The fact that Jennifer survived this ordeal is amazing, and her attempt to bring closure to the case is inspiring. Jennifer has been working with a division of the FBI called the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team (CARDT) to try and find the man who assaulted her so long ago.

Jennifer’s assailant left a few articles of clothing at the scene of the crime, but DNA testing was inconclusive at the time. There have been many technological advances since then, and members of the CARDT were able to run new tests on evidence that was locked away for many years. They found a match.

DNA samples pointed to a man named Dennis Earl Bradford. He was previously arrested for a sexual assault case in Arkansas from 1997, and found guilty of kidnapping a 35-year-old woman, sexually assaulting her and then cutting her throat. The crime was an exact match of what happened to Jennifer Schuett.

As investigators began to dig deeper, they made a startling discovery. After Jennifer was attacked she helped a sketch artist create a picture of the man who kidnapped her. That picture had a striking resemblance to Dennis Bradford’s driver’s license photo. Jennifer had also written several notes to the police about her assault – and those notes mentioned that her abductor referred to himself as Dennis.

Dennis Bradford lives in Arkansas, but in 1990 he lived in Dickinson, Texas. His home was only about a mile away from the apartment building where Jennifer was abducted. The FBI finally had a break in the case after nearly 2 decades of silence.

On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, Dennis Earl Bradford was arrested while on his way to work in Little Rock, Arkansas. Local authorities worked with an FBI agent and a detective from Dickinson to capture the suspect and book him at a nearby facility. Bradford will be charged with attempted murder, and he is expected to be extradited to face a trial in Texas. If he is found guilty, Bradford could be sentenced to life in prison.

Jennifer Schuett may finally have closure on this painful chapter in her life.  Her assailant has gone free for almost 20 years and most people believed he would never be caught, but now the alleged perpetrator is behind bars. Jennifer boasts that she should not be thought of as a victim, but as victorious.

Thanks to the persistence of Jennifer Schuett, members of the CARDT and modern technology, a man who brutally attacked a young girl may finally be brought to justice. At PeopleFinders.com we’re grateful for tools that help protect us and identify known criminals. You never know what type of person may be living in your neighborhood, but our Sexual Offender Search can help you find out. Use it to learn if there are registered sex offenders near your family.

Jennifer deserves respect and admiration for her bravery and persistence. We can all breathe a sigh of relief at the thought that the man who raped and left her for dead has finally been captured. Stay safe out there, and thank you for reading the PeopleFinders.com People Search blog.

For more current Sex Offender News, read the harrowing tale of Jaycee Dugard here.

One such customer was a man named Johnny Wright. He visited the restaurant where Rebecca worked, Ernie’s Steak House, several times to ask her out. Wright also called the steakhouse repeatedly because Rebecca refused to give him her personal phone number. Rebecca finally had enough; she agreed to go out with him for a drink to explain that she just wasn’t interested.

On August 5, the pair spent some time together at a local bar. No one knows what she said to Wright that night, but whatever it was must have upset him. It would be the last time anyone ever saw Rebecca Doisy alive.

Police began to investigate the disappearance of Rebecca Doisy, and they were pointed in the direction of Johnny Wright. Several witnesses admitted to seeing him hassle her at work, and others had seen them at the bar that night in August. Officers looked for Wright, but he stayed away from work for several days and could not be found. When he finally emerged, the suspect was brought in for questioning.

Johnny Wright took a polygraph test and the results indicated that he was lying, but the police did not have enough evidence so he was let go. Wright’s previous criminal history helped make him a person of great interest in the case, but over the next few years no new leads were found and the investigation went cold.

In 1985 investigators finally caught a big break.  Johnny Wright’s former roommate, Harry Moore, told officers that he had seen Rebecca’s body in Johnny Wright’s car, and that Wright had admitted to killing her. Police were skeptical at first and Moore became a suspect, but the evidence they had matched his story and they set out to find Wright.

