Polly Klaas
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Polly Hannah Klaas (January 3, 1981 - October-November 1993) was a kidnap and murder victim whose case gained national attention in the United States. At the age of twelve, she was kidnapped at knifepoint from her mother's home in Petaluma, California on October 1, 1993. She was later strangled. Richard Allen Davis was convicted of the crimes in 1996 and sentenced to death.
Because she loved music and performing in plays, the Polly Hannah Klaas Performing Arts Center was created in her honor in Petaluma.
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[edit] Background
Polly had invited two of her friends over for a sleepover. Around 10:30 p.m. Klaas opened her bedroom door to fetch sleeping bags, when she saw a man with a knife. He tied the girls up, told Klaas' friends to count to one thousand, and then kidnapped her. Over the next two months, about 4,000 people helped search for her. Television shows such as 20/20 and America's Most Wanted covered the kidnapping.
In the course of the search, police officers encountered Davis in a nearby rural area, where his Ford Pinto was stuck in the mud. At the time, missing person's bulletins were broadcast on only one police channel, to which the officers were not tuned; this practice was changed after the case, so such bulletins were broadcast on all police channels. It was later discovered that Klaas was buried alive at this time, and the meeting with the police may have prompted Davis to kill her.
On November 30, police arrested Davis, as his palm print had been found in Klaas' bedroom. Four days later, he led police to Polly's dead body, with her miniskirt pulled up and her legs spread apart. Davis said that he strangled her from behind with a piece of cloth. Although there was no way to check exactly how she died, as the body had decayed for two months, the statement was consistent with the evidence.
[edit] Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder, who had been raised in Petaluma, offered a $200,000 reward for Polly's safe return during the search. After Klaas' death, Ryder starred in a film version of Little Women and dedicated it to Klaas' memory, the Louisa May Alcott novel having been Polly's favorite book. The producers at first wanted to remove the dedication. Ryder then said she would not do any publicity for the film if it was removed, so it remained in the film.
In December 2002, Polly's name was brought up during Ryder's sentencing for shoplifting when defense attorney Mark Geragos brought up all the work Ryder did when Polly was kidnapped. The DA of the case accused Ryder and Geragos of bringing up the "body of a dead child." Ryder was visibly upset by the charge.
[edit] Marc Klaas
Her father Marc Klaas is now a child advocate and has made himself available to parents of kidnapped children. He has also made appearances on Larry King Live. He also makes appearances on the CNN Headline News show, Nancy Grace.
