it's hard to believe 10 years ago this
week a little Sarasota girl was abducted
at a car wash sparking a search that
captured the attention of the entire
country surveillance video caught the
moment that 11 year old Carly brewer was
grabbed by a stranger and after a
massive manhunt it was discovered that
she had been raped and murdered the
community is now looking back and
preparing to remember her news channel 8
John Rogers is joining us from Sarasota
County to live with more on this which
was a very big story at the time so
heartbreaking the way it all turned out
it's hard to believe 10 years has passed
surely is hard to believe Keith and it
certainly was a huge story I mean let me
count the ways the FBI sent agents down
here to help out the Sheriff's Office in
this investigation NASA helped out in
trying to enhance the surveillance video
and once the body was discovered an
executive order came down from the White
House closing off the airspace above the
church so news choppers couldn't fly
over I spoke today with a detective who
worked that case ten years ago and he
says that case still haunts him it was
the evening of February 1st 2004 it was
Superbowl Sunday an 11 year old Carly
Brewer was taking a shortcut back home
from a friend's house when she passed
behind the carwash and was never heard
from again
and it captured the actual moment of the
abduction the video and the ensuing
search captivated the nation
captain Jeff Bell was a lieutenant at
the time we definitely felt the pressure
of the obligation that we had on our
shoulders ultimately what we were trying
to do is get her home alive sadly that
never happened her body was found behind
a church a few days later she had been
raped and murdered Joseph Smith was
later charged and is now on death row
the story certainly did not end the way
Bell had wanted but at least they were
able to find the killer there's no doubt
in my mind that the video was the key
captain Bell says since then more and
more business
have been using surveillance cameras and
newer technology has led to improved
image enhancement a lot of times either
computer or digital imagery has become
you know an important part of
investigations
ten years later Bell says the carly
Brewster case was one of the most
significant of his career and he hopes
the community learns a lesson from this
tragedy more so than having to to deal
with it again I would tell you that my
hope is that were aware of it enough
that it'll never happen again here
the ten-year anniversary is actually
February 1st this Saturday and there
will be a special candlelight memorial
service in honor of her over at the
Central Church of Christ on Proctor Road
was actually behind that church that her
body was found a few days after her
disappearance there's gonna be a
candlelight memorial service at 6:30
this Saturday night and the public is
invited to attend reporting in Sarasota
County John Rogers newsChannel 8
