Jessica Marie Lunsford ( October 6 , 1995 -- February 27 , 2005 ) was a nine-year-old girl who was abducted from her home in Homosassa , Florida on February 23 , 2005 , then raped and murdered by 47-year-old John Couey . Jessica Marie Lunsford ( October 6 , 1995 -- February 27 , 2005 ) was a nine-year-old girl who was abducted from her home in Homosassa , Florida in the early morning of February 24 , 2005 . Believed held captive over the weekend , she was raped and later murdered by 47-year-old John Couey who was living nearby .