Littlest Angels is a blog made to remember children who have passed away. To see a list of the children click 'Our Children' and click on the name of the child you want to read about.
Teigan Amiah Peters was born to Ryan Peters and Tisha Brown. Teigan's parents had separated in 2007, but, according to Tisha, Ryan Peters had been harassing her for a very long time. There was a great amount of tension between Tisha, Ryan, and Tisha's boyfriend.
On Father's day in 2009, Ryan's family became very worried when they couldn't contact Ryan. They were so worried, that they called the police. Ryan's family believed that since the divorce with Tisha, and the fact that he had lost custody of his daughter, Ryan had become suicidal. Ryan lost custody when Tisha filed a complaint that Ryan did not return Teigan at the time he was supposed to.
By June 21, it was known that Ryan was with Teigan, and that he had picked her up from her daycare, even though Tisha was supposed to. It was also believed that the two went camping. The police were having a difficult time locating Ryan and Teigan. The next day, a member of Ryan's family says that he has talked to Ryan, and knows an approximate location of where Ryan and Teigan probably are based on what Ryan had told him.
Later that day, after speaking with the member of Ryan's family, the police discovered two bodies at a camp site. One was an adult male, and the other was a female child, both had been shot. The bodies were soon identified as Ryan and Teigan Peters. It was discovered that Ryan had shot Teigan, and them himself.
Kaylynne Mae Patricia Matten was born on September 9, 2004. Kaylynne loved all animals, but she especially loved her pet chickens. Kaylynne was known to be very sweet. She loved hugs, making crafts with her mother, and she loved going hunting with her father. She also loved riding her 4-wheeler and getting dirty.
On December 2, 2011, Kaylynne had gotten a normal flu vaccination. Just four days later, seven year old Kaylynne died of heart complications. Her family suspected that she died from complications due to the flu vaccination. The vaccine was present in Kaylynne's body when she died.
Later it was found that the vaccination caused her to develop the “mysterious” disease in her heart known as Myocarditis which killed her.
Adam John Walsh was born on November 14, 1974 to John and Reve Walsh. On July 27, 1981, Adam was abducted and murdered. On that day, Adam had been at a Sears department store with his mother. He wanted to go watch some older boys play a game. His mother allowed him to do this while she was just a few aisles away looking at lamps.
The older boys were causing trouble, and a store employee asked them to leave. It is assumed that Adam, being only six years old, had gotten confused and thought that he was supposed to leave too. He went outside the store where he was abducted. His mother went to find her son about seven minutes later, but he and the older boys weren't there anymore.
Two weeks after this, Adam's severed head was found in a canal. A convicted serial killer named Ottis Toole confessed to killing Adam, but he was never tried or convicted for the crime. On December 16, 2008, police closed the case saying that they were sure that Adam's killer was Ottis Toole. The rest of Adam's body has never been recovered.
However, by the time that Adam's killer was 'confirmed', Ottis Toole was already dead. He had died of liver failure in 1996. Adam's father, John Walsh became the host of 'America's Most Wanted', and an advocate for victims of violent crimes. There is now a 'Code Adam'.
Samantha Bree Runnion was born on July 26, 1996. People described Samantha as beautiful, bright, and joyful. Samantha loved to read, write stories, play her guitar, paint, draw, sing, and dance. Samantha especially loved playing games with her family and friends. Samantha was looking forward to growing up. At five years old, she had already planned to become a mommy and a teacher.
On July 15, 2002, five year old Samantha was outside her home playing with her friend, Sarah. Sarah was the same age as Samantha. A man approached the girls in a car and asked them "Have you seen my chihuahua?" Samantha was a very nice and kind little girl, and she loved animals. She spoke with the man briefly, telling him that she didn't see his dog. Before anything else could happen, the man had pulled Samantha into his car and started driving off.
