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CNN Live Today

Search for Elizabeth Smart Continues

Aired June 21, 2002 - 12:42   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On to Salt Lake City, Utah now. The family of Elizabeth Smart is preparing to hold a news conference about their missing daughter. It has been more than two weeks now since the 14-year-old was snatched at gunpoint, allegedly, from the family's home. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is in Salt Lake City with the latest from there. Hi there, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

A big change for the media today: No more daily briefings from law enforcement. Salt Lake City Police feel that they don't have enough new evidence to give us on a daily basis; they will brief only when they do have something to tell us. They felt they were getting the same questions every day and were having to give the same answers. They felt their time and resources could be better spent on the investigation.

Also, they had began to get some critical questions in those press conferences because of inconsistencies of some of the information that was being given out. They said, why subject ourselves to that anymore. So, no more daily briefings from them.

We will, however, get a daily briefing today from family members. We expect that will continue. The family has been very frank about the fact that the media has been very helpful in drawing attention to their cause, and they have been quite artful in the way they played this. Almost every day when the cameras are on, they give us some new tidbit about Elizabeth. Yesterday, they unveiled a painting that had been done of Elizabeth and her younger sister, Mary Catherine. They also this week told us what Elizabeth's favorite family story was; they told us the latest song she'd learned on the harp. So that has been very effective on keeping the cameras here and keeping this case front and center.

Now, where is the investigation? And that depends somewhat on who you talk to. Federal law enforcement officials are quite upbeat. They say the trail is hotter now. They say they are in a better position they were a week ago, and they have several promising leads they're following. Salt Lake City Police are somewhat more subdued in their assessment. When they talk about progress, they talk about it in terms of having (UNINTELLIGIBLE) down the number of leads that they are following.

We, do, of course, have a detailed description of the kidnapper. He's described as a white male, about 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, dark hair, dark hair on his arms and hands, some description of his clothing as well. Federal officials are excited by the fact that expected to get back very shortly some of the forensic tests on some of the evidence tat was taken from the home.

Amongst the things being tested, the screen that was on the kitchen window, the screen that was discovered torn shortly after the abduction. We're told that at the Utah state crime lab some very sophisticated, even cutting edge, experiments are being done on that screen to try to determine whether this was the route that the abductor used to get into the house. But at this point, we have no suspects that have been named and there have been no sightings of Bret Michael Edmunds, the drifter who police want to talk to in connection with this case. And still, Fredricka, no trace of Elizabeth. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: And Jeanne, there are some distinct differences in that description of that kidnapper. Very different characteristics from that of the man that police say they want to question?

MESERVE: That's correct. They appear to be of a different height and of a different build. We don't know how Bret Michael Edmunds dressed, but the clothing description on the subject is quite detailed. He appears to have been quite clean cut in his appearance. Edmunds, we're told, is not a suspect. He's just someone who had been seen in the neighborhood. He was seen at a vigil for Elizabeth. Police want to talk to him, in essence, to find out what, if anything, he might know about the case -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Jeanne Meserve. And of course, we're awaiting that press conference involving the family members that could be happening at the top of the hour. And when it does, we'll bring that to you.

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