Slain North Port Woman Remembered 1 Year Later

The bagpipes that traditionally mark the passing of police officers and firemen sounded for Denise Lee today, as the community that was shocked by her murder a year ago gathered to memorialize her legacy of reform to Florida's emergency response system.

Lee, 21, was abducted from her North Port home on Jan. 17, 2008. The daughter of a Charlotte County sheriff's sergeant, her disappearance touched off of a massive search effort by multiple agencies that ultimately failed to save her, but communications mistakes made on the night of her murder have spawned a broader movement to change the way emergency calls are handled in Florida and across the nation.

"I wanted today to be a positive day, as bad as it is," said her husband, Nathan Lee, who started a foundation in Denise Lee's name to push for 911 reform. His efforts, along with those of family and volunteers, have already paid off in the form of a law bearing her name that calls for voluntary statewide standards for 911 dispatchers.

The Lee abduction became a symbol for flaws in the 911 system when investigators found later that a witness, Jane Kowalski, reported seeing a passenger struggling in a dark colored Chevrolet Camaro on U.S. 41 on the night of Denise Lee's disappearance. Kowalski's information never made it to deputies patrolling nearby after Charlotte County's 911 center mishandled her call.

She offered the precise location of the car that was later found to belong to Michael King, the North Port man charged with Denise Lee's rape and murder.

North Port leaders gave Kowalski a key to the city Saturday. Denise Lee's father, Rick Goff and Nathan Lee also gave her an award from the Denise Amber Lee foundation. Kowalski, a stranger to the Lees before that night, has become part of the efforts to improve the 911 system, talking publicly about how her call was ignored.