Here is the story from the LA Times:
She was set to star this week in her high school’s production of David Mamet’s “The Boston Marriage.” And she planned to volunteer helping the homeless this summer. Seventeen-year-old Lily Burk had a knack for writing and being funny, and while classmates at Oakwood School in North Hollywood carried backpacks, she lugged two canvas bags overstuffed with books, papers and binders.
This girl was “cute and getting cuter,” her mother said. Lily was going places.
Instead, she left her Los Feliz home Friday afternoon on an errand and never returned. Early Saturday her black Volvo was found parked in a lot surrounded by warehouses and lofts near downtown Los Angeles. Lily’s body was found on the front passenger seat, and police are investigating her death as a homicide…..
There’s a lot more here.
Lily’s parents are music journalist Greg Burk and Southwestern Law adjunct professor Deborah Drooz. LA Observed is following this case too.
I am sick at heart in her parents’ behalf.
Lily’ Burk’s friends have started a Facebook page.
“It pains me to contradict a grief-stricken mother…” Then don’t. I’d be surprised if the police treated the initial call as anything BUT a runaway. Maybe if they acted on the information the parents were able to recover from cell phone usage and ATM attemps, they would have found her before tragedy occurred. It’s beyond horrible. Hopefully the police can make up for it by catching the culprit.
ST – you have no idea of the reality of policing a city of 4 million with 10,000 cops, of which roughly 1/3 are on the streets at any given time because of the need to split them into shifts for 24/7 coverage.
The idea that a 5pm call can get Dragnet into action to cover all ATMs and triangulate calls from Lily’s cellphone is something for a movie. The reality is very different.
Instead of trying to point the finger of blame at the cops, lets spare a thought for the trauma that Lily’s parents are going through. There’s nothing worse than knowing someone you care about is somewhere in the city, in need of help and there’s nothing you can do to help. My heart goes out to Deborah and Greg – I know the agony they are experiencing when a loved one becomes the victim of the worst of crimes.
It does look like Lily was the victim of an alarmingly increasing trend in ATM kidnappings. Desperate people, usually drug addicts, use force or the threat of force to get victims to withdraw cash from ATMs. It’s nothing new, it’s been happening for ages, it just seems that there’s more of it now. Often times the attacker is unsophisticated and leaves clues which eventually leads to his or her capture. In this case, don’t be surprised if the images from the cameras at ATMs are of low quality. Hopefully, there will be some forensic evidence in Lily’s car that will identify her killer – the new law that requires all persons arrested for felonies or convicted of misdemeanors to give DNA samples could solve the case.
Solving the case and punishing Lily’s killer won’t bring Lily back. It might provide some degree of closure for her parents, but frankly, this is a problem that will keep on happening, especially as the economy worsens.
I did a little internet research – Google “Teen Tracking Device” and amongst the hits there’s a $200 device that uses GPS to track the whereabouts of anyone, or anything, that’s gone missing. I’m not advertising this, and I’m not connected to it in any way. It just occurs to me that given the circumstances, if Lily had one of these devices, and if Lily’s parents had given her a “code word” to use when she called them while she was obviously being kidnaped/carjacked and was asking how to use her ATM card, they could have told LAPD not only that she was in peril but also where she was, and maybe LAPD could have responded quickly enough.
However, as I first pointed out, there really aren’t enough patrol units on the streets, and I’m not aware of a unit of LAPD that is poised to swing into action at the drop of a hat, even if Lily had a tracking device.
So perhaps the answer is that we need a “Lliy’s Law” – a push from the Mayor to provide GPS tracking devices to parents, if necessary with some public funding, and a response from LAPD who are never willing to admit any failing or deficiency, that they will form a hi-tech rapid response unit that will be able to follow up on a report of a missing person who has a known location provided by an approved GPS device.
Just my thoughts on how we might get something positive out of this tragedy and how Lily’s parents can have some solace from knowing that Lily didn’t die in vain, she gave her life so that others might be saved.
Please don’t give up on this story Celeste. I really believe that it’s something that we can do something about.
IF she was at SW at 2:30, and the police think she was dead by 5pm, is it possible that she was with someone she knew? The phone calls seems like calls for help, in a way that wouldn’t alert her abductors. That time of day, someone must have seen her on the street or at the ATMs, which should have tapes, as well.
Weird twist is that her mother was Carlos Castaneda’s friend and executor. (I’m not implying any relationship, it’s just a weird factoid.)
Had Lily done volunteer work where she might have met someone who had gangbanger ties? Because it seems odd that she could be forced into letting some stranger into her car. Parking garage at SW?
Kate C. “Because it seems odd that she could be forced into letting some stranger into her car” It’s not odd at all. Someone comes up to you from behind while your fumbling for your car keys and pokes something in your back and says “I’ve got a gun, get in and drive” what are you going to do?
Number one rule of self-defense when approaching your car – have your keys ready, be alert, look around. If you see someone watching you, walk away fast.
Number two rule – try to stay where there are crowds.
