Andrea Gonzalez, 5 Murdered/Body Missing 1993 Alabama
October 08. 2007 2:59PM Missing 5-year-old remembered in Franklin County The Associated Press RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. Divers and search teams never found the body of 5-year-old Andrea Gonzalez when she disappeared in 1993, but the memory of the missing child has not been lost in Franklin County. A Web page has been created in her memory and a monument to her is planned at the new county jail. "By keeping it in the public's eye, we don't want anything like this to ever happen again," Sheriff Larry Plott said. Andrea was reported missing from her rural Russellville home Nov. 20, 1993, prompting a search that involved more than 400 volunteers. It was called off when investigators suspected foul play, and eventually criminal charges were brought against the child's father, Paul Gonzalez, and stepmother, Kim Gonzalez. In 1995, the stepmother changed her story, saying Andrea had not disappeared but died after being accidentally scalded in bath water. Kim Gonzalez said she panicked and tossed the body into waters at Upper Bear Creek Lake. Paul Gonzalez later said he disposed of the body in the lake. With no body ever found, the stepmother was convicted of child abuse and served about four years before her release in November 2001. The father pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was released in 1997 after serving two years. "This was a very unique and difficult case for everyone involved," Plott told the TimesDaily in a story Monday. "We did have a trial but the body was never found." Two Russellville women, Teresa Mitchell and April Broome, have developed a Web page - http://www.myspace.com/wheresandrea - in the child's memory. "We thought we could do a page to help keep awareness out there," Mitchell said. She said it also was designed to promote domestic violence awareness. "I can't stand the thought of any child being neglected or abused," Mitchell said. "We just want to raise awareness to the issue." The Franklin County Domestic Violence Response Coalition also plans to honor Gonzalez, as well as an infant killed by a parent, with memorials. The coalition will place a fountain memorial at the Red Bay Police Department in memory of 3-week old Chance Waldrop, who died in September 2005. Waldrop's father, Jodey Wayne Waldrop, was sentenced to death last week for killing the baby. The monument to Andrea will be placed at the new Franklin County Jail with an engraved picture of Gonzalez and the dates of her birth and disappearance. --- Information from: TimesDaily, http://www.timesdaily.com/ http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20071008/APN/710080735

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: November 20, 1993 from Russellville, Alabama Classification: Endangered Missing Age: 5 years old Height and Weight: 2'6, 37 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair. Medical Conditions: Andrea had emotional and behavorial problems at the time of her 1993 disappearance. Details of Disappearance At the time of her disappearance, Andrea was living with her father, Paul M. Gonzalez Jr., and pregnant stepmother, Kim Sherrie Gonzalez. Prior to moving in with them, she had lived in Illinois with her biological mother, Michelle Gonzalez, and in various foster homes under the auspices of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) after her mother was incarcerated for perjury. Andrea's foster parents stated she was suffering from stomach parasites when she went into their care, frequently used profanity, and had tantrums and violent outbursts. They believed she had been sexually abused, but this was never confirmed and Michelle denies it. Michelle repeatedly missed her visitation periods with her daughter after she was released from prison, so the DCFS asked Paul if he wanted to take custody of the child. He agreed. Andrea moved to Alabama to be with her father and stepfather in early 1993. Michelle's two other children were put up for adoption. Paul and Kim reported Andrea as a missing child on November 20, 1993. They said she disappeared from the family's trailer in the middle of the night. There were no signs of forced entry to the home, but the Gonzalezes stated the trailer was an old one and its locks could have been picked easily. Andrea has never been heard from again. An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of her whereabouts, and bloodhounds could only track her scent as far as the front porch. Her father and stepmother initially suggested her Michelle had taken her, but Michelle was later located and did not have the child. She is not considered a suspect in her daughter's disappearance. Paul passed a lie detector test about his daughter's disappearance, but Kim failed hers. She initially blamed the failure on stress and her pregnancy. Authorities believed Kim was involved in Andrea's disappearance, however, because she kept referring to her stepdaughter in the past tense. On February 13, 1995, over a year later, Kim voluntarily went to the police and confessed to causing Andrea's death. She claimed she had accidentally scaled the child while bathing her. Kim said she treated Andrea's burns with burn cream and Tylenol pain medication and put her to bed, and several hours later she found her deceased. Kim stated that she panicked afterwards, wrapped the body in plastic garbage bags, tied it to a concrete block with a length of electrical cord, and dropped it off the Mon Dye Bridge into Upper Bear Creek Lake in northwest Alabama. An extensive search of the lake turned up two trash bags and one concrete block, but no sign of Andrea. Paul at first claimed he had been asleep when Kim bathed Andrea and he woke up to find his daughter missing, but he later admitted that he helped his wife dispose of the child's body. Police did not think Andrea's death was accidental, however, and charged first Kim and then Paul with capital murder. Both of them could have faced the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors argued that the Gonzalezes effectively murdered Andrea by withholding medical treatment from her after her scalding, but without Andrea's body, there was not enough evidence to convict either defendant of murder. Paul pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Andrea's case and testified against Kim at her trial. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, served only two, and was released in September 1997. He said he was asleep at the time of Andrea's scalding and death, but admitted to helping dispose of the body. At Kim's trial, her attorneys argued Paul was domineering and abusive and that it was he, not Kim, who killed Andrea. Kim was found not guilty of murder and guilty of child abuse in 1997; she was released from prison in 2001. Investigators continue to search for Andrea's body. The latest search, in a cellar in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, turned up no evidence. Andrea formerly resided in Galesburg and Peoria, Illinois. She has never been located. Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Franklin County Sheriffs Office 256-332-8811 Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated September 25, 2007; height and weight added, details of disappearance updated http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/gonzalez_andrea.html

