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CNN Live Today

License Plates From Vehicle Bret Edmunds Seen Driving Found

Aired June 14, 2002 - 10:06   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to now focus on what's happening here in the U.S. and go to Salt Lake City and the search for 14-year old Elizabeth Smart. A law enforcement official tells CNN that lie detector test or one of the tests on an extended family member being deemed inconclusive and therefore worthy of a closer look. Also a license plate that police were looking for has been found.

Our James Hattori has been following the case. He is live in Salt Lake City this morning with more. James, good morning.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Daryn. Let's start with a man that police want to question. They've been looking for him for a couple days, 26-year old Bret Edmunds who was seen driving in the area shortly before the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart. Overnight the license plates from the vehicle that Bret Edmunds was driving were found by a couple of youngsters along a frontage road in suburban Salt Lake City.

Fresh evidence that he's perhaps is still in the area. Police have not found him, of course yet. They don't consider him a suspect. They want to question him to see what he knows, might be able to shed some light. He was also spotted incidentally in the crowd during a candlelight vigil Sunday that was for Elizabeth Smart. So a lot of unanswered questions.

They obviously have very great desire to speak with him, but again they don't consider him a suspect. They want to talk with him and see what he knows. In fact the investigators say there is no single suspect, no single focus as this case progresses. Still there's a lot of media attention being focused on polygraph test. Who took them? What were the results?

And on members of the extended family of Elizabeth Smart. Yesterday evening search dogs were sent back into the Smart family residence in Federal Heights. That's where Elizabeth was kidnapped nine days ago. Police officials say the possibility of a family involvement, that is an inside job is only one theory they're looking at. In fact they say no one has been ruled out as a suspect, and that the family has been totally cooperative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEIDI SMART, ELIZABETH'S AUNT: We feel it's part of being thorough in the investigation, if they can find anything, anywhere that will lead to bring Elizabeth home we are more than happy to do that.

TOM SMART, ELIZABETH'S UNCLE: And we know that it's police procedure. I mean it's nothing that they've singled anyone out. It's just their procedure, and we understand that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HATTORI: Salt Lake City police won't say who besides Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth Smart, has taken a polygraph test. And they won't talk much about the results either, of course. They're holding that for their case.

In the meantime, the one witness that we know of to the kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart's sister, nine-year old Mary Catherine was reinterviewed. Police say she has been consistently forthcoming. They say that she, if she had seen somebody in the house that she recognized, she would have told investigators and that leads you to suspect that either she did not get a good look or she did not know who that was that was involved in the kidnapping - Daryn.

KAGAN: James, yes I understand that the problem with the little sister, the nine-year old I was reading in the "Salt Lake City Tribune" this morning, that police don't believe that the little sister actually got a good look at the abductor's face and that's why she hasn't been able to say exactly who it was, and it was dark ...

HATTORI: Well they won't - they won't confirm that. And obviously they want to withhold specific details so they can make sure that the person once they apprehend a suspect, assuming they do, will be able to corroborate those details and proceed with a prosecution.

But yes the presumption is that if she saw somebody she recognized, she would have told police and they would have them -- that person in custody. But they have not brought in a sketch artist to work with the young girl because they don't think that will be any -- there's no use in doing that - Daryn.

KAGAN: The search goes on. James Hattori in Salt Lake City. James, thank you very much.

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