Parking lot at Southwestern on a Friday afternoon was probably not a busy place. They should have video cameras there though, so perhaps there will be some evidence there. All too late for Lily though, that’s the point.
The L.A. Times article states that she was found on the passenger side of the front seat. The previous poster is probably right in that she was most likely hijacked at the parking lot and forced to try to withdraw money from one or more ATMs. Can’t figure out how they knew it was before 5 PM, since there was no car crash and she died from blunt force trauma to head, unless her watch was broken in the assault.
Em. “Can’t figure out how they knew it was before 5 PM”
Time of death could be established by all sorts of things; body temperature, degree of rigor mortis, condition of the body, on the scientific front, and possibly evidence of the time the car was parked, and the absence of any cell phone calls after 5pm.
Police probably have a lot of evidence to make a statement like that, as the last thing that they want is to be proved wrong, so I’d be inclined to think 5pm is fairly accurate.
Mark – Yes you are right, but it just seemed odd to have such an exact time like that. All the more then that there was nothing the police could have done since the mother did not get home until 5 P.M. and did not call the police (by their records anyway) until around 7 P.M. She was evidently dead before the police or the mother ever even knew about her missing, so the parents and other posters should not be blaming the police in this particular instance. It is just a tragedy, as by all accounts she was such a bright and pleasant young woman.
The death of this young woman is a tragedy that is unimaginable. I am reluctant to comment on anything but the sadness of this event. However, I am also compelled to respond to the comment made by Kate C — and her reference to someone with “gang-banger ties.” How about someone with USC or UCLA ties? Drug ties? Mental illness ties? There is absolutely nothing to implicate any one with any ties whatsoever in this crime. The problem of demonization for gang bangers is large enough, the misunderstandings between different populations troubling enough without this kind of thoughtless hypothesis. Let us think of our human ties — and the grief these parents feel. That should be enough.
Thanks, Jorja. I’m so sad about this that I don’t trust myself to be rational.
But Kate, I too felt that remark as a gut punch. Plenty of homeboys or former homeboys who are or have been in California correctional institutions have my home address and it’s never given me a moment’s worry.
Speaking personally, the only people who have represented any kind of threat—physically, fiscally, or in terms of property— to me or my family over the last 20 years have come from the so-called right side of the street.
Why do people with no knowledge of “the facts” of this still unfolding investigation have a need to attribute blame and identify the perpetrators…right now? Why not let professionals with access to cell phone records, court orders and forensic experts do their job? Does that not seem to be the most sober and rational path at this point? This isn’t an episode of a TV true crime series that must be solved in 22:30, with commercial breaks. There is a real victim here, a real human being with a family.
My prayers go to the family.
@Jorja–ties to people who do bad things. Is that general enough for you? The Venn diagram of USC/UCLA populations intersecting murderous carjackers is rather smaller than the aforementioned. Drug ties and gangbangers don’t intersect? It’s an educated guess, rather than a thoughtless hypothesis.
Her car was found at Alameda and 4th, which isn’t deserted at 5 pm. So, perhaps the murderer did his work elsewhere and abandoned the car there? Close to public transportation.
Celeste–there’s a big difference between former and current, as you well know. I know people who’ve suffered home invasions by gangs, been car-jacked, and been terrorized by MS-13. So, while your experiences are positive, not everyone has the same experiences.
And “blaming the perps”? The USC hit and run didn’t get solved til the family offered a reward. If someone saw anything at SouthWestern or at the ATMs, let’s hope that person comes forward.
A cholo sympathizer whines..
“and her reference to someone with “gang-banger ties.†How about someone with USC or UCLA ties?”
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I wonder who commits more crimes gang-bangers or USC or UCLA students and staff? If you are a gang banger eho associates with a criminal organiztion you deserve to be castigated.
We have enough movies, music and fools who glamorize the cholo lifestyle. A good example of this glamorization of the cholo-lifestyle is this “cholo inspired” picture on a site about L.A. Eastside.
http://laeastside.com/2009/07/thee-eastside-theme-song-poll/
Jorja and Ken are correct, we should all just extend our condolences to the grief stricken parents, and let the authorities sort out the facts. It is indeed an all too common tragedy that plays out far too often all across this country, to victims from all walks of life and from all socio-economic backgrounds. Such a waste of a promising young life.
my condolences to the family. it is very important to develop “street smarts”,the lapd has atm’s in the lobby of their stations to protect people withdrawing cash.i believe young ladies need to take “self-protection”,martial arts,and pepper spray etc. the criminal element is looking for an easy target/victim.when criminals just take your money or property thats a lot better than getting beaten,stabbed or shot, that level of violence is just wrong when the criminal just wants some cash.i am not against law abiding citizens having concealed weapons with the appropriate permits. rest in peace lili.
The thing about gangbanger ties and the USC/UCLA thing really isn’t helpful, but it is understandable – many people naturally want to lash out at whoever is responsible for this tragic waste of a young and by all accounts wonderful girl.
Equally, the need to understand what happened, to rationalize it in some way, is a natural reaction because we are so frustrated by being victims we need to understand whether anything could have prevented this from happening.
