual purposes doesn't vary all that much from case, to case

Such great info to learn. Thanks!

 

[Kell1]

Such great info to learn. Thanks!

Welcome

 

[SAMS]

@Kell1 “Often most familiar with the site where the victims body is recovered (in this case, is less than a mile from the abduction site ) which tells us this individual is most likely VERY familiar with the area”

Interesting. Made me think of Amber’s case and the fact that I always believed her perp resides(ed) close to the body dump site.
TX - TX - Amber Hagerman, 9, Arlington, 17 Jan 1996

 

[SAMS]

Two San Antonio girls were abducted and killed 30 years ago. Their deaths remain a mystery.


“When police discovered Heidi, they said her body was so badly decomposed it would be almost impossible to determine the cause of death, according to an article in the San Antonio Express-News on Aug. 27, 1990.

Nobody has ever been charged in either slaying.

“It was so sad and upsetting to think about these sweet, beautiful girls going missing,” said Dottie Laster, who remembered seeing the news on TV. “People still tell me that they felt the same way — sad, scared, angered that anyone could hurt a child like this. It was an absolute loss to all of us.”

 

[Kell1]

@Kell1 “Often most familiar with the site where the victims body is recovered (in this case, is less than a mile from the abduction site ) which tells us this individual is most likely VERY familiar with the area”

Interesting. Made me think of Amber’s case and the fact that I always believed her perp resides(ed) close to the body dump site.
TX - TX - Amber Hagerman, 9, Arlington, 17 Jan 1996

Abducted and dumped less than 2 miles apart from each other in Ambers case I believe

Pretty certain he lived nearby

 

[SAMS]

Abducted and dumped less than 2 miles apart from each other in Ambers case I believe

Pretty certain he lived nearby

Yes less than 2.

 

[Friday Fan]

Erica’s family went through a roller coaster after she was found dead.

Three men — 31-year-old Kenneth Earl Pope, 31-year-old Sherman Bedford III and 17-year-old Rodrick Springs — were briefly considered suspects in her disappearance and death, but later cleared.

Unfortunately, Erica and Heidi's disappearance and murders often get lumped together due to the fact that Erica disappeared while everyone was searching for Heidi.

When Deputy Chief Albert Ortiz still was a lieutenant in command of the San Antonio Police Department homicide unit, he thought he knew who did it. But he says he couldn't prove it.

Two men were picked up a day after Erica's disappearance.

Sherman Bedford III, 31, with an IQ of 53, and Rodrick Springs, 17, with a history of paranoid schizophrenia, were arrested.

In the case of Bedford and Springs, Ortiz insists to this day he considers them the primary suspects.

"The last person seen talking to Erica was Rodrick Springs," Ortiz said.

But the witness, a 7-year-old child, stepped away from the window for a moment.

Erica's scream was heard and by the time the witness had returned to the window, both of them were gone, Ortiz said.

Don't know if this is considered acceptable link, but it contains a copied Express News article:
Botello, Erica



Two were arrested before Erica's body was discovered. There was a lot of drama involving the three suspects.....I don't know if the arrest led to Erica's body or what the deal was...I can't remember if a false confession was involved or if the confession was thrown out due to mental issues or what the deal was. I can't find any more information via Google to refresh my memory.

I think at the time, the general consensus was that these guys did it, but they could not legally be held accountable. I believe the suspects arrested in Erica's case were local and known in the neighborhood. She was found 2 days after her abduction, less than a mile away. Erica lived in a housing project where there were opportunities for interaction on a playground with all sorts of people of numerous ages. There are also things that can be "read between the lines".....(Article above)

The Heidi case and the Erica case are not considered to be related. They just had the misfortune of happening at the same time. Heidi's was a suburban case involving a vehicle abduction.

Article about the arrests in a community newspaper:

San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 59, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 30, 1990

 

[Friday Fan]

More about Erica's death from San Antonio Police Department Historical Society Facebook Page

Aug 28, 1990: Police arrested a third man Monday in the slaying of a 7-year-old kidnapped girl — one of two young girls whose bodies were found during the weekend. Erica Botello's body was found in a drainage ditch near her San Antonio home. The body of Heidi Seeman, 11, was discovered about 60 miles away along a rural road near Wimberley in Hays County. Police said they don't believe the killings are related. Both girls were the objects of huge searches. In Heidi's case, the hunt spread through South Texas and ultimately went nationwide. Kenneth Earl Pope, 31, was arrested Monday on a capital murder charge in Erica's death, police spokeswoman Sandy Perez said. He was being held at Bexar County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond. Also charged with capital murder in her killing are ' Rodrick Springs, 17, and Sherman Bedford III, 31. Both remained in Bexar County Jail on Monday in lieu of $1 million bond. Lt. Albert Ortiz, commander of the San Antonio Police homicide division, said police were awaiting a medical examiner's report Monday before announcing Erica's cause of death. She was taken by car from her apartment complex Thursday. "We do know for a fact that they rode her around town for a long, long time," Ortiz said. In a news conference Sunday night, Ortiz said Erica's hands had been tied and her body was partially clothed. A volunteer searcher discovered the body about noon Sunday in a storm sewer a few blocks from her apartment.

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Interesting comments about Erica's housing complex from someone who lived there.
I don't quite believe that it was as bad as someone says it was, but it does show dynamics/tension and that Erica might have known Rodrick Springs and Sherman Bedford. (Although, I find it hard to believe it was "revenge")

The media at the time indicated that Rodrick Springs and Sherman Bedford knew Erica. (I just can't find the archives)

I lived in San Antonio then and now. This was a big story at the time.

