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CNN Live Today

Body Found in California May Be Runnion

Aired July 17, 2002 - 10:01   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the abduction of Samantha Runnion and the discovery of a body that may be dashing all hope this morning. The Orange County Sheriff's Department is holding a news conference a few hours from right now.

And CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is in the Southern California town of Stanton where the 5-year-old was whisked into a car two days ago -- Thelma, good morning. What's the word there?

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. You're right. We are waiting for that news conference to begin in the next three hours or so. But it has been a very tough wait for some of the people who live here. Just yesterday, they had joined in on the search for 5-year-old Samantha Runnion, and today, many people in this very quiet Orange County community are waiting for some kind of word from the Orange County Coroner's Office as to confirmation on the body that was found yesterday afternoon.

Now, if you take a look right behind me, you can see that a shrine was set up right outside of the family's home. You can you see cards and flowers and candles, and letters from Samantha's friends, calling for her safe return.

And many of the residents, parents and children, told me yesterday that they had a very hard time sleeping after the abduction. They say this is a very safe area, and their sense of security has been shattered. Now, yesterday, a young girl's body was found off of a rural road in Riverside County, about 75 miles away from where she was abducted.

Authorities say that two men spotted the girl's body in plain view in a rugged area off the side of a road which leads to a popular hang gliding facility. They say, at this point, it is premature to say whether or not that this is the body of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion, but added that the body, which is between the age of 4 and 7 years of age, does match the description of Samantha. Investigators are treating this as a homicide, and they are processing the crime scene for evidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. SHELLEY KENNEDY SMITH, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, RIVERSIDE COUNTY: So, based upon the large crime scene, and we're out in the outdoors and we have elements we have been looking at to determine if, in fact, there were tire tracks, any other type of items to, one, determine if in fact the actual crime scene occurred here at this location, or if, in fact, this is where the actual body was brought and dumped. So we would be looking at the immediate area surrounding the body, under the body, trying to determine the location that the suspect or suspects brought the body here to. So, we would be looking at track marks and various evidentiary small fiber evidence-type items.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Samantha's friends describe her as being very popular, very friendly. Her 6th birthday is only nine days away and Leon, some of those investigators are still out there on the scene in Riverside County processing that area. Again, they are treating this as a homicide -- back to you.

HARRIS: All right. Thelma Gutierrez reporting live for us this morning from Stanton, California.

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