00:00A five-year-old girl disappeared from outside her home, and the truth was horrifying.
00:05On the 15th of July, 2002, Samantha Runyon was playing with her friend outside her home in Stanton, California.
00:13A man walked up to them and said he was looking for his lost dog.
00:17Then he grabbed Samantha, put her in his car, and drove away.
00:22The next day, Samantha's body was found about 50 miles away in Cleveland National Forest.
00:29Police quickly began searching for the killer.
00:32Three days later, Alejandro Avila was arrested.
00:36Investigators found his DNA on Samantha and Samantha's DNA inside his car.
00:42Police also found child sexual abuse material on his computer.
00:47Investigators believed the crime was sexually motivated.
00:50In 2005, Avila was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.
00:55Samantha was only five years old, but her case helped lead to a lasting fight to protect children from predators.
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