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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 8:40:52 GMT -5
Police Issue Amber Alert for Missing Child Brookfield, Vermont - June 25, 2008 Vermont State Police have issued an Amber Alert for a missing Braintree girl. 12-year-old Brooke Bennett was last seen Wednesday morning in Randolph. "Obviously I'm upset. You just want her home. We want her back," Brooke's father, James Bennett, said tearfully. James Bennett sat with his wife, Janet, as they tried their best to be strong. Pictures of Brooke are scattered throughout the home. Brooke lives with her mom in Braintree. The 12-year-old celebrates her birthday next month and her dad says she is already a typical teen. "Of course, she is becoming a teen so she is interested in spending time with friends and doing sports. You know we are all for that. But we are not all for this," said James Bennett. Brooke was last seen on surveillance video walking away from the Cumberland Farms in Randolph Wednesday morning. Police say she convinced her uncle to drop her off at the store so she could get a ride to visit a sick friend. But police say she really went there to meet a person she had been communicating with online through the popular social networking site MySpace.   ![]() wcax.images.worldnow.com/images/8558608_BG3.jpg[/img]   www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8558608&nav=4QcS |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 8:42:55 GMT -5
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 8:46:03 GMT -5
Randolph, Vermont - June 27, 2008 Police turned up few clues Friday in the search for a missing 12-year-old girl from Brookfield. Brooke Bennett disappeared Wednesday morning-- prompting Vermont's first ever Amber Alert. The investigation is focused locally in central Vermont and nationally on the internet. Witnesses saw Brooke outside a laundromat and Dunkin Donuts in Randolph Wednesday morning between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. She wasn't seen again-- but some of her clothes were found along route 65 in Brookfield. Bennett was last seen on surveillance at Cumberland Farms. She enters the store with her uncle, he purchases coffee and some cigarettes, and they leave the store. Brooke walks left, her uncle goes right. "We know she stayed in that area for a period of time... because we have witnesses that put her in that area," says Vt. State Police Col. James Baker.      Video www.wcax.com/global/video/...;activePane=info&rnd=51028618 www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8565435 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 8:46:41 GMT -5
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 8:47:48 GMT -5
 Michael Jacques Randolph, Vermont - June 30, 2008 Police have arrested the man who was last seen with missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett on unrelated sexual assault charges. 42-year-old Michael Jacques, Brooke's uncle, is being charged with aggravated sexual assault of a minor. But they say at this time, he is not connected to his niece's disappearance. Police did not reveal any other details about the sex assault. They do say the crime was uncovered evidence linking him to the assault while investigating Bennett's disappearance. Jacques is a registered sex offender. He was arrested and convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault in 1993. Bennett was last seen with Jacques and her cousin, leaving the Cumberland Farms convenience store in Randolph Wednesday morning. Police say they have received a few tips that Brooke was seen between 9:30 and 11:00 that morning in the vicinity of the village laundry-mat and Dunkin Donuts. Police believe she was meeting up with someone she met on the social networking site Mypace. They are calling this quote "strictly a MySpace investigation." For more of the article please go to: www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8576795 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 16:16:35 GMT -5
Rumors Hard On Missing Girl's Family Randolph, Vermont - June 28, 2008 Another day of searching on Saturday, and still no sign of missing 12-year-old, Brooke Bennett. Brooke's family is holding out hope that their daughter will be found safe and alive, but the rumors around town are making the search difficult to bear. Missing poster signs hang in the windows of storefronts in downtown Randolph, where Brooke Bennett was last seen on Wednesday morning. On many, people have added the words, 'still missing.' That's because there have been rumors that the young girl was found dead yesterday in Sunset Lake in Brookfield. "There was an issue yesterday in South Royalton that they were taking posters down," said Brooke's father, Jim Bennett. "She wasn't found dead. The rumors aren't true." for more of the article please go to www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8574397&nav=menu183_2 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 16:18:04 GMT -5
