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CNN Live Today

Police Zeroing in on Kidnapper, Murderer in California

Aired July 18, 2002 - 12:11   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: Turning now to the search for a child killer; investigators in the Samantha Runnion murder case say they are trying to fit together the pieces of this puzzle. They say the little girl's killer left behind a lot of evidence.

Our Charles Feldman is live from Stanton, California with the latest on this -- Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we have been reporting all morning, and we will still report, that law enforcement sources tell us that they have now zeroed in on several potential -- potential suspects in this horrible case. These are all people, I am told, that have a background of child sex abuse. These are people that came to the attention of law enforcement authorities because of the public, the public calling in tips.

We want to make clear that the law enforcement officials I am talking to say they may not -- they don't think they -- or don't know if they have "the" suspect. They are just hopeful that maybe one of these people that they are in the process of trying to either talk to or find may turn out to be the person responsible for this heinous crime.

But the search, of course, goes on for the suspect, and we can show you a sketch, which was based on the eyewitness account of Samantha Runnion's 5-year-old friend. And it's the best description that law enforcement has of the young man, although they say he may -- may have changed identity since the time of the abduction and the killing. Last seen, by the way, driving a two-door light-green Honda or Acura automobile, this, at least, according to that 5-year-old witness who apparently is very bright and very articulate.

But a horrendous case, you know, here you have 5-year-old Samantha Runnion playing in this very neighborhood here in Orange County, California just days before her birthday, abducted, sexually assaulted, and then brutally murdered, and any murder, of course, is brutal, but just something that parents anywhere can understand and cringe at.

The law enforcement officials saying that profiling indicates that this is a person who may strike again, and may do that in a relatively short period of time, days, weeks, months, nobody really knows for sure. And in fact, earlier this morning our colleague, Paula Zahn on "AMERICAN MORNING," was asking the sheriff of Orange County, what does he make of somebody like this killer?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF MIKE CARONA, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: I don't know how you get in the mind of somebody that commits an act like this. I will tell you, though, that working with not only the FBI, but a number of the support crew that we have on this investigation, psychologists and psychiatrists, that the profile that we have been able to see, the actions that this man took place, are consistent with a sexual predator, somebody who has now gone to a fevered pitch in his sexual appetite.

And I am sure you can get inside of his mind with somebody who is much more intelligent than I, but as a cop, all I can tell you is I really don't care what's in his mind. I just want to make sure that I get him in custody, so that he doesn't hurt somebody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FELDMAN: This neighborhood still very much in shock, as is most of southern California, and we're only hoping that we can give you more encouraging and better news as this day progresses -- that's it from here.

PHILLIPS: Charles, I noticed the trailer that you were standing close to, the sheriff's trailer. Have they set up a command post there in the area? What is that?

FELDMAN: Yes, it is a command post, and I should let our viewers know that we are being very careful of what we shoot of that, because we have been told that there are some undercover investigators there, and we have been warned not to show them on television. So we are being very delicate, and I congratulate our cameraman here for doing that in what we are showing, because we don't want to run afoul of their fears that we may inadvertently identify some undercover police officers.

PHILLIPS: All right, Charles Feldman, live from Stanton, California -- thank you.

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