Victim's sister fights possible early release of convicted Riverside paedophile Charles William Mix

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) — In June 2003, an Amber Alert flashed on California highway signs, alerting people to a missing five-year-old girl from Riverside.

The suspect at the time was 48-year-old Charles William Mix, who had kidnapped his roommate's daughter in the early hours of the morning.

“He befriended her father, gained everyone's trust, groomed her and then stole a child from her own home,” said Claira Stansbury, the victim's sister, who was just nine years old at the time.

Now she's advocating on her sister's behalf after learning that Mix was granted a parole eligibility hearing in September.

“We had put it behind us,” Stansbury said. “We were recovering from it, and now we have to deal with it again and try to keep him in prison. Even though we've been through this before.”

In 2004, Mix was sentenced to 350 years in prison for sexual abuse and kidnapping.

Two decades later, Mix, now 69, is eligible for parole under California's senior citizen parole program because he has served 20 years of his sentence and is over 50 years old.

“California lawmakers are concerned about these criminals receiving life sentences and how fair that can be to them,” Stansbury said. “What really needs to be talked about are the life sentences of the victims where they had no choice.”

She now plans to speak to the parole board on her sister's behalf.

“She's tried to talk to people about it a few times, and she says, 'It's harder than I thought. I'm just not ready, but please, I need you to do it,'” Stansbury said.

The Riverside County District Attorney's Office is also fighting Mix's early release and issued the following statement to Eyewitness News:

“Our office stands firmly with victims who must attend parole hearings to keep dangerous felons in prison. It is appalling that the state continues to subject victims and their families to further trauma and force them to fight for sentences already imposed by a court. This practice forces victims to relive their devastating experiences. We have a team of dedicated attorneys and victim specialists fighting against the early release of dangerous felons. Our office is committed to protecting victims and putting an end to this practice of early parole.”

Meanwhile, the memory of Stansbury's sister's kidnapping and abuse evokes deep emotions.

“I'm just glad she's here and made it home,” she said.