Former Stepfather Implicated in Disappearance White River Junction, Vermont - July 1, 2008 More twists today in the case of missing 12-year-old Brooke Bennett. Her former stepfather is now implicated in her disappearance. Ray Gagnon, 40, of Texas is in federal custody in Vermont. The FBI said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that Gagnon is charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying evidence in the case. "The FBI is in the process of bringing Mr Gagnon over to the federal side on charges of obstruction of justice, related to the obstruction of evidence to this investigation. And that's I can say at this point," said FBI Special Agent John Fikus. Gagnon is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Wednesday in Burlington. Earlier today, Vermont State Police said Gagnon sexually assaulted a minor in Randolph last summer, but he has not been charged in that case. Police are not saying who the victim was, but will say that it was not Brooke.  www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8584106 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 16:18:59 GMT -5
Police: Search for Brooke at Crucial Stage Bethel, Vermont - July 1, 2008 "She was really happy all the time. Always had a smile on her face. Nothing got her down," says Spencer Brown. Brown shoots hoops in his Braintree yard and talks about his missing friend, Brooke Bennett. "She was a really nice girl. We like to play sports, she was just all around a good girl to hang out with. She made friends really easily," he says. Brown has been friends with Bennett since she first moved to Vermont from Alabama four years ago. Bennett was last seen on surveillance video leaving the Cumberland Farms in Randolph Wednesday morning. A massive State Police investigation has ensued-- uncovering scores of evidence including some of the 12-year-old's personal belongings. "We are at a very crucial stage of the investigation and for us to comment on evidence is going to jeopardize our ability to close out this case," says Vt. State Police Col. James Baker. www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8587260 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 16:19:43 GMT -5
The Criminal Past of Brooke's Uncle Chelsea, Vermont - July 1, 2008 We have learned more about Brooke Bennett's uncle Michael Jacques and his prior conviction for kidnapping and rape in 1992. Jacques, 42, was charged Monday with raping a child repeatedly for five years and taking part in a sex ring called Breckenridge. This is not the first time the 42-year-old has been the focus of a sex crime investigation. In 1992, he was convicted of kidnapping and rape. Court records show that the victim was an 18-year-old woman he supervised at a fast-food business in Rutland. The records show he and a friend got her drunk and then he alone forced her into his car and over the next four hours raped her several times while she was choked with a rope around her neck, gagged with a cloth in her mouth, and handcuffed with police-style cuffs. The victim later told police that Jacques told her he had killed a 12-year-old girl he raped in Arizona in 1985 because she threatened to go to the police, so he had to kill her. The police were unable to confirm his claimed killing of the 12-year-old in Arizona, but Jacques did plead no contest to the charges of kidnap and rape in Vermont. In return, under a plea agreement, he got six years in prison, but was released after serving only four and half with credit for good time. www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8587385 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 16:20:12 GMT -5
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 16:22:33 GMT -5
Bethel, Vermont - July 2, 2008 Police believe they have found the remains of Brooke Bennett, 12, of Braintree. "It is with a heavy heart... and deep sadness... that I announce we have located what we believe to be the remains of Brooke Bennett," said Vt. State Police Col. James Baker. "This death is clearly suspicious. It appears to be foul play." Police say the remains were found on property on Crocker Road in Randolph near the home of Michael Jacques. Tuesday, investigators found ground there that had been recently disturbed. Wednesday, a search found the body there. Police say Brooke's body was recovered at 4:45 p.m. "Brooke was located as a result of information developed during the search of Michael Jacques' residence. The information developed led investigators to Crocker Road," explained Baker. An autopsy will be performed in Burlington to confirm it is Brooke and to try to find the cause of death. Brooke's family was notified of the discovery. "The painful discovery of Brooke's body today is tragic and heart breaking," said Baker. Brooke disappeared a week ago. She was last seen at a Randolph convenience store with her uncle, Michael Jacques. Police had previously called Jacques a person of interest in her disappearance and they had been searching his property in Randolph. Late this afternoon, federal authorities also announced Jacques is charged with kidnapping Brooke. "This investigation is making progress," said Baker. "With the discovery of Brooke, our investigation has now narrowed in focus. All the investigators and support staff in this investigation are committed to closing this investigation out successfully." Police did not take any questions at Wednesday's press conference, saying they could not because they are at another crucial stage in the investigation. They plan to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Thursday to update the case. Related Stories: Court Papers: Uncle Brought Brooke Home for Sex Former Stepfather Implicated in Disappearance Police: Search for Brooke at Crucial Stage The Criminal Past of Brooke's Uncle Brooke's Uncle Charged in Child Sex Ring Police: Uncle "Person of Interest" in Disappearance Police Issue Amber Alert for Missing Child www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8612211 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 17:50:38 GMT -5