A nationwide manhunt began, and officers hoped to finally bring a case that started nearly a decade earlier to an end. They hoped to get Wright in custody quickly and finally learn what had happened to Rebecca, whose body had never been found. The FBI ran fingerprint searches and authorities in every state were on the lookout. After a long, intensive search the results were: nothing. Johnny Wright seemed to either be dead or out of the country.
As the years passed, Rebecca Doisy’s family tried to find peace, but the pain of her disappearance and not knowing what became of her always remained. In time they came to accept that the case would never be solved, and Wright would never be brought to justice.

In 2009 a 65-year-old man entered a police station in Atlanta, Georgia to order a criminal background check on himself. He needed the report for a potential job as a truck driver. The man showed his identification, made his request and was told to return the next day. Officers ran the background check, and immediately saw a red flag.

The man was Johnny Wright. His ID was less than a week old, and contained his real name. When Wright returned for his report he was placed under arrest for the murder of Rebecca Doisy.

Officers in Columbia were stunned to hear the news. Their investigation had begun more than 30 years ago, and they had no active leads. Now their suspect was in custody after visiting a police station. One officer noted with amazement that Wright had “paid $15 to get arrested”.

Doisy’s family was even more shocked, and relieved. At long last they would have answers about a crime that haunted them for so long.

Many crimes go unsolved, and you never know who might be living in your neighborhood. A criminal background check can help you find out if someone nearby was ever arrested and convicted, and give you the information you need to help keep your family safe. It’s an effective tool that is used by law enforcement agencies worldwide to find and track criminals before they can strike again.

Our hearts go out to the family of Rebecca Doisy; may they finally get the closure they need after their nightmarish ordeal. Be careful about whom you associate with, get the information you need to stay safe and thank you for reading the PeopleFinders People Search blog.

Read More Crime Related Articles:

Jennifer Schuett – A Rape Victim Fights Back
The Kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard

It’s a sad fact, but crime is on the rise all over the United States. When times are tough economically, criminal activity generally increases. So how do you protect your home, property and family members? One of the best things you can do is work with your neighbors to prevent crime.

The Neighborhood Watch Program was established by the National Sheriffs’ Association in 1972 to help citizens protect themselves and each other from criminals. Since then the program has grown and become very well respected, but the success of any neighborhood watch depends entirely on the effort that people put into it. With a little time and patience, it’s easy to create a beneficial watch group.  Here’s how you can get started:

Step 1: Talk to your neighbors and generate interest. Explain how you can all work together to prevent crime and keep people safe. Set a date for a meeting to discuss establishing a crime watch group, and invite everyone to attend and participate.

Step 2: Contact the local police and let them know you are forming a neighborhood watch. Law enforcement offers are in favor of these crime prevention programs, because they help keep the entire community safe. They will usually have tips, suggestions and advice on how you can get started and build your group. In most cases a representative from the police station will be willing to come speak at your meeting and answer questions.

Step 3: Hold your first meeting and give everyone time to mingle and get to know each other. Consider starting with a potluck or providing refreshments to encourage people to socialize. Get started on time, and make sure everyone has a chance to voice his or her opinion and concerns, but try to keep the meeting short and on topic. Pick a crime watch block captain who will help organize the group and be a direct contact person with the police.

Step 4: Ask the members of your neighborhood watch to exchange contact information. Trade phone numbers to start a telephone tree and share email addresses so everyone can stay connected. Make sure the people in your group understand they have a commitment to watch out for each other and report suspicious activity. For example, if someone sees a stranger driving up and down the block or watching a particular house, they should notify the neighbors. It’s important to keep everyone aware of a potential problem, but always call the police to report an actual burglary or any other type of crime.

Step 5: Make sure that people know your group exists; talk to an officer about setting up crime watch street signs on your block. This shows criminals that the people in your area are looking out for lawbreakers. Criminals prefer easy opportunities where they won’t be seen by anyone, so if they know you’re watching they will be likely to move on.

Working together is a great way to prevent crime in your community. You can also help determine how safe your neighborhood is by searching for registered sex offenders who live near you, or finding out if any convicted criminals are close by. Stay safe; take care of each other, and thank you for reading the PeopleFinders.com People Search blog.