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Autumn Pasquale's parents: We wanted 'faster response' from Gloucester prosecutor
The parents of 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale said today they want the state Attorney General’s Office to investigate if prosecutors in Gloucester County followed the proper protocol after they reported their daughter missing.
“We would have liked a faster response,” said Anthony Pasquale, Autumn’s father, sitting on the couch in the front living room where the two lived. Autumn’s mother, Jennifer Cornwell, said it was a “slow process” and she wanted a review.
The parents spoke to a small group of reporters just hours after authorities charged two teenage boys, who lived just a few blocks away, in connection to the strangling murder of their daughter, whose 13th birthday they were to celebrate next week.
A spokesman for the family, Paul Spadafora, who was Autumn’s great-uncle, said, “We’re asking the attorney general to investigate (Gloucester County Prosecutor) Sean Dalton’s Office on protocol.”
“He called it swift justice,” Spadafora said. “We’re asking for a swifter response.”
He added, “At 12 years old, they could have done something better and quicker.”
Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said, "We respect the parents' feelings and their need to know that everything possible was done for their daughter. We have been in communication with Prosecutor Dalton and intend to get full details from him regarding the law enforcement response to this tragedy."
Sitting together on the couch, struggling to hold back their tears, the parents said their daughter was a “tough cookie” and would want them to stay strong.
“She’s in good hands,” Pasquale said, breaking down in sorrow. “She’s going to be watching over us. She’s going to be our little angel.”
The parents said they were making final preparations for Autumn’s funeral service. Cornwell said she hoped the prosecutor's office would ensure the two boys charged in her daughter's murder are tried in adult court, where they would face far stiffer penalties.
Dalton said Tuesday the office was still weighing whether they would make such a request.
"The guys, whoever did it, threw (Autumn) in the trash can like she was a piece of trash," Spadafora said. "They threw a girl away the day of trash pick up."
AMBER ALERT NOT ISSUED
State Police detectives from the agency’s missing persons and cybercrimes unit were involved in the search for Autumn.
But agency officials declined to discuss the specifics of why no Amber Alert was issued with regard to her disappearance.
State Police, which issues AMBER alerts in partnership with state and federal authorities and departments, says on its website that each of three criteria must be met before any such alarm can be activated:
That there is “reason to believe a child under 18 has been abducted”; that “the abducted child may be in danger of death or serious bodily injury”; and that “an AMBER alert would assist in locating the child considering all relevant circumstances, including whether there is enough descriptive information available, and the amount of time that has elapsed since the child was last seen and was reported missing.”
About 16,000 to 18,000 missing people are reported missing each year, the vast majority of them juvenile runaways who return home within 24 hours, according to the agency.
Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said in a press conference that this case did not meet all the criteria. Investigators did not have immediate evidence that Autumn had been abducted and there were no descriptions of an abductor or a vehicle.
MAKESHIFT MEMORIAL
A makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, balloons, candles and notes grew overnight behind the Clayton home where Pasquale was found, just a few feet from the recycling bins.
"You will be sadly missed," one note said.
"To the Pasquale family," another said. "Let the flowers bloom."
In the back of the memorial, a pink teddy bear held a sign from Pasquale's cousin, Gia.
"RIP my beautiful cousin," the sign read.
Kimberly Ruefer, 16, of Gloucester Township, stopped by the makeshift memorial this morning to pay her respects to her friend.
"I knew her from around Clayton," Ruefer said. "She was really, really nice. The sweetest girl."
Ruefer said Pasquale loved her BMX bike and was always seen around town riding it.
Star-Ledger staff writers Richard Khavkine and James Queally contributed to this report.
Source : The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - http://www.nj.com
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