Francine Lori Toni Meegan |
| Posted 2009-02-07 by Judy Wight Branson |
| Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday, October 20, 1996 Francine Lori Toni Meegan - Those she touched say goodbye Family and friends of murdered 10-month-old Francine Meegan gather at her Arizona grave site. By Carri Geer Review-Journal PRESCOTT, Ariz. - As cool winds blew clouds across the sky, residents of three states gathered Saturday morning to remember a young girl who touched each of them in different ways. Members of the Prescott community knew her for nearly six years as 'Baby Jane Doe' before they learned her true identity: 10-month-old Francine Lori Toni Meegan. Gerardo Vazquez never met Francine, but early this year he shared information with Las Vegas police that led them to her killer. Vazquez traveled from Visalia, Calif., to attend Saturday's memorial service at Mountain View Cemetery. 'Francine knows she's loved,' said Vazquez, a social worker. 'This community's showing that to her, and hopefully now she'll be able to rest in peace.' Francine was born Dec. 8, 1989, in Las Vegas to James and Lillian Meegan. Cowboys found her charred body Oct. 9, 1990, about a mile off Interstate 17 in the rocky hills between Phoenix and Flagstaff. Members of the Yavapai County sheriff's office tried in vain to solve the case for the next several years. Detective Ted Symonds joined the investigation last year and helped organize Saturday's service. 'We just felt like for all of us there needed to be this closure,' said Symonds, an ordained minister. Residents of Prescott, with a population of about 30,000, also held a memorial service shortly after finding the unidentified girl's body. Vazquez said he acquired his information about Francine while dating one of Lillian Meegan's sisters. After much thought, he notified Las Vegas police on Jan. 10. 'Learning of her death saddened me,' Vazquez told about 45 people gathered around Francine's grave Saturday. 'Learning of the cover-up angered me.' Shortly after Francine's birth, she went to live with friends of the Meegan family in Santa Ana, Calif. Dennis and Valerie Jensen planned to adopt the girl and gave her a new name, Danielle Nicole. The Jensens, now divorced, said the Meegans took the child back in early September 1990. They never saw her again. Dennis and Valerie Jensen traveled to Prescott with their three teen-age sons for the service. Dennis Jensen placed a framed photograph of the smiling infant among the flowers around her gravestone. Authorities believe James Meegan shook his daughter to death in early October 1990. He and his wife then took the body to Arizona, where James Meegan set it on fire. Francine's disappearance went undetected until Vazquez contacted authorities. Las Vegas police arrested James and Lillian Meegan in March. Jacque Price, the wife of a sergeant in the sheriff's office, was reading a newspaper article about the Meegans when she made the connection to Baby Jane Doe. 'I didn't even read the whole story,' she said Saturday. 'I just knew.' Symonds introduced Price during the service and said, 'probably all of us weren't as convinced as she was, I'll be the first to admit that.' But statements from Lillian Meegan and her 17-year-old daughter, Maria, soon helped convince authorities. DNA tests later removed any doubt. Lillian Meegan, 35, pleaded guilty in May to a felony charge of child abuse and neglect with substantial bodily harm for failing to seek medical attention when Francine suffered fatal injuries. District Judge Sally Loehrer sentenced her last month to 18 years in prison. A jury convicted 39-year-old James Meegan in August of first-degree murder. The panel later heard evidence during a penalty hearing but failed to agree on a sentence. Loehrer is scheduled to sentence him Oct. 29. He faces either a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 10 years or a life term with no chance for future freedom. Two jurors, including foreman Roy Shupe, attended the service. Shupe spoke at the gathering and said some panel members feel anger about the jury's inability to agree on 'what seemed so obvious.' 'The jury agonized over every piece of this,' he said. Shupe then placed a black-and-white teddy bear, a toy his 5-year-old daughter wanted to give up for Francine, on the gravestone. He said he hoped it would bring kindness and softness to the infant. 'All I know about you is the pain you went through,' he said. Representatives of the Clark County district attorney's office, including the two attorneys who prosecuted the Meegan case, also attended the service. 'I am not normally at a loss for words,' Chief Deputy District Attorney John Lukens said, tears filling his eyes. 'It is hard for me to speak today.' He told those in attendance that residents of Prescott kept Francine alive for the past six years. 'There are people here from three states,' he said. 'People who share a common bond - a very small child. Now no one can hurt her.' Valerie Jensen accepted condolences after the service as she visited with relatives and new acquaintances at the cemetery. 'It's amazing how many people are here,' she said. 'I can't even express my gratitude and appreciation for everything this town has done for our family.' |
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