Cops Say Body of Missing Vermont Girl Found

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BURLINGTON, Vt. — The body of a missing 12-year-old whose uncle allegedly planned to force her into a sex ring the day she disappeared was found Wednesday in Randolph, not far from his house.

State Police Director Col. James Baker said Brooke Bennett's body was found about 4:45 p.m. and her family had been notified.

The uncle, Michael Jacques, has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated sexual assault against a different underage girl. He has pleaded not guilty. Police Sgt. Tara Thomas said he would be charged in federal court with kidnapping.

Brooke was last seen alive with Jacques at a convenience store a week ago.

"The painful discovery of Brooke's body today is tragic and heartbreaking," Baker said at a news conference.

He called the death "clearly suspicious" but declined to give details before a planned briefing Thursday morning.

But in an affidavit unsealed earlier in U.S. District Court in Burlington, the FBI said an unidentified teenager told investigators she was present on June 25 when Jacques, 42, tricked Brooke into thinking she was going to a party and took her to his Randolph home to be initiated into a sex ring.

The girl said she was led to believe that Brooke would "would have sex with adult males" during the initiation.

After the three got to Jacques' home, the girl said she and Brooke watched television for a while before Jacques told her to leave and took his niece upstairs. The witness, who is 14, said she left the house with her boyfriend and did not see Brooke again.

The 14-year-old said she herself had been having sex with Jacques, 42, since she was 9 as part of the sex ring.

Brooke's former stepfather, Raymond Gagnon, appeared in federal court Wednesday on an obstruction of justice charge in the case. He was denied bail and was held pending another hearing on Monday.

Police say Gagnon, 40, lives in Texas but often visited Vermont. According to the affidavit, he told police he accessed Brooke's MySpace page from a laptop computer at his home in San Antonio after getting login information from Jacques.

Police said they have evidence that postings to the account were altered to make it appear that Brooke had discussed a secret rendevous with someone identified as "Skittlemeup" shortly before she disappeared.

Gagnon also told police he had downloaded child pornography onto the laptop, according to the affidavit.

In Randolph before the announcement, Brooke's friends and family put up signs saying they missed her and were praying for her safe return. She lived in Braintree, a small town close to Randolph.

"To the community, thank you so much for all your support and help, and I hope I can keep continuing to get that," said Brooke's mother, Cassandra Gagnon. She wore a photo pin of her daughter on her T-shirt.

She said she was "very surprised" by her ex-husband's alleged involvement.
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Stories:
Feds Say Uncle of Missing Vermont Girl Took Her Home for Initiation Into Sex Ring
RANDOLPH, Vt. — A missing Vermont girl's uncle brought her home to initiate her into a sex ring, federal officials claim in court papers.

In an affidavit, officials contend a teenage girl admitted helping Michael Jacques, Brooke Bennett's uncle, drop off the 12-year-old at a store on June 25, then pick her up and take her to his Randolph home for initiation into a child sex ring. Brooke has not been seen since.

The 14-year-old, reportedly related to Jacques, told agents she, herself, had been having sex with Jacques, 42, since she was 9 as part of a sex ring called Breckinridge, according to the U.S. District Court affidavit. She said she was told Brooke was going to be brought into the ring that day.

The teenager said she understood that as part of the initiation, Brooke "would have sex with adult males," according to the affidavit in U.S. District Court.

She and Brooke watched television for a while before Jacques told her to leave and took Brooke upstairs, the teen said. The girl left the house with her boyfriend and did not see Brooke again, she said.

Brooke's former stepfather was expected in court Wednesday to face federal charges that he destroyed evidence in connection with the search for Brooke.

Ray Gagnon, 40, was to appear in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt., to answer an obstruction of justice charge. If convicted, the San Antonio, Texas, man could be sentenced to life in prison.

Investigators searching for the girl arrested Gagnon and Jacques, a registered sex offender, this week on sexual assault charges. Brooke is not among the victims, according to police.

Jacques pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Earlier reports said Gagnon allegedly had traveled to the state from his Texas home to help search for Brooke, of Braintree, Vt. Authorities also analyzed surveillance video from the shop at which the girl last was seen.

In it, Jacques and the girl are seen leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.

Gagnon was married to Brooke's mother for about five years; Brooke lived with them in Alabama. The mother, Cassandra Gagnon, told the San Antonio Express-News that Gagnon came to Vermont to try to lend a hand after her disappearance made national news last week.

"We're not doing very good ... not very good at all," the child's weeping stepmother, Janet Bennett, told FOX News on Wednesday.

Janet Bennett is married to Brooke's father, James Bennett, and said the family is frustrated over the lack of information they're getting on the case. She discounted the possibility that Brooke might have left on her own.

"She's not the type of girl who would run away," she said.

Gagnon was arrested Tuesday on federal child molestation charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving Brooke's uncle.