Samantha fought to get free, and managed to scream out to her friend Sarah, "Help me! Tell my grandmother!" Sarah ran and told her mother about what had just happened to Samantha. The search began quickly. Sarah as only five years old, but she was able to give a very good description of the man who she saw kidnap her friend. She was also able to give details about his car.
On July 16, 2002, the day after Samantha was kidnapped, a distraught man called 911 reporting that he had found a body. He said the body was that of a little girl, and that she was nude. He found the body along rural Highway 74. Authorities soon confirmed that the body belonged to Samantha. An autopsy reported that Samantha had been sexually assaulted, suffered physical trauma, and was strangled. The murderer spent several hours with Samantha before he killed her.
Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona delivered a strong message to the
killer: "Don't sleep. Don't eat. Because we're coming after you. We will
take every resource that's available to us to bring you to justice."
Caller’s tips lead the FBI to Alejandro Avila, 27, a production line
supervisor from nearby Lake Elsinore. Avila reportedly denied any
involvement in the murder, telling the police that he was 30 miles away
on the day of the abduction. Phone and credit card records did not
support his alibi.
Avila had previously been to the apartment complex where Samantha lived
during 1998 and 1999. His ex-girlfriend’s daughter lived in the same
complex as the Runnion family. His relationship with the woman ended in
1999 and in 2000. In 2001, Avila was charged with molestation of her
nine-year-old daughter and another young girl, but was acquitted on all
charges.Avila was arrested and charged with the murder, kidnapping, and two
counts of forcible lewd acts on Samantha Runnion.
Nevaeh was born on February 3, 2004. She loved her stuffed animals, and she even named them all. One of her stuffed animals was a black lab named Tank. One of her favorite stuffed animals was a beagle dog that she named Harley. She named him Harley because she loved motorcycles.
People who knew Nevaeh said that she was shy. She was also described as 'adorable', and it was said that she liked to wear her hair in a ponytail. She had a smile that could 'melt a glacier'. On June 4, 2009, Nevaeh was playing outside when she vanished. The search began soon afterward, and people reported sightings of the little girl, although none were confirmed.
On June 4, 2009, a fisherman stumbled upon a hole with wet cement in it. When he investigated further, he found a human body inside the cement. He called the authorities immediately. Although they weren't 100% sure at that time that the body belonged to Nevaeh, the hair, weight, gender, and height matched Nevaeh's description. Later, positive identification was confirmed through DNA.
On July 14, 2009, Nevaeh's cause of death was released. It was shown that Nevaeh had died because she choked on a large amount of dirt. She may have been buried alive. Nevaeh's killer has still not been found.
Sandra Renee Cantu was born on March 8, 2001. Her neighbors and teachers described her as outgoing and friendly. Sandra's aunt said that Sandra was full of life and very loving. Sandra loved gardening, cooking, and coloring. She also loved Hannah Montana and liked to sing the song "Best of Both Worlds".
Just a short while before she died, Sandra celebrated her eighth birthday. Just nine days after her birthday on March 27, 2009, Sandra came home from school and kissed her mother and then left to go play with one of her friends who lived near her house. A surveillance video of the town shows Sandra happily skipping over to her friend's home. Sandra never returned home.
Sandra was reported missing, but her body was found on April 6, 2009. It is assumed that she was killed very soon after she was kidnapped. Sandra's body was found inside of a suitcase that had been dumped into a dairy farm. The black suitcase belonged to a woman named Melissa Huckaby. This woman was the daughter of the minister at Sandra's church. She was also the mother of a daughter. Her daughter was a bit younger than Sandra, but sometimes, she and Sandra played together.
Melissa claimed that she left the suitcase in her driveway the day Sandra was murdered. Sandra had been strangled with a torn piece of cloth. Sandra had been sexually assaulted with an object, and inside the suitcase was a rolling pin with Sandra's DNA on it. It is believed that the rolling pin was the object Sandra had been assaulted with. Sandra suffered a cut to her lip, abrasions to her elbow, and injuries to her genitals.
