This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Eight days after 5-year-old Destiny Norton disappeared from her front yard, police discovered her body Monday night in the basement of the man who lives next door.
Craig Roger Gregerson was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of homicide.
After Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank made the announcement, a crowd of about 100 gathered in Destiny's neighborhood to question how the search for the 5-year-old girl could have gone so wrong, and how investigators could have missed something so close at hand. Some shouted profanity at police and reporters and wept and hugged each other.
"They told us they searched these buildings four f------ times," said Norton family spokeswoman Jeannie Hill said of police. "They did not do their jobs." The discovery capped a day of hope for Rachel and Rachael Norton, Destiny's parents. Earlier Monday, police and the FBI said they were investigating a possible sighting of Destiny at a Smith's Conoco in Farmington. Investigators also released a composite sketch of a man reported as driving a black Dodge pickup with a girl matching Destiny's description inside.
Volunteer and law enforcement officials marched along the route of the Pioneer Day parade, passing out fliers with the girl's picture.
Burbank did not answer questions at a hastily called 10:30 p.m. press conference. It was unknown Monday night how detectives discovered the body or what lead them to Gregerson.
It also was unknown if the sketch released earlier in the day and the tip Destiny was scene at a gas station in Farmingtion had any connection to Gregerson.