Without a Trace: The Andrea Gonzales Story NewsChannel 19's Jerry Hayes Reporting 11-18-04 It's been almost eleven years since Andrea Gonzales disappeared without a trace from her home in Russellville. Her father and stepmother were eventually charged with her murder even though Andrea's body was never found. Paul Gonzales pleaded guilty to manslaughter and Kym Gonzales was convicted of child abuse. Both are now free after serving jail time. But the case isn't closed. A button with a photograph of 5 year old Andrea Gonzales sits on a bookcase shelf in the office of Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott. It is a daily reminder to the sheriff that encourages him to not give up on seeking justice for Andrea. Sheriff Plott says there are two things that keep him going. One is the instinct that comes out of anyone who has a child. Plott says "The most we could give the relatives who care is a final resting place. The second ties into law enforcement is for the real story to be told." The sheriff doesn't think Paul and Kym Gonzales told the truth in court about what happened to Andrea. During Kym's trial, Paul testified that Andrea died after Kym put her in a scalding hot bath and he dumped her body off the bridge at Mon Dye Bottoms on Upper Bear Creek Lake. But little Andrea's body was never found. Sheriff Plott believes her remains could tell them what really happened. Plott says, "We feel like we know what happened but actually proving it, we may never be able to prove it. But if we can find the body, that might possibly give us the evidence that's needed." And the sheriff is willing to take that evidence back to court. He says, "If that body is found anywhere but Mon Dye and the right kind of evidence, it's possible we could go for a murder charge. Perhaps even capital murder. Some people who live in Russellville say the best thing to do is let Andrea rest in peace. But others say they can't rest until Andrea's remains are found and given a proper burial. Tom Smith calls it a "double edge sword" and believes it always will be. Tom is a reporter for the Times Daily. He's covered the Andrea Gonzales story from the beginning. It is a story that has divided a community. Smith says, "Time heals a lot of things. Some things, it won't heal. I think Andrea Gonzales will always have a special place in the peoples lives in Franklin County and North Alabama." Larry Plott has spent half of his career as Franklin County Sheriff looking for evidence or information that could close Andrea's case forever. But at this point, he's also relying on his faith. Sheriff Plott says, "I had a lot of sleepless nights about Andrea's case. I gotta believe that if it's God's will, some information will develop or evidence found, so I'm going to put it in His hands. If He wants us to find the body, then just lead us. If He doesn't, I'm just going to have to lean on Him more than ever to get over this case." http://www.whnt.com/Global/story.asp?S=2586959&nav=1VPtTJAG

Rep(s). By Representative Morrow HJR52 ENROLLED, House Joint Resolution, MEMORIALIZING THE DEATH OF ANDREA GONZALEZ. WHEREAS, the local citizens and officials of Franklin County, as well as state officials, continue to mourn the tragic death of Andrea Gonzalez; and WHEREAS, the Legislature of this state enacted Act 95-54 at the 1995 Regular Session relating to the tragic disappearance of Andrea Gonzalez and the investigation of this disappearance, which involved law enforcement agencies on not only the local level, but also the state and national levels, along with hundreds of volunteers; and WHEREAS, after more than 15 months of investigation, the tragic conclusion was reached that this child had been murdered in Franklin County; and WHEREAS, the Legislature in enacting Act 95-54 requested the Franklin County Department of Human Resources to create a permanent memory of Andrea Gonzalez in its offices; now therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That the Franklin County Department of Human Resources is directed to display a copy of Act 95-54 along with a picture of Andrea Gonzalez in a special place inside the department's office building in order to memorialize the death of Andrea Gonzalez and to remind the public and employees of the department of the tragic consequences of child abuse. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Director of the Franklin County Department of Human Resources as well as the Commissioner of the State Department of Human Resources, that each may know of our concern. Resolutions, Condolence Gonzalez, Andrea http://www.legislature.state.al.us/searchableinstruments/2003SS/Resolutions/HJR52.htm