JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The mother of a little girl who was raped and then murdered is offering support to to the family of the girl attacked in Arlington on Monday night.
Diena Thompson started the Somer Thompson Foundation after her daughter was killed in 2009. She knows what the family is dealing with and has a message for the little girl's mother.
"She has to be strong for her baby. Keep reassuring her child that it's nothing she did and there are just bad people in the world," said Diena Thompson. "I want her to know it's not her fault."
Diena Thompson said she blamed herself after her daughter Somer Thompson was abducted in 2009. Somer was sexually attacked, then killed by the man Diena Thompson calls a monster. Somer was 7 years old when she was killed, one year younger than the little girl attacked in Arlington.
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Through the pain, Diena Thompson found a new strength to help others. She's now reaching out to offer the little girl's family help with paying their bills.
"They don't care if your child is missing, or if they were brutally beat in the woods. They want their money," said Diena Thompson.
Hearing the details of the attack at Eagle Pointe Apartments also brought up memories for Diena Thompson. It's something she's sharing with Action News for the first time publicly.
"(Me) and my daughter Somer were both victims of child molestation," Diena Thompson said.
Diena Thompson said her abuse started when she was 4, but wants the 8-year-old Arlington victim to know she can overcome it.
"She's going to have a long road to recover because it does change you," said Diena Thompson.
She also wants the man who did it to know one thing. "We're gonna find you, like we did the others," said Diena Thompson.
Action News has also learned David Abramowitz, the regional managing director of the Florida Department of Children and Families, has visited with the child in the hospital.
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