Children Who Kill

[HairOfTheDog]

RIP Madyson Middleton, 8 ^

I started following this local case shortly after Madyson went missing on Sunday night and wished for a different outcome.

Maddy lived with her mom at an affordable loft complex for artists and their families in Santa Cruz (an artsy town on the California coast).

She was captured on surveillance video riding her scooter in the complex's courtyard in the 5 pm hour. Then, she just seemingly disappeared. Her mom called 911 about an hour later.

Police, residents, some of the local homeless population, and nearby community members searched the complex and surrounding areas. Scent dogs and helicopters were part of the search effort, but they had no luck locating Maddy.

Then, the next day (Monday) some officers went back to the complex to search again. An officer noticed one the resident children who'd helped in the search and lived next to Maddy lingering around a recycle dumpster. The officer looked deep inside and found the body of Maddy.


The (very large) neighbor boy, ^ 15-year-old suspect Adrian Gonzales, was questioned and has been charged as an adult with lying in wait before kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing 8-year-old Madyson ‘Maddy’ Middleton.

Gonzales is said to have lured his friend Maddy to his apartment and used duct tape and possibly a knife in the assault.

Residents of the art complex described him as shy, quiet, polite and skilled with a yo-yo. They also say he asked tons of questions and was very involved during the search efforts.

His now-defunct Instagram account paints a portrait of a disturbed young man, possibly suffering from depression, who may have been harboring suicidal thoughts.

'Wears all black to try and look powerful and hide the crippling anxiety,' he wrote of himself in one post. 'Towards the future and the constant worry that I’ll never find someone who loves me.'

The last message appeared on the page Monday, the day Maddy was discovered dead. The post included a video showing what appeared to be Gonzalez's fingers on a keyboard playing the song 'Mad World' by the band Tears for Fears.

The clip was accompanied by a post that included lyrics from the song’s refrain: 'The dreams in which I’m dying are the best I ever had.'

Mad World famously appeared on the soundtrack of the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko, which tells the story of a troubled teenager who is tormented by visions of a giant rabbit that manipulates him into committing a series of crimes.

Very sad for Maddy's family. She was a very friendly, creative and bubbly girl, by all accounts.

I''m glad Gonzales was caught quickly and is locked up. I don't care if he ends up in prison or a mental facility, as long as he stays there for life.

Refs:
http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/...uspect-how
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...g-her.html