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Gutierrez Family Wants Death Penalty For Man Who Kidnapped, Killed 4YO Girl In 1986

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The family of a young girl who went missing 35 years ago is astounded that police have now identified and arrested the man they say kidnapped and killed Jessica Gutierrez.

"My family and I never thought this day would come," Rebecca Gutierrez said.

On June 6, 1986, in Lexington County, South Carolina, 4-year-old Jessica vanished. She was nowhere to be found when her family woke up that morning.
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A massive search ensued for several days, but it seemed that no signs of Jessica were ever uncovered.

That is until Thursday. That's when Wake Forest Police Department announced the arrest of Thomas Eric McDowell.

McDowell is charged with murder, kidnapping and burglary. He is being held in the Wake County Detention Center without bail.
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He lived in Lexington County back in 1986. He also spent 10 years in jail from 1987-1997 for a rape conviction in North Carolina.

Warrants show that McDowell's fingerprint was a key piece of evidence that helped investigators crack the case. They said they believe McDowell broke into the 4-year-old's room between midnight and 7:30 a.m. on June 6, 1986.

Warrants also said McDowell told sources that he kidnapped and killed Jessica.

FBI and local investigators took a renewed look into the case in Sept. 2021. That reexamination pointed to McDowell and ultimately resulted in his arrest.

"My mother has fought so hard for 36 years for justice for my sister. At this point we are praying for a conviction and the death penalty," Rebecca said. "This does not mean closure; we will never have real closure. This will start the healing process we have all needed. We express our gratitude for everyone involved in the arrest of that evil monster."
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On Friday, McDowell appeared before a Wake County judge. He'll be held without bond until he is extradited to South Carolina.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, McDowell had little to say in court, replying "no," when asked whether he had any questions.
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abc11.com

Gutierrez family wants death penalty for man accused of kidnapping, killing 4-year-old in 1986

"My mother has fought so hard for 36 years for justice for my sister. At this point we are praying for a conviction and the death penalty," Jessica Gutierrez's sister said.
abc11.com abc11.com
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Additional info and pictures at the link below. She was just adorable. So sad.


ETA this quote from the link: “(The suspect’s) fingerprint was found on the window of Jessica's bedroom. It was the only fingerprint on the window; (Jessica’s mother) Debra stated she cleaned the windows every night.”

Sorry, but who TF cleans windows EVERY NIGHT? I don’t get that.
 
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Sejanus said:
Someone with OCD.
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Sure, and I get that, but there are a LOT of surfaces to clean in even the smallest home. If OCD drove her to clean the windows every night, then she was cleaning every surface in that house daily. Floors, vents, windowsills, every inch of the bathroom(s)...even if she didn’t work and was a SAHM, could she truly clean EVERY surface in that home every single day? And if she did, why would she choose to tackle the windows at night? That’s a chore one would do during the day, IMO. Cleaning your kids’ windows thoroughly AT NIGHT seems disruptive to getting them to go to bed when you’d like. The smarter choice is to clean your kids’ windows during the day. But I don’t have OCD so I might be way off.
 
Sudonim said:
@Mountaineer95 Maybe the reference to night was just generic. I have a habit of saying 'night' in reference to any time after dinner. It greatly annoys my husband who doesnt agree that 6pm is night xD
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Good point! And I’ve found that my personal definition of “night” has...evolved...lol as I’ve aged. As in, pre-40, 8 pm was still decidedly NOT “night” as I was still figuring out what to wear and where to go out; post- 40, “night” is either after dinner, or when the street lights go out (funny how that was the unofficial curfew of my neighborhood in the mid-80s).
 
We would frequently visit my mother's sister who lived fairly close. She and her husband went to bed at 7 pm every freaking night. I'm not kidding. One of my cousins was still in high school, so I don't think they were that old at the time.

My problem seems to be that I can't sleep longer than 5 hours at a stretch, so if I don't wait until at least 11 to go to bed I will wake up around 3:30 am. Then I can't get back to sleep and just toss and turn until 5:15 when my alarm goes off. I never have trouble falling alseep though, fortunately.
 
Mountaineer95 said:
Additional info and pictures at the link below. She was just adorable. So sad.


ETA this quote from the link: “(The suspect’s) fingerprint was found on the window of Jessica's bedroom. It was the only fingerprint on the window; (Jessica’s mother) Debra stated she cleaned the windows every night.”

Sorry, but who TF cleans windows EVERY NIGHT? I don’t get that.
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Thank God she did
 
Thomas Eric McDowell was sentenced to life in prison for the abduction and killing of Jessica Gutierrez, 4, in 1986.

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Although he is eligible for parole in 2/26/2041 it is unlikely he will be released since he was given 2 life sentences that are running consecutively to one another.

MCDOWELL, THOMAS ERIC
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