Melissa plead guilty to first degree murder, but said that she did not sexually assault Sandra. The sexual assault charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.
Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975. Her parents were Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. She had one older sister named Tammy. When Tammy was pregnant with Heather, she felt that the pregnancy was not right. It was different than her pregnancy with her first child. The doctor confirmed that she had suffered a miscarriage. In the month that followed this, Tammy still felt as if she was pregnant. When she told the doctor, he told her that it was just a condition that would soon pass.
When the pregnancy symptoms didn't go away, Kathleen went to get an examination to make sure that she had suffered a miscarriage. The examination showed that she had, but everyone was surprised and excited to learn that she had been pregnant with twins. One was a boy, and the other was a girl. The girl survived.
Shortly before Heather was born, Kathleen O'Rourke decided to begin working a few hours a day. To do this, she had to find someone to care for Heather's older sister, Tammy. Tammy was three years old at the time of Heather's birth. Tammy was too young to attend pre-school, so Kathleen enrolled in her tap dance lessons. Tammy became quite good at dancing, so she began entering talent shows. She would often come home with honors. Heather liked to be like her older sister, so she also began developing her performing talents. When Heather was three, she won a 'Little Miss' pageant. She also performed on stage with her sister.
Tammy was encouraged by her dance instructor to pursue her dancing talent. She began acting in plays, and since Heather was so young, she often tagged along with her sister and watched the plays with her mother. It was around this time that Heather also began to seem interested in acting. The agent holding Tammy's career noticed this and offered Heather small roles. She was in commercials, and on printed advertisements.
It was by chance that Steven Spielburg discovered Heather. He was looking for a little girl who was about five years old to play a big part in his next movie. Drew Barrymore auditioned for the part, but Steven thought that she wasn't quite right for that particular role.
During the lunch break at Tammy's plays, many of the tables would quickly become filled. While Kathleen and Tammy would go pick up lunch, Heather would stay at a table to 'reserve' their seats. On the day she was discovered, Heather was just doing what she often did. She was sitting in the dining area waiting for her mother and her sister to return. She wasn't surprised when a man came to her table and introduced himself as 'Steven'. He asked if he could sit down with her. Heather, four years old, answered "I guess, but you're a stranger, so I'm not allowed to talk to you."
Steven sat with Heather and waited until Tammy and Kathleen returned. Tammy and Kathleen were quite excited to meet Steven, but Heather didn't really care. She was more interested in eating her lunch. Steven said he was looking for a little girl to be in his movie. He asked Heather if she had ever been in one, but Heather was shy, so her mother answered for her. Steven chatted with Kathleen and Tammy for a short period of time, but after learning that Heather was only four, and that she didn't have much experience, he thanked them and said he was looking for someone a bit older.
The next day, Steven found Heather again at lunch. He started to think that Heather might be right for the part after all. He left his card and they arranged a meeting where he would have to see if Heather could scream, because she would be screaming a lot in his movie. Heather screamed and screamed for Steven, she had a lot of patience for a four year old. But eventually she told him that she was done screaming and that she wanted to go home.
Since Heather had good patience, and could read her script by herself, Steven offered her the role. Listening to her mother's advice, Heather accepted it. Heather began acting in many different shows, but her most famous was the Poltergeist trilogy. She appeared in the first, second, and third Poltergeist movie. She passed away shortly before the third movie was completed.
It was shortly before the pre-production of Poltergeist III that Heather began to feel ill. She had been sick a little bit before this, but it didn't seem like anything unusual, just the common flu. Heather wasn't recovering from her illness, and one day she came home from school with swelling to her feet and lower legs. Heather's mother then decided that it was time to take her to the doctor. The doctor informed them that this was only another symptom of the flu. They were told to monitor the illness and bring her back if they needed to.
