Carlie Bruscia
Carlie Brucia (March 16, 1992 - February 1, 2004) was a girl from Florida who was abducted from a car wash near her home in Sarasota on Sunday, February 1, 2004, while returning from a sleepover at a friend's house.
Brucia was caught on tape as she was approached by a man who seemed to be in his late 20s or early 30s. They apparently had a short conversation, after which he grabbed her and took her away.
Local police said it was is unlikely that she had met the man previously; the way she reacted to his presence in the video makes the police think that she was surprised to see him, and that she did not know who he was.
The FBI and NASA joined in the efforts to find Brucia and the man seen with her on that video. NASA attempted to use some of the agency's video-processing technology to enhance the recording by reducing image jitter (technology that was used for investigating the Columbia disaster). In addition to providing evidence in the case, the existence of the video tape spawned a brief media frenzy in which Brucia's case made national headlines for several days.
On Thursday, February 6, 2004 police announced they had a suspect in custody for the abduction. Joseph P. Smith, a 37-year-old father of three and car mechanic, has a long list of arrests for drug-related charges and one for kidnapping and false imprisonment. He was in custody on an unrelated parole violation charge. Police confirmed that they were certain Smith's car, a beige 1992 Buick Century, was involved in the crime.
For three days Smith refused to speak with investigators regarding his involvement in the crime. He finally spoke to them on Thursday evening and into Friday morning. He apparently revealed where he had hid her body, behind a nearby church.
Police declined to reveal how she was killed or the condition of her body. The announcement of the find was delivered by County Sheriff Bill Balkwill on Friday morning, February 6. Just after 7:00 a.m., near tears, he said, "The body of a beautiful, lovely little girl, Carlie Brucia, has been found." Jeff Bell, one of the Sheriff's top investigators added, "We have found Carlie and the person responsible for her murder. Law enforcement will work to ensure that he will pay the ultimate price for what he did to her."
See also: Polly Klaas, Megan Kanka, Laura Kate Smither, Samantha Runyon, Elizabeth Smart
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