Could Megan's Law, the federal legislation that requires a community to be notified if a child sex offender moves into their neighborhood, have prevented the death of 8-year-old Annette Bright, whose body was found Wednesday near her home in Monessen?

The answer is no.

In March 2000, Charles Koschalk pleaded guilty to corruption of a minor, but neighbors were never notified because the crime did not meet Megan's Law standards.

Under Pennsylvania law, anyone convicted of kidnapping, indecent assault, incest or prostitution is tracked by police for 10 years.

Those convicted of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and several other charges are tracked by police for life.

The only time the community is told is when a judge -- at the time of sentencing -- declares a suspect a violent sexual predator.

Under Megan's Law, sex offenders must register with the state each year to report their location or report their location within ten days of moving into a new community.

When the Megan's Law was changed last year after being gutted by court challenges, an additional classification of "sexually violent predator" was created.

These offenders must register with police for the rest of their lives. And police must notify all schools, neighbors and day care centers in their area that such an offender lives there.

Some states such as California have databases in which anyone can look up a sexual offender. Pennsylvania does not.

Megan's Law takes its name from Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and killed in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender.