On July 15th 2002, 5 year old Samantha Runnion was kidnapped outside her home in Stanton, California. Her mother was nearby, but sadly unaware a child predator was watching her child, until it was too late. Who would have thought a parent could not let their child go play outside?

Fortunately, as soon as Samantha Runnion was abducted, her friend ran into tell Samantha’s mother what had happened. Thankfully, Samantha’s little friend was not only able to provide a description of the car, but she also described what the killer looked like. Surely, let us teach our children to always be aware, if not for their own safety, but the safety of their friends.

Unfortunately, 2002 in Orange County, California was a heartbreaking time, especially for the police community who desperately used every resource to find 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. Meanwhile, parents watched the news in anger, sadness, and disbelief that such a sweet child could go missing in broad daylight. Ultimately, the Samantha Runnion abduction, taught families in Orange County, California to be strong, sit back and let the police do their job.

Regrettably, on July 16th, 2002, just one day after the abduction of Samantha Runnion, 911 received a call from a man stating he found the body of a child located off the Ortega Highway located in Riverside County. Sure enough, it was her.

So, the hunt for poor little Samantha was over and the police found worst of all and so tragically that Samantha Runnion had died at the hands of Alejandro Avila. At just 27 years old, not only had Avila kidnapped and brutally murdered Samantha Runnion, but he had also been an accused child molester. Avila, it just so happened had been working out of Lake Elsinore at the time of Samantha’s disappearance, which meant Avila was in close in proximity to where Samantha Runnion’s body had been dumped off the famed Ortega Highway.

During the investigation, police found Avila had not only strangled poor little Samantha, but he had brutally, sexually raped her. What kind of monster does such a thing to a five-year-old child? My heart goes out to the family and to Samantha herself who had to endure such horrors at the age of five.

Though that day was such a tragic day, we cannot blame the parent for letting their child play outside. We must blame the child predator watching and waiting for a chance to take the child. Let us look at this experience as a lesson learned, “Never take your eyes off your child when they are outside.” Pay attention to your surroundings especially if people linger. Teach your children to stick together with their friends and to always stay close and alert.

The Lesson

The Samantha Runnion murder was a wakeup call for parents to keep their children close, no matter what the costs. The lesson. We never know who is watching. We cannot trust anyone with our child’s safety, so we must never let our guard down concerning our children, at any age.

The question we ask after such a horrific killing is, why? How can a man be so sick that he kidnaps and sexually assaults a 5-year-old child? Sad, horrific and dark are these sadistic killers who make us all feel the worst and see the most awful things, but they cannot win. The serial killer cannot break us. The child predator will not defeat us. We will not let them. We will fight back and protect our children. We will warn each other, and we will be suspicious of everyone, including, and especially those, close to us.

We will learn what motivates serial killers and child predators so we will be a step ahead. We will pray, we will fight, and we will create a safe place for our children 24/7. Most importantly we will teach our children to be strong, to fight, to scream, to be suspicious when someone is too friendly, and most importantly to stay away, by always maintaining distance.

We will live by boundaries and protect always because love wins. One goal of the Forensic Darkness effort is to carryout serial killer awareness to keep our families safe and aware. Forensic Darkness recognizes the darkness but does not give into it or glorify, “Evil Deeds.”

By becoming more aware, we will learn ways to outsmart even the smartest predator. We will do our best to keep alert to others who might be in crisis and on the verge of a breakdown of some kind. We will also share love to all those who are hurting and who may need a loving, kind word. Only through love and light will we win against the darkness.

Written by Jenny Montoya M.A. Forensic Psychology

Photo by: Pixabay