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CNN Live Today

Search for Elizabeth Smart Continues

Aired June 11, 2002 - 14:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour in Salt Lake City, and investigators refocusing their search for 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart. It's been six days since police say she was kidnapped at gunpoint from her bedroom in the middle of the night.

At a news conference that wrapped up about 30 minutes ago, police said they're shifting their investigation back to the girl's neighborhood and the people who are, or were, in it. Salt Lake City's police chief indicated that the hunt for the suspect is narrowing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF RICK DINSE, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: We have talked to a lot of people, a lot of people in this investigation. And the possibility, based on everything that we know, is that we may very well have already talked to that suspect. We -- I'm not -- I don't have a name. I'm not going to identify somebody. I don't have anybody that I can point to. And -- but with everything we know about the suspect, with everything about this specific crime and the crime scene itself and all of the information that we have put together as an investigative team, there exists the possibility that that suspect may have been talked to.

To a suspect, if he is listening, we are going to get you. And if you've got Elizabeth, you better release her now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: We want to bring back in our law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks. He's in Washington. He's a veteran detective. He spent 26 years with Washington's Metropolitan Police.

Mike, hi again.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Hi, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, chief sounds very confident. He says, "We will get you." That's a pretty powerful statement. It pretty much means he has his suspect?

BROOKS: That's a very powerful statement. And from -- and from listening to the chief, I would say that they have a good idea of who they're looking for. And they've gone back apparently today or last night to the house again looking for additional forensic evidence. Initially they would have gone out and initially they did go out and fingerprint, photograph, use other sophisticated crime scene investigative kind of methods to go over the -- her room and to go over the point of entry into the house. They went back again last night. So to me that would say that they're going back looking for specific forensic evidence that could link whoever they have in mind to the kidnapping.

PHILLIPS: All right, when you say "additional forensic evidence," and the chief mentioned that too, they'll be -- they went back into the room, can you give me some idea, maybe some specifics of what exactly they would be doing and what they would be looking at?

BROOKS: Well again, I was not there at the scene and I don't like to speculate about cases like this, but things I -- that I would be looking for would be additional possibly DNA material. As you know, no -- every crook, every criminal, every thug from every crime that they commit they always leave something at the scene. You know we go back talking about Chandra Levy. There is something that that person probably left at the scene. What that is remains to be seen. Same in this case. What exactly did he leave -- he or she leave at that scene that remains to be seen. But I'm sure that they have an idea now and especially as confidently as the chief was speaking.

PHILLIPS: Mike, many a times these suspects are watching the news, they want to see what the latest is, what's going on, how close the police are coming. Let's say this suspect is watching one of the networks and he has Elizabeth Smart with him and he sees the chief saying, don't think you're going to get away, we're going to get you, we know where you are. Is that a little dangerous? I mean could that cause the suspect to harm Elizabeth Smart? To take off quickly?

BROOKS: Well there's a possibility that you know this kind of -- this kind of bravado could. But I think the chief is confident enough. And I -- and he's extremely confident. They've got a great police department out there. I know them from working out there in the Olympics and I know some people who used to be on the department out there and the FBI agents out there are extremely competent also. I don't think he would talk this kind of way unless he was fairly sure that they had a good suspect in mind.

And again, when you talk like this, it could draw that person out and get the person to say hey wait a minute, if they know who I am I might as well go ahead and turn myself in and make sure that nothing happens to this little girl. So I don't -- I don't think we have to worry too much about that. I think that could help draw the person out a little bit. But I -- it sounds to me that the chief is fairly sure that he and the FBI have a good -- have a good suspect.

PHILLIPS: CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks. Thanks again, Mike.

BROOKS: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We're going to go back to Salt Lake City, bring our Frank Buckley in. He's now live with us and I understand going to talk with an FBI agent. Hi, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

This it really does represent a sea change, as I was telling you a few moments ago, in the -- in the tone of the investigation. Just until recently, until yesterday, really, we were hearing that there were no new leads, that detectives were frustrated. Clearly some analysis has taken place of all of the evidence that's been brought in and we are where we are today.

Joining me is assistant special agent in charge Dan Roberts from the FBI.

Your agency devoting 40 to 50 agents in this investigation. You've been part of it from the beginning. We now hear from the chief that you have a, quote, "understanding" of a suspect. Tell us to what extent you can the involvement of the behavioral scientist that we all know as profilers, how involved are they and how helpful have they been in this investigation?

