Samantha's father 'completely devastated'

Police seek public's help in case

Samantha Runnion's father Derek Jackson: "I loved her very much and will miss her dearly."

SUNDERLAND, Massachusetts (CNN) -- As investigators track down more than 2,000 leads to find his daughter's killer, the father of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion said he was "completely devastated" by her murder.

Derek Jackson, who has been living apart from the girl's mother in Stanton, California, asked the chief of police to read a prepared statement for him.

"I loved her very much and I will miss her dearly. I had the most wonderful moments of my life while with her. She is such a sweet beautiful little girl and her love will live forever in my heart," the statement said.

The grieving father also urged parents everywhere to donate "whatever you have" to funds established for abducted children. And he implored them to go through role-playing and instruct their children how to respond when strangers approach.

Jackson recalled how he took off nine months from work to spend time with Samantha after she was born.

"I took her everywhere and did wonderful things with her, and took lots of video and wrote a lot about her," he said.

"I sent numerous packages and wonderful letters to her so that when I'm not with her when she's out in California, I would stay connected with her."

Jackson said he was going to California and thanked volunteers who were helping Samantha's mother and grandmother in their time of grief, and he thanked authorities for their efforts to track down the man who kidnapped and killed his daughter.

Rumors slowing tips in case

CNN NewsPass VIDEO The abduction and killing of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion has parents scared and extra cautious. CNN's Anne McDermott reports. (July 18) Play video   Abductor's description Hispanic male 25 to 40 years old Black hair, slicked back Thin black mustache Powder blue button-down shirt Sherriff's hotline: 714 890-4280. Source: Orange County Sheriff's Department MORE STORIES On the Scene -- Charles Feldman: Police fear sexual predator    EXTRA INFORMATION • Who is likely to abduct a child  • Missing children facts  • Safety experts offer tips  • Tips for children to avoid abduction

In Orange County, California, the sheriff leading the investigation said more than 400 investigators were working on the case but no arrests have been made, and he asked the media and the public "not to react to rumors."

"When the media puts out a rumor that a suspect has been caught and an arrest has been made, we see a marked decrease in the number of calls we get from the public," said Sheriff Michael Carona, adding that the tips were "very, very important to us in moving this investigation forward."

Investigators were following up more than 1,000 leads developed from citizen tips and another 1,000 from law enforcement sources that pointed investigators toward several men, all of whom have a history of child sexual abuse and meet the general description of the man who whisked Samantha away early Monday evening.

"We have a relatively firm belief that this individual is in the Southern California area. We are also relatively convinced that this individual has not left the state of California," Carona said.

He also said forensic experts were culling evidence from where Samantha was abducted and from the rural site where the girl's body was found Tuesday.

He said the perpetrator "has made a lot of mistakes and we've capitalized on those mistakes."

"This puzzle is coming together and coming together quickly, and I'm confident we're going to solve it," said the sheriff.

All information and tips were being tracked, organized and categorized by an FBI computer program called "Rapid Start."

"It also allows us to see what has been covered, what hasn't been covered," said FBI agent Richard Garcia.

"If there's been some similarities of other calls that might match certain things -- certain pieces of information --- it makes the correlation between that in order to help the investigators to ensure that they're not covering the same lead three-four-five different times and wasting time with that."

Sheriff: 'Predator' could strike again

Samantha's body was found 75 miles from her home in Riverside County. The girl's grandmother identified her body early Wednesday. An autopsy revealed she died of asphyxiation.

Carona said the killer apparently had spent several hours with the girl and sexually assaulted her before the killing.

Carona and FBI officials cautioned that Samantha's killer fit the profile of a serial attacker who would likely strike again soon.

"We were very concerned that this individual could strike again in a relatively short period of time -- whether it is 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, a week, two weeks," said Carona. "This individual is a sexual predator."

"Based upon our understanding of that predator and his deviancy, and the fact that he has killed once, there's the probability that he will again recidivate in terms of his sexual deviancy and may recidivate in terms of killing somebody. The public needs to be aware of that," he said.

The sheriff said investigators were going through lists of registered sex offenders in California and that federal agents were also checking similarities to other cases nationwide.

With the help of Samantha's 5-year-old playmate who witnessed the abduction, police have described the kidnapper as 25 to 40 years old, with slicked-back hair and a thin mustache. Officials said the young witness described speech patterns that led them to believe the man is Latino.

The playmate was with Samantha about 7 p.m. Monday when a man asked for help finding a lost puppy, authorities said. The playmate shied away, but Samantha showed an interest, and the man grabbed her and forced her into a light green, two-door car that may have been a Honda or an Acura, officials said.

At least two other children living near Samantha said they saw a man asking for help to find a dog a month before the girl's death. The family of those children said they would give authorities whatever help they could.