Friend: Losing Brooke Like Losing Part Of Herself Classmates Mourn 12-Year-Old Found Dead In Randolph RANDOLPH, Vt. -- Family and friends filed into Randolph Union High School on Tuesday night to pay their respects to Brooke Bennett. Brooke, 12, disappeared on June 25 after she was last seen with her uncle at a convenience store in town. Her remains were found a week later alongside a street near her uncle's house. Friends and classmates mourned their friend during calling hours Tuesday night. "She's just a good friend and I loved her, I'll always love her," said Jacquelyn Lumbra, Brooke's classmate and friend. "We used to go swimming. She'd spend the night at my house, I'd spend the night at her house. We just always had fun together." www.wptz.com/news/16825971/detail.html |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 17:54:41 GMT -5
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 17:55:40 GMT -5
Hundreds gather for funeral of Brooke Bennett (NECN/WCAX: Randolph, Vermont) - Friends and family gathered today to say their last goodbyes to the 12-year-old Vermont girl who gained national attention when she disappeared and was later found dead. Hundreds of mourners attended Brooke Bennett's funeral, which began at 11 a.m. Her body was found in a shallow grave a week after she was reported missing on June 25th. Police ruled her death a homicide. A wake was held for Brooke Tuesday (7 / 8 ) and nearly 600 people showed to share their grief with her mother and family. While Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, has not been charged in his niece's death, he remains in police custody on a federal kidnapping charge in another case. According to authorities, Jacques had plans to recruit Brooke into a sex ring when she disappeared after being seen at his home. Raymond Gagnon, her former stepfather, was charged with obstruction of justice and with possessing child pornography. Both have federal court appearances next week. The funeral was held at the high school were Brooke had just finished seventh grade. *Video provided by WCAX* www.necn.com/Boston/New-En...f-Brooke-Bennett-/1215620724.html |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jun 6, 2012 17:56:34 GMT -5
RANDOLPH, Vt. -- Amid sprays of flowers, snapshots from her short life and somber greetings, mourners Tuesday remembered 12-year-old Brooke Bennett at a wake in the building where she just graduated from seventh grade. Filing past a series of photo collages and the girl's open casket, friends and acquaintances _ some wearing lapel buttons with her smiling face, a "Brooke" ribbon extending from the bottom _ shared condolences and tearful embraces with her mother and other family members in an auditorium at Randolph Union High School. "There's a lot of anger, and also a lot of sadness that it happened to her, because she was such a sweet girl," said classmate Kelsey Tracy, 13, wiping away tears after she emerged from the wake. "She was never mean to anyone." Hundreds were expected to pay their respects Tuesday night and at a funeral scheduled for Wednesday. The early arrivals stood on line in a hallway, where collages of Brooke were posted on a table, before writing in a guest book and then advancing toward the stage in the front of the auditorium, where Brooke's body _ clad in a yellow dress _ lay in the casket. "There's a lot of emotion, that's for sure," said Chadwick Morse, 29, of South Royalton, a co-worker of Brooke Bennett's father, James Bennett. "It definitely brings it home." www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=8643305 |
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Post by Vermontn03 on Jul 2, 2012 8:04:28 GMT -5
Michael Jacques trial delayed until Sept. 2013    BURLINGTON, Vt. - It's been four years since Brooke Bennett, 12, was allegedly kidnapped, raped and murdered by her uncle, Michael Jacques. And now the family will have to wait another year to see Jacques stand trial. "Terrible, terrible, we have another birthday coming up, we will have holidays again without her," said Lucinda Milne, Brooke's grandmother. Jacques' death penalty case has dragged on for four years as prosecutors and defense attorneys have wrangled over numerous issues. A trial was scheduled for last September but pushed back due to appeals. Friday, prosecutors and defense attorneys met to schedule a new trial date. Judge William Sessions set it for September 2013. That's because a ruling on an appeal about evidence in the case is not expected for several months and one of Jacques' lawyers is scheduled for a six-month trial beginning next January. "When Mike's lawyer says he had other commitments, to me that's not right. His commitment should be from the day he took the case until it's over on my granddaughter," Milne said. www.wcax.com/story/18912277/michael-jacques-trial-delayed-until-sept-2013 |
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