On the night of February 1, 2002 7 year old Danielle was taken out of
the safety of her bed from her home by, at the time, an unknown suspect. The
following morning a frantic search of the neighborhood was made but to no
avail. In the following days a massive civilian search effort was organized
by the Laura Recovery Center in addition to the efforts of all branches of
San Diego Law enforcement. Over 3,000 people volunteered to search for
Danielle.On February 27, Danielle's body was found by a group from the
Danielle Search Center. She had been murdered and left in a remote area of
San Diego County. 2 days earlier a neighbor had been arrested in connection
with Danielle's disappearance. He was later convicted of her Kidnapping and
Murder.
The Danielle Legacy Foundation was formed to honor Danielle's life and to
bring about changes so that no other child has to go through what she endured
and also to promote volunteerism which was such a part of Danielle's legacy.