Published: Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 9:18 PM 

KANSAS CITY (AP) - The attorney in charge of a memorial fund for two slain Independence children invested part of the money in his own company. That's according to a report today in The Kansas City Star. The newspaper says attorney Kent Desselle put nearly $20,000 into the company New Century Investments. The money had been collected for a playground in memory of Sam and Lindsey Porter. Desselle denies any wrongdoing. He told The Star that the money was not drawing interest in the bank, so it was put in an account that drew interest. The children's mother, Tina Porter, says the lawyer never told her he invested most of the money in his company. She says the money will be returned to its account. The children's father, Daniel Porter, is serving a life sentence for their 2004 slayings.

Sam, Lindsey Porter Remains Found Last Month

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- The primary mission of the Sam and Lindsey Porter Support Center -- to bring the two missing children home -- is no longer possible after their remains were found last month, but the center has other goals now.

The center hopes to keep the memory of the Porter children alive and to help other families whose children are missing.

When Sam and Lindsey first disappeared in June 2004, their mother, Tina Porter, thought of nothing but searching for them. She said the children were her first and only priority, which caused financial problems.

"In the beginning, all I focused on was the search -- not my house payment. But banks don't care -- they care about the money. All they want is their money," Tina Porter said.

Last month, the children's remains were found buried in a wooded area of Sugar Creek. 

The children's father, Daniel Porter, is already in prison for kidnapping them. Investigators said they expect murder charges to be filed in the case.

Since then, Tina Porter said she decided that she wants to help others who are dealing with a missing child.

She said she wants to institute an Amber Alert czar, someone who can streamline the process of alerting the public about missing children.

Tina Porter also wants to provide counseling to families of missing children and she wants to begin a crime victims act, where families will be financially protected during searches for loved ones.

Tina Porter and the attorney for the center said they already have support among legislators. Tina Porter said she plans to testify before the state Legislature herself in an effort to get laws passed.

She also said that enough contributions have come in to build a new playground in Sam and Lindsey's name at Fairmount Elementary School in Independence, where the children attended classes.

Father To Spend Life In Prison

Lindsey and Sam Porter

She held up photos of Sam and Lindsey as she spoke. "Look at 'em. See how beautiful they are," she said, adding that Sam looked so much like his dad.

The last photo she displayed was a grim shot from the day of the memorial for the children.

Daniel Porter said he had felt that his family was falling apart and that it was getting to a point where he might not get to see his kids anymore. He said he initially intended to kill the children and then himself.

He said he picked his son and daughter up from their mother's Independence home on June 4, 2004, and took them to get breakfast at a McDonald's restaurant before driving them to a park and eating with them.

He said he wrote his mother a letter while at the park to say he was sorry. After leaving the park, he stopped to mail the letter and then drove Sam and Lindsey to a wooded area in the Kansas City suburb of Sugar Creek.

Porter said he walked the boy and girl into the woods, made them a pallet on the ground and had them cover their eyes with blindfolds. He said he then pulled out two .357-caliber handguns and shot them both in the head at the same time.

According to court documents, the children's remains were found after Porter met with FBI agents and Missouri Department of Corrections officials on Sept. 7 and confessed that he killed his children the day he picked them up for the visit.

After a court hearing in November, Porter admitted to reporters that he had killed his children.

Last month, a state appeals court overturned two of his four kidnapping convictions, leaving just an eight-year sentence on two counts of parental kidnapping.

The Western District of the Missouri Court of Appeals overturned his convictions and sentences on two counts of kidnapping with intent to terrorize his ex-wife, saying Porter couldn't be found guilty of unlawfully removing them from their mother's home because it had been a regularly scheduled visit.

Jackson County prosecutor Jim Kanatzar said his office agreed to the plea deal because Tina Porter and other family members did not want to go through another trial or through a lengthy appeals process.

"I want to commend Tina Porter for the strength and the bravery and the humanity that she has shown through this nightmare," Kanatzar said. "I think it goes without saying that the last three-and-a-half years have been hell for her and her family through this very difficult case."

As she left the courthouse, Tina Porter carried a quilt covered with more photos of her children.

"It's something I'm going to keep with me, lay in my lap, wrap my arms around. It doesn't take the place of Sam and Lindsey, but, you know ..." she said, her words trailing off.

Tina Porter said she still feels numb. She said she's not sure she ever wants to hear any more explanations from the man who killed her children.

"I don't know, I can't tell you. I've got to take it in. I said what I had to say to him, but I don't know," Tina Porter said.

Those who attended the funeral said it was emotional, but it was the beginning of a healing process.

The children's remains were found in a shallow grave in Sugar Creek, Mo. in early September. Dental records helped investigators identify the children, who went missing in June 2004.

Their father, Daniel Porter, is serving time in prison for parental kidnapping. Three years ago, Porter picked up the children for a weekend visit and never brought them home.

On Thursday night, hundreds paid their respects at Sam and Lindsey's visitation at the Speaks Chapel in Independence.

Memories of the children will live on through the Sam and Lindsey Porter Center - a building built for the purpose of finding missing kids. The center will use donations to help find other missing children, and hold monthly meetings for families looking for their missing children.