Sadly, what we have here is a something that is very hard to rationalize. Whoever killed Lily probably did not set out that day to do that. Most likely it will turn out to be someone who had a need for cash and a very different set of values when it came to getting that cash.
All we can do is speculate but let”s not forget Lily’s parents and friends at this time; they are also looking for answers. All we can give them is our best wishes and condolences.
What Mark said.
My heart and prayers go out to the family during this trying time. There is nothing in your life that is more dreaded and more painful than losing a child. Any parent knows this and lives with dread anytime the phone rings late at night and their child is out somewhere. A tracking system of some sort should be available and all parents should have a code word established with their child should they be involved in a situation like this. Right now, all the family can do is support each other and pray that the person or person who did this terrible thing are caught.
“Speaking personally, the only people who have represented any kind of threat—physically, fiscally, or in terms of property— to me or my family over the last 20 years have come from the so-called right side of the street.”
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We need programs like “Right Side Street” Industries to reform these folks who are so dangerous to Celeste. Where are the social programs for the real threats to our citizens?
After reading the newspiece and the information above, I am struck by one element:
“Lily picked up the papers and, more than an hour later, made separate calls to each of her parents, asking them how to get cash using her credit card at an ATM, police said. Lily seemed in a rush, her father said, but not frightened. She said she needed money to buy shoes. Her parents said they told her to come home.”
My teenagers know how to use the ATM/Visa cards they have in their possession. Lily was trying to leave a clue to her parents, who apparently didn’t get the clue.
Lily, you didn’t die in vain. Parents – as one poster above stated, we need to have “code words” for our kids to use via cellphone to let us know they are in peril. And I like the idea of the GPS tracking advice. Again – these things might never have saved Lily, but we can all learn from this tragedy and Lily can be our Angel.
I live in Los Feliz, the same neighborhood as Lily. A week ago I was making dinner when I turned around to find a woman on drugs standing in my kitchen asking for a shot. I got her outside and called the North East division of the LAPD. I called twice and my husband called once to report a home invasion. The police never came. Later I called to follow up and they told me they had apprehended the woman on a street nearby. They never took a statement or anything and tried to tell me that I had never called earlier. This woman could have been very dangerous. I’m making this public in case there could be any connection. I am so sorry for the parents of this lovely girl.
I can walk to where she was found, and it’s a busy corridor. So, I’m guessing that the car was left there in the middle of the night, when it’s not busy. I hope the LAPD jumps on this with both feet.
They are. Believe me. More soon.
My heart goes out to the parents…only another parent who has lost a child can understand. We lost our son last year my hubands only child to a rogue wave in Australia. Blessings and prayers their way. (onetwentyone.com)
Valley mom said that her kids know how to get money out of bank cards. I think most people know how to get money out of ATM cards. If this was a credit card and if there’s no PIN set, then there’s no cash to be had. But Valley Mom made a great point about having a secret safety word that Lily could have used to alert her parents. Lily can be our angel to make that conversation between parents and kids happen.
I’ve known Lily (and her parents) since Lily was in elementary school. This is tragic. I hope we can all help Debbie and Greg keep living… first step: breathe.
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As a parent, I too am haunted by this story. I was thinking this morning – since so many of these robberies occur at ATM machines, is there some sort of panic button that could be installed on machines or some way you could add emergency numbers to your PIN so that when they are pressed, 911 is alerted?
I was at the Valero gas station at around 5pm on Friday when the scum was getting out of the car (4:52 pm)…it haunts me cause I still wonder to myself if she was alive..and if I had noticed her then would have been a different outcome…but from all accounts she was dead by then…but that place was busy…and her car was a few feet away fromm all the hustle and bustle for 12 hours…people parked next to her car and didn’t notice her…it is all on the Cameras from the gas station…that is how they have an exact time of when scumbag got out of the car…my heart goes out to her friends and family. I will be looking in every car I park next too from now on. I am haunted by this!
I was at the Valero gas station at around 5pm on Friday when the scum was getting out of the car (4:52 pm)…it haunts me cause I still wonder to myself if she was alive..and if I had noticed her then would have been a different outcome…but from all accounts she was dead by then…but that place was busy…and her car was a few feet away from all the hustle and bustle for 12 hours…people parked next to her car and didn’t notice her…it is all on the Cameras from the gas station…that is how they have an exact time of when scumbag got out of the car…my heart goes out to her friends and family. I will be looking in every car I park next too from now on. I am haunted by this!
There’s a lawyer lobby for this sort of vagrant who hides among the real poor — expect their shills to soon disparage Lily.
Lily was too trusting for having volunteered with the poor. So give your kids an “stress” codeword if they phone while helping in troubled areas. And have a plan to get them out of trouble esp. if a potential perp is listening in on the conversation. Ask your local police if they intend to respond to an in-progress event. If they want to wait because something has not “happened,” you are the first responder.
Your kid cannot identify (and neither can the cops) a friendly homeless person from a just-released criminal. That is true up here in SF as well as LA, these folks are just waiting to gain your confidence.