They were arrested right away, so the police knew these two men and knew they had contact with Erica. I don't know how they knew to look in a manhole, but I'm pretty sure someone told her she was there. They found her body 200 ft down. Someone had to tell them she was in a manhole. They found her only 2 days after she went missing.

 

[Friday Fan]

But according to the San Antonio Police Department, two of the three suspects charged in Erica’s murder were no-billed by a Grand Jury, while the case against the third suspect was dismissed after a confession was ruled inadmissible because of “the deficient mental state of the defendant."

When contacted for comment, a department spokesperson denied our request for an interview, stating: “I was advised by the Homicide Sgt. that the family does not wish to bring light to the case and have asked that we not discuss the case with the media. We are granting the family's wishes and will not be providing the interview.”


In a separate statement, the department’s spokesperson said, “There is no other information or evidence to indicate that anyone other than the listed suspects were involved in this crime. The case is considered closed by arrest.”
Families seek closure in 1990 deaths of two San Antonio girls | kens5.com



_____________________________________________________
From what I understand, there is no longer an active investigation into Erica's death. Those involved with the case know what happened, but unfortunately based on the circumstances, they could not bring the case to trial. MOO

Heidi's case is the hands of the Texas Rangers.
San Antonio is a fairly segregated city and these two cases are unrelated, but unfortunately happened at the same time. They happened in two very different areas of the city.

 

[FancyBotwin]

More about Erica's death from San Antonio Police Department Historical Society Facebook Page

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Interesting comments about Erica's housing complex from someone who lived there.
I don't quite believe that it was as bad as someone says it was, but it does show dynamics/tension and that Erica might have known Rodrick Springs and Sherman Bedford. (Although, I find it hard to believe it was "revenge")

The media at the time indicated that Rodrick Springs and Sherman Bedford knew Erica. (I just can't find the archives)

I lived in San Antonio then and now. This was a big story at the time.

They were arrested right away, so the police knew these two men and knew they had contact with Erica. I don't know how they knew to look in a manhole, but I'm pretty sure someone told her she was there. They found her body 200 ft down. Someone had to tell them she was in a manhole. They found her only 2 days after she went missing.

It was reported by Express news that they went into the Manhole as suggested I believe by the Mayor at the time. They said "Check the sewage systems"

 

[Friday Fan]

It was reported by Express news that they went into the Manhole as suggested I believe by the Mayor at the time. They said "Check the sewage systems"

OMG! Lila said that? I was too busy raising kids. I remember when they found her.
Also our sewers are not storm sewers, they're sewer sewers! (At least on the northside they are)
Maybe they have storm sewers in Erica's neighborhood, but I haven't seen a storm drain with a manhole cover around here!

_________________
That said the case is considered closed and the family does not want wish to bring light to the case

 

[FancyBotwin]

OMG! Lila said that? I was too busy raising kids. I remember when they found her.
Also our sewers are not storm sewers, they're sewer sewers! (At least on the northside they are)
Maybe they have storm sewers in Erica's neighborhood, but I haven't seen a storm drain with a manhole cover around here!

_________________
That said the case is considered closed and the family does not want wish to bring light to the case

I believe so, or one of the police commissioner/lieut.'s, I have to double check but I'll def post it. I think I have a pic of it...I grew up there and have been researching her case and a few others, and was able to go thru their archive collection of news clippings for this case at the sa public library last weekend actually! I can post them here if you'd like, and if you have the san antonio express news subscription for like 99 cents, you can see some other articles on it that are VERY in depth. This one is a description of the autopsy/crime scene for poor Erica. It's the first one in the archive, which only goes back to Oct. 1990 so far. Here's the link to that: Sign In | San Antonio Express-News Archives botello storm drain&content_added=&date_from=&date_to=&pub%5B0%5D=SANB&pdate=1990-10-04

 

[FancyBotwin]

I believe so, or one of the police commissioner/lieut.'s, I have to double check but I'll def post it. I think I have a pic of it...I grew up there and have been researching her case and a few others, and was able to go thru their archive collection of news clippings for this case at the sa public library last weekend actually! I can post them here if you'd like, and if you have the san antonio express news subscription for like 99 cents, you can see some other articles on it that are VERY in depth. This one is a description of the autopsy/crime scene for poor Erica. It's the first one in the archive, which only goes back to Oct. 1990 so far. Here's the link to that: Sign In | San Antonio Express-News Archives botello storm drain&content_added=&date_from=&date_to=&pub%5B0%5D=SANB&pdate=1990-10-04

Actually lemme attach a pdf of it. Trigger warning (graphic) because that link may not work well....

 

[Friday Fan]

I believe so, or one of the police commissioner/lieut.'s, I have to double check but I'll def post it. I think I have a pic of it...I grew up there and have been researching her case and a few others, and was able to go thru their archive collection of news clippings for this case at the sa public library last weekend actually! I can post them here if you'd like, and if you have the san antonio express news subscription for like 99 cents, you can see some other articles on it that are VERY in depth. This one is a description of the autopsy/crime scene for poor Erica. It's the first one in the archive, which only goes back to Oct. 1990 so far. Here's the link to that: Sign In | San Antonio Express-News Archives botello storm drain&content_added=&date_from=&date_to=&pub%5B0%5D=SANB&pdate=1990-10-04

Yes, I subscribe.