Police investigating possible link between missing California teens Amber Dubois, Chelsea King

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — When 17-year-old Chelsea King went missing last month in San Diego, Maurice Dubois had a sinking feeling that his 14-year-old daughter had fallen victim to the same killer.

Amber Dubois vanished walking to school on Feb. 13, 2009, about 10 miles from where Chelsea was last seen in running clothes at a park. Amber's father noted their similar builds — 5-foot-5, thin, blue-eyed.

"We're hoping they're two separate isolated incidents," he said last week. "In the back of our minds, we know the possibility is so strong there is a connection."

Authorities found Amber's skeletal remains early Saturday in a remote, rugged area of Pala, a small town in the Pala Indian Reservation, which covers more than 12,000 acres in north San Diego County, said Escondido Police Chief Jim Maher. The county medical examiner's office confirmed the remains were Amber's through dental records, he said.

Police are investigating whether Amber's disappearance was linked to Chelsea's accused killer, John Albert Gardner III. Maher said a tip led officials to Amber's remains, but he didn't give any other details or answer questions during a brief news conference Sunday.

"This is an ongoing murder investigation, and any details, no matter how slight, would be inappropriate to reveal at this point in time," he said.

Amber's parents, Maurice Dubois and Carrie McGonigle, appeared distraught at his side. Maurice Dubois briefly thanked everyone who searched for Amber, particularly volunteers.

"They were the most dedicated people you could ever imagine," he said. "Without them, we couldn't have done anything."

A candlelight vigil for the girl was planned Monday evening at Escondido High School, where she was enrolled.

Gardner, 30, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murdering Chelsea and raping or attempting to rape her and attempting to rape another woman in December, a potential death penalty case.

A spokesman for the San Diego County district attorney's office, Paul Levikow, declined to comment Sunday on the investigation into Amber's death.

Gardner was registered as a sex offender in Escondido, a north San Diego suburb, from January 2008 to January 2010, with some gaps, police say.

He served five years of a six-year prison term for molesting a 13-year-old neighbor in San Diego in 2000. He saw her at a bus stop and lured her to his home to watch movies. He completed parole in September 2008.