Gagnon was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police.

The arrest is related to the case against Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.

According to court papers, she told police that Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.

Girls in the program were warned that "the first [girl] who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.

Col. James Baker, head of the state police, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including that the sex ring was a ruse Jacques created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.

State police say Jacques is a "person of interest" in Brooke's disappearance.

Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.

Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.

A vigil for Brooke was scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT Wednesday.
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Missing Vermont Girl's Stepfather Arrested on Federal Child Molestation Charges
CHELSEA, Vt. — The stepfather of a missing 12-year-old girl has been arrested on federal child molestation charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving her uncle.

Brooke Bennett's stepfather Ray A. Gagnon, 40, was in federal custody Tuesday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, according to Vermont State Police.

The arrest is related to charges against Brooke's uncle, Michael Jacques, who was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period. The girl told police she had been enrolled in what police called a program for sex.

According to court papers, she told police that Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex" and that she had met three men affiliated with the program.

Girls in the program were warned that "the first (girl) who does it lives and the second gets her throat cut," according to an affidavit filed Monday at Vermont District Court for Orange County.

Col. James Baker, head of the state police, said authorities were considering all possibilities, including that the sex ring was a ruse Jacques created to intimidate the girl into having sex with him.

State police say Jacques, a registered sex offender, also is a "person of interest" in Brooke's disappearance.

The new charges and second arrest do not involve Brooke, who vanished last week, police said.

The Vermont U.S. Attorney's office said Gagnon, of San Antonio, Texas, will appear in court Wednesday to answer a charge of obstruction of justice. An arraignment originally scheduled for Tuesday was postponed. Gagnon is accused of destroying evidence in connection with the probe into Bennett's disappearance. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Brooke's father James Bennett told FOX News that Brooke's mother had been married to Gagnon after his marriage to her.

Bennett said Cassandra and Ray Gagnon separated about four years ago, but he wasn't sure whether the couple had divorced.

Brooke lived in Alabama with Gagnon and her mother for six years, Bennett said.

Police said Gagnon's arrest was related to the Sunday arrest of Jacques, 42. He pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of aggravated sexual assault against the now-14-year-old girl over a five-year period, ending last month.

"This arrest is a result of Gagnon sexually assaulting another minor in the Royalton, Vermont, area during the summer of 2007," police said in a news release issued early Tuesday.

The alleged victim in the Jacques case, identified in court papers as "A.R.", told police Jacques was to be her trainer in a "program for sex." She said she had met three men affiliated with the program.

Jacques is being held for lack of $250,000 bail.

Police did not say when or where Gagnon was arrested, but he is being held at Vermont's Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield.

The charges against Jacques — and now Gagnon — grew out of the investigation into the disappearance of Brooke, who was last seen at 9 a.m. June 25 when Jacques dropped her off at a convenience store in Randolph.

Store surveillance video shows the two leaving the store together and then Brooke going left out the door while Jacques goes right.

Brooke had told family she was to meet a friend to visit the friend's hospitalized relative. Police now believe that was a lie and Brooke intended to meet someone she'd met on the Internet.

Police have described their investigation into Brooke's disappearance as involving social networking Web sites.
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Uncle of Missing Girl Arrested on Unrelated Sex Charges
MONTPELIER, Vt. — The uncle of a missing 12-year-old girl — one of the last people to see her before she vanished — has been arrested on unrelated sex charges developed as part of the investigation into her disappearance, Vermont State Police said.

Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, who dropped off Brooke Bennett at a convenience store Wednesday and was seen leaving it in a different direction on a surveillance camera video, was charged with aggravated sexual assault against a minor — the victim wasn't Bennett.

She remained missing Sunday, despite an intensive search by state police, the FBI and other agencies.

Jacques, who is married to Bennett's mother's sister, is listed on Vermont sex offender registry. He was convicted of sexual assault and kidnapping in 1993.

The arrest came as the result of information uncovered by investigators assigned to the disappearance. The victim wasn't identified.

He was being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, pending an arraignment in Orange County District Court on Monday. If convicted, he could get 10 years to life in prison.

Jacques and a cousin of Bennett's dropped the girl at Cumberland Farms in Randolph about 9 a.m. Wednesday, police said. On the video, which was released Friday, the two are seen in the store, where Jacques makes a purchase with Bennett at his side. They walk out together, and then part ways.

Her grandmother reported Bennett missing 12 hours later, and on Thursday an Amber Alert — the first in Vermont history — was issued for Bennett.

Police have said they believe Bennett may have been headed to meet someone with whom she had been communicating online. On Friday, Vermont State Police director Col. James Baker said the investigation centered on contacts involving Bennett on the MySpace.com social networking site.

No suspects have been named in her disappearance.
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Vermont Police Release Surveillance Tape in Case of Missing 12-Year-Old Girl, FBI Joins Search
As the FBI joined the search for a missing 12-year-old Vermont girl, state police on Friday released a surveillance video believed to show footage of one of the last glimses of Brooke Bennett before her disappearance.