DAN ROBERTS, FBI AGENT IN CHARGE: They've been very helpful. They've been on the scene here for the last few days. They've been up at the crime scene. They have conducted numerous hours worth of review of the interviews that have taken place in the case and kind of served as series of checks and balances for this investigation to make sure that we haven't missed anything that we should be taking a look at and even taking a look at some of the things that we haven't even got to yet to make sure that we prioritize them right.

In terms of your original question, no, the sea of change. And as you're right, it isn't solely, though, due to our behavioral scientist, it's because of all of the factors that we've come across in this case over the last several days. We've had numerous agents, the detectives out working in the streets, collecting evidence, interviewing folks, witnesses and it isn't just because of our behavioral assessments that we are now focusing or refocusing our attention back up into the neighborhood.

BUCKLEY: And in going back to the neighborhood, we're told that you are recanvassing the neighborhood or the detectives are recanvassing the neighborhood. We know last night there was some evidence collection that took place in the home itself overnight. Is there any danger of going back to the crime scene a full week later to try to collect evidence that somehow it's tainted or that you get a false read or something like that?

ROBERTS: There's always the danger, but the thing that you have to remember here is that there's either been an agent or a police officer on the scene at that whole time since this has occurred. We've literally had agents spending the night at the home almost every night since this has occurred. If it's not an FBI agent it's been a local law enforcement officer from the Salt Lake City Police Department. So that minimizes the danger of any sort of tampering with the evidence or any sort of problem with contamination of the evidence. BUCKLEY: We know that the -- we've heard over and over that the family has been extremely cooperative. We know that Ed Smart, the father, has submitted to a polygraph exam over the weekend. To what extent can you tell us anything about the family and are they -- is anyone in the family ruled out?

ROBERTS: Nobody's ruled out at this point. We don't have the girl back and we don't have anybody in custody. And until that happens, nobody has been ruled out. We have used the polygraph technique. It's a -- it's a great investigative tool for our agents and the detectives who are assigned this case. I'm not going to comment on what the results of those polygraphs have been, but we have been using that as a technique all through this case.

BUCKLEY: What happens now? You go back to recanvass and it appears as though you at least have a sense of what kind of person you're after. What happens now?

ROBERTS: Well clearly we're looking for somebody that was comfortable up in that area, at least somebody that feels like they know that -- their way around that area or had been in that area before for some reason. What happens now is that the agent and the detectives will pair up, go out, do an extensive house-to-house canvass of the area, speak to everybody that lives in the homes and then have them identify for us anybody they know has been in the neighborhood working, playing, running, jogging, breathing. Anybody that's been through that neighborhood, we want to stop and talk to them.

BUCKLEY: Mary Catherine, the 9-year-old sister, was reinterviewed yesterday for a third time. For our viewers who may not have been following the case, she was in the room with her sister, Elizabeth, during the abduction, or so we're told. The chief was saying that her information yesterday provided yet additional detail that's been helpful. What can you tell us about that?

ROBERTS: Really don't want to get into the specifics of what she told us, but that was certainly part of the puzzle that we put together to narrow our focus back up into the neighborhood again. And it wasn't just with her as -- she's been an outstanding witness and the family has been very cooperative in general, but we really don't want to get into specifically what she told us yesterday.

BUCKLEY: But it's -- I asked the chief this but I'll ask you again, this is clearly an abduction, just so that people don't think that it's a runaway where a 14-year-old girl decided to run away. You are treating this and does this evidence lend itself even more to that conclusion that it is an abduction?

ROBERTS: Absolutely, the evidence lends itself to that. You deal in probabilities in these types of things. The probability that it is an abduction is what we're focusing on. Is it possible that it's something other than an abduction? Sure, anything is possible I suppose, but at this point we're going on the probability that it is an abduction. BUCKLEY: OK, you're the assistant special agent in charge here in Salt Lake City and you've been part of this investigation from the beginning. Dan Roberts, thanks very much...

ROBERTS: Thanks for having me.

BUCKLEY: ... for your insight and to what's happening here in Salt Lake City.

That is the latest information from one of the people involved very closely in this investigation. Clearly a sea change in where we are today from just yesterday -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes, it's amazing how quickly it's moving.

Our Frank Buckley from Salt Lake City, thanks, Frank.

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