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March 17, 2007
Coralrose's family losing hope
Topics:They fear killer of 6-year-old will never be brought to justice
By GINNY LAROE and HEATHER ALLEN
STAFF WRITERS
NORTH PORT -- In the neighborhood where Coralrose Fullwood and her family once lived, there are no longer any signs of what happened there six months ago.
The makeshift memorial of teddy bears and flowers that stood next to the wooded lot where a neighbor found the 6-year-old's body is long gone. A retired couple from Pennsylvania now keep a neatly manicured lawn there.
The brand-new house on Calabash Lane the Fullwood family rented for six weeks before their youngest daughter was raped and killed has joined the dozens of other vacant homes that dot North Port neighborhoods. Dale and Ellen-Beth Fullwood have separated and moved back to Lee County.
While it seems the memory of what happened to the blue-eyed first-grader six months ago today has faded, her family worries the case has grown cold and that it will join four other years-old unsolved homicide cases in this city.
"I don't think we'll ever see justice, unless it's by mistake," said Coralrose's maternal grandfather, Saul VanderWoude.
In the early days of the investigation, VanderWoude, a retired police officer from Massachusetts, showed public support for the North Port police. Now, he is among the department's most vocal critics.
He says his family and the public have been misled about some of the circumstances surrounding the case. He said his family has been kept in the dark.
And he thinks now the best chance for an arrest is for the girl's killer to stumble into the police's arms, if he or she is arrested for something else and winds up the positive DNA match that police have sought for months.
Meanwhile, North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis has grown increasingly defensive of the public scrutiny, saying in a recent interview that he has never misled the public. But he said the case is unusual, and there is information that can't be released until it goes to trial.
"It's very dynamic, incredibly complex and challenging," he said. "But that doesn't mean I'm not confident that there will be a successful conclusion."
Lewis said he has heard some criticism in the community that North Port's police aren't experienced enough to handle such a case.
And to some extent, Lewis said he agrees. That's why he called on resources from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to help with the investigation. Even the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, FBI profilers and a hypnotist have been used.
Four Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents are still assigned to work full-time on the case with North Port detectives, said John King, special agent supervisor with FLDE.
Coralrose's father, Dale Fullwood, says it's too little too late. He says if police would have believed him that he and his family were not involved and moved on to other suspects right away, they might have caught his daughter's killer by now.
"They wasted the past six months going after Ellen and me and here the person could have gotten away with it," he said. "For all I know, he may be out of the country."
For Coralrose's mother, Ellen-Beth Fullwood, today is no anniversary.
It's day 186, another day with more questions than answers about what happened to her "Rosie." She refuses to believe the uncertainty will last forever.
"That would mean that she had no story," she said. "Right now her story is 'I went to bed and woke up dead.' The in-between needs to be filled in. It's law enforcement's job to do that."
History of the Coralrose case
Sept. 17
Coralrose's father, Dale Fullwood, returns to his Calabash Lane home in North Port from his bartending job at about 2 a.m. and checks in on his five children, including Coralrose, 6. He sees her sleeping.
The family wakes up in the morning and finds her missing from her bedroom.
At about noon, a neighbor walking a dog finds Coralrose's body and her comforter in a wooded area behind a home under construction two blocks from the Fullwoods' house.
Sept. 18
Armed with a court order, officials from the state Department of Children and Families take custody of the four youngest Fullwood children.
Sept. 19
After five hours of testimony in a custody hearing, a judge gives Coralrose's grandparents temporary custody of the four children, ages 4 to 12, saying the North Port home was "disgusting." In a court document, DCF says that Coralrose's death is "suspicious for abuse or neglect."
Sept. 20
North Port police Chief Terry Lewis says a criminal profiler is assisting in the case. Also, an FDLE agent interviews Coralrose's four siblings. Later, Lewis says in an interview that information provided to DCF about the homicide was "nondescript" and "general."
Sept. 21
Lewis says Coralrose died of "homicidal violence" and her body showed signs of "severe trauma." Lewis says preliminary results show no signs of sexual abuse.
Sept. 23
Dale Fullwood and stepson Seaton VanderWoude, 21, return to Calabash Lane home to videotape the conditions and assess damage they say police caused during their investigation. Fullwood denies any involvement in his 6-year-old's death.
Sept. 27
Dale Fullwood returns to work as a bartender in North Fort Myers.
Oct. 11
North Port police arrest Dale Fullwood on two counts of possession of child pornography. Lewis warns the community not to connect the arrest to the investigation into the girl's death, saying the charges are "incidental."
Nov. 1
Ellen-Beth Fullwood reports to police that tires on the family's two vehicles were slashed. This was the third report she filed of suspicious activity at the home.
Dec. 7
Dale Fullwood is released from jail, but claims he does not know who paid his bail. Ellen-Beth Fullwood has moved to Lee County and avoids contact with her husband.
Jan. 4
Having pleaded guilty to the child pornography charges, a trial date of July 16 is set for Dale Fullwood's pornography case.
Jan. 5
North Port police confirm for the first time that Coralrose was raped and say DNA evidence from that attack does not belong to a family member. Police continue to say no one has been cleared as a suspect in the girl's killing.
Feb. 8
The Fullwoods agree to leave their four children in the custody of their maternal grandparents while each parent works to complete a case management plan. While Ellen-Beth Fullwood is allowed unsupervised visits with her children, Dale Fullwood is not.
March 17
Six months since the girl's death. Police say the case is "very active" but no arrest is imminent.
Posted by admin at March 17, 2007 9:15 AM
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