FBI hopes it will generate leads in Opal Jennings' March
26 disappearance
05/20/99
By Veronica Alaniz / The Dallas Morning News
SAGINAW - Authorities still do not know who abducted Opal Jennings
almost two months ago or what happened to the 6-year-old girl, but they
now have an idea of the kind of person her kidnapper might be.
The profile, compiled by the National Center for Analysis of Violent
Crime, a division of the FBI, was released Wednesday in hopes of
generating more leads.
"Hopefully, there's someone out there who can put this together and will
know the person who did this and give us a call," said Supervisory Special
Agent Craig Olson.
A man abducted Opal on March 26 as she played near the home she
shared with her grandparents on North Hampshire Street. The only
witnesses were two younger playmates who have been able to give
authorities only a sketchy physical description of the man.
The FBI profile details 10 major characteristics of the abductor, believed
to be a white or Hispanic male. Among them are a familiarity with the
Saginaw area and a propensity for impulsive and violent behavior,
authorities said.
The kidnapper is also believed to have changed his appearance since the
abduction by cutting or coloring his hair and removing or growing facial
hair. He may also have sold the vehicle used in the abduction, changed its
appearance or displayed an unusual interest in cleaning it.
Authorities think that the man was living alone at the time of the abduction
and that he would have found reasons for being absent from work or for
missing other scheduled appointments or social functions during that time.
The profile concludes that the man may have found an apparently legitimate
reason for leaving the area after the abduction and that he may have moved
or changed jobs. He probably has also changed his eating and sleeping
habits and become more nervous, irritable, preoccupied and withdrawn.
Investigators have received more than 2,200 leads, all but 200 of which
have been cleared, said Officer Karl Johnson, a spokesman for the
Saginaw Police Department.
One recent tip led authorities to conduct a second door-to-door canvass
Wednesday of a neighborhood within a mile of Opal's home, said Officer
Johnson, who declined to reveal specifics of the tip.
"It's enough that we wanted to see if we can get anything else substantial,"
he said.
Audrey Sanderford, Opal's grandmother, said she was grateful for all the
work authorities have put into the case.
"It's just one more lead," she said. "As far as I'm concerned, she's out
there, and we're going to find her. There's always hope."
