Body Believed To Be Missing Girl Found
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermont State Police said they have found a body believed to be that of a missing 12-year-old whose uncle allegedly planned to force her into a sex ring the day she disappeared.
Col. James Baker said Brooke Bennett’s body was found in Randolph, where the uncle lives, at about 4:45 p.m.
She was last seen alive with the uncle, Michael Jacques, at a convenience store a week ago.
“The painful discovery of Brooke’s body today is tragic and heartbreaking,” the state police director said at a news conference.
He called the death “clearly suspicious” but declined to give details before a news conference scheduled for Thursday morning.
But in an affidavit unsealed earlier in U.S. District Court, an unidentified teenager said she was present on June 25 when Jacques, 42, tricked Brooke into thinking she was going to a party and took her to his Randolph home to be initiated into a sex ring.
More than 200 people attended a vigil Wednesday in downtown Randolph at about 8 p.m.
Gary Finch, Brooke’s homeroom and math teacher at Randolph Union High School, said Brooke was a very energetic and enthusiastic learner. He said she was always volunteering in class.
Others who came said they didn’t know Brooke well, but they wanted to be there for her all the same. They remembered her as a fun person who could make others laugh and enjoyed playing basketball. Jody Neff, 61, said she came to say a prayer for Brooke’s family.
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