State troopers had previously refrained from publicizing the footage from a security camera inside the Cumberland Farms store, where Brooke said she was meeting a female friend.

The tape shows the girl and her uncle walk into the shop, go to the register to buy something and then leave, each going in separate directions, with Brooke apparently walking away by herself.

She was seen about 45 minutes later inside the Randolph Village Laundromat, police said.

Baker wouldn't say whether she was alone at that point, nor would he say whether police suspect foul play.

Also Friday, a team of police divers searched Sunset Lake and a popular teen hangout known as the Floating Bridge, near where a relative of Brooke's discovered some of her clothes a day earlier.

Police haven't identified any suspects in the child's disappearance, which prompted Vermont's first-ever Amber Alert.

Col. James Baker, director of Vermont State Police, said Friday that investigators aren't ruling out the possibility that Brooke may now be out of state.

Vermont state troopers told reporters that there had been sightings of Brooke and numerous phone tips had come in. They urged anyone who might have seen the girl to call state police.

Investigators from the Vermont State Police, FBI and other agencies were trying to track Brooke's movements after she was dropped off by her uncle and cousin.

The FBI, which had assigned two agents to the case Thursday, plans to send a five-person team made up of agents who specialize in child abduction cases, police said.

A major focus of the investigation was centered on her online activities.

"As we all know, warnings have gone out countless times, in this world that we live in today, there are folks that visit places, social networking spaces such as MySpace, whose intentions are not good. And they come from far away," said Baker.

Police want to hear from anyone who was in Randolph on Wednesday between 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m., even if they don't think they saw anything, Baker said.

The girl was reported missing around 9 p.m. Wednesday after her uncle dropped her off at a convenience store about 12 hours earlier in Randolph, where she'd said she was going to meet a girlfriend to visit the friend's sick relative in the hospital.

But police believe that Brooke fibbed and may have been bound for a meeting with an unknown person whom she'd been communicating with on the social networking site MySpace.com.

Her dad asked for anyone with information about Brooke to come forward.

"Obviously, I'm upset," said James Bennett, choking back tears. "We just want her home. ... Help us find her."

Authorities haven't identified the person she was communicating with, but state police computer experts were analyzing the computer in a bid to learn more. They don't know if it was a woman or a man.

The girl established her first MySpace account under her father's supervision, but he later pulled the plug on it a couple of months ago after they learned about some of her activity on it, according to Bennett, 41, of Bethel, Vt.

"We told her when we set it up there that's things you're not gonna' do," he said. "We had a little respect problem after a month or so, so we shut it off. There was an issue, and we decided it was not appropriate for her to have it. We changed the password so she couldn't use it," he said.

She later set up an account from another computer, which Bennett said he didn't know until a week ago. The girl lives with her mother in Braintree, not with Bennett.

Brooke told family members that she was going to see a friend's sick relative at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon, N.H., according to Vermont State Police Capt. David Covell.

"It is the family members' opinion that that was a ruse to the family to get to that location," said Covell. "There's been no interview conducted that supported that that was a legitimate meeting."

A family member searching for her Thursday in Brookfield — near her uncle's home, where she spent the night — found items belonging to her near Route 65 that were similar to what she had been wearing, prompting an intensive search by police and dogs in the area of the Floating Bridge, a popular hangout among local teens.

In the Amber Alert, police said they had no information about a suspect or any vehicle.

On Thursday, New England K-9 units searched the area around the bridge. Nothing of significance was found.

The girl, who just finished seventh grade, is described as 4-foot-11 inches tall, 98 pounds, wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater and white sneakers with pink lettering. She has blue eyes, brown hair with purple highlights and has pierced ears "top and bottom," according to the Amber Alert.

At the Randolph convenience store, a flier with a black-and-white photo of Brooke was taped to the glass door in front, and clerks handed out copies of it to customers inside. A store manager there declined comment on the girl's disappearance.

"It is certainly our hope that Miss Bennett is out there and has just failed for whatever reason to contact family and friends," said Covell. "At this point, we're looking at all possibilities."

Amber Alerts, which are named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Texas girl slain in 1996, are a partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry to alert the public in the most serious child-abduction cases.

MySpace.com, the Web's most popular social networking site, has more than 110 million active users. It's a free site, but registration is required.

Anyone with information about Brooke's whereabouts is asked to call the state police at 802-234-9933.
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Video:
Former Step-Dad Arrested
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375561,00.html#  
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Bizarre Twist
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375561,00.html#  
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A Dad's Anguish
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375561,00.html#  
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Father of Missing Vt. Girl Speaks Out
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,375561,00.html#  
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Photo Essays:
The Search for Brooke Bennett
http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,4407,00.html