When Heather didn't improve, her mother took her back. This time, the doctors suggested that maybe Heather's illness was a reaction to a spider bite. Her mother wasn't convinced, and took Heather back yet again when the medication she had been taking wasn't helping her. They did tests and found that Heather's intestinal tract was infected with an organism called Giardia lamblia. This was common in the area where Heather lived, and usually found it's way into someone's body if they drank untreated water.
This puzzled the doctors though, because Heather drank the same water as her family, and none of them were infected. Heather was given medication to treat this, and her condition seemed to improve. Her mother took Heather for many check-ups, and she seemed to be getting better. This medication puffed up her cheeks, which can be seen in the third Poltergeist movie. Gradually, Heather was weaned off this medication, and her appearance returned to normal.
Near the end of January, 1988, Heather began to feel ill again. Heather didn't complain about very much, but she did casually mention to her sister that she didn't feel like going to P.E. at school that day. She didn't ever say why though. She went to her classes, and the next day, she stayed at home most of the day. She did go out to eat with her family and seemed to be feeling alright. The next day, however, it was obvious that Heather was not feeling well at all.
Heather's mother and stepfather woke up to hear Heather being sick in the bathroom. Her mother called out to her and Heather slept with her mother and stepfather for the rest of the morning. She spent to rest of the day resting on the couch. Her mother gave her fluids because her symptoms were, again, flu-like.
On February 1, Heather woke up to go to school. It was Monday, and she had been sick the day before, but she still joined her mother in the kitchen. Kathleen was preparing breakfast. Kathleen asked Heather how she felt, and Heather said she felt "Okay.". She also informed her mother that she wanted to go to school. Kathleen gave Heather a piece of toast while she tried to decide if she was going to keep her home that day to be sure that she was feeling okay. A few minutes later, Kathleen noticed that Heather was having a difficult time eating her toast. Kathleen asked Heather how she was feeling. This time, Heather answered "Mom, I can't swallow." Kathleen now noticed that Heather's face was very pale, and her hands were cold. Her fingers had a blueish tint to them and it seemed like Heather's breathing was shallow. Kathleen called the hospital who told her to bring Heather in right away. She told Heather to get dressed, but when Heather got out of her chair, she slumped to the floor, holding her stomach.
Heather's stepfather now called 9-1-1. While they waited for the ambulance to arrive, Heather remained on the floor. She was still coherent. When the paramedics arrived, they started treating Heather instantly. They fitted her with an oxygen mask and she protested. She told them that she didn't need it. When the paramedics asked how she was feeling, all she said is that she felt 'a little sick', but that she was 'alright'.
Heather was loaded into the ambulance and driven to the emergency room. She was still alert during most of the trip, and she was able to speak as well. Despite this, shortly before arriving at the hospital, she lapsed into unconsciousness. The paramedics tried to revive her. Eventually they restored her vital signs. She was stabilized enough to be transported by helicopter to another hospital. Her mother was informed of this.
It was realized that Heather had went into shock. They also noticed that her stomach was swollen, which was a sign of a bowel obstruction. They suspected the obstruction had already burst, spreading the infection across Heather's body. When Heather arrived at the other hospital, she was stable, but in a critical condition. She remained unconscious and unresponsive while they prepared her for possible surgery. Her stepfather and mother were told that she may have already suffered permanent brain damage. It was found that her small intestine had indeed already burst and spread infection.
They performed surgery, but Heather was in horrible condition even before the surgery began, so her family was informed that she may not survive. The operation was completed, but afterwards, Heather showed no signs of improvement. She never regained consciousness, and her brain showed no activity. She stayed alive until around 2:00 p.m. when her condition worsened, and she slowly stopped breathing. It was discovered that Heather had intestinal stenosis, a condition of intestinal narrowing. This made Heather more likely to have a bowel obstruction. Heather could have had this condition her whole life. The remaining of the third Poltergeist movie had to be done with a stunt double, only showing the back of Heather's character's head.
