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CNN Live Today

Police Say Alert System Instrumental in Finding Kidnapped Girls

Aired August 02, 2002 - 12:01   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: Well, they are in good spirits and they are home. Today, authorities say everyone from police to the media to the public had a hand in finding the two teenage girls, and just in the nick of time.

We are going to begin with James Hattori. He is in Monterey Park, California -- James.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. The kidnappers -- rather, the kidnapped girls are safe. The kidnapper, 37-year-old Roy Ratliff, is dead. Essentially, the case is pretty much wrapped up except for -- the investigators are conducting interviews and filing reports to get all the dots and I's dotted.

Now, the two kidnapped girls arrived home last night, one was flown home by an L.A. County Sheriff's aircraft, the other was driven home with families. They made the trip from Kern County where the standoff ended yesterday down to the Lancaster area where they live. We're told that they are reported in relatively good condition, obviously traumatized from not only the kidnapping, but sexual assault. Obviously, happy to be back safe and sound with their families.

Authorities say one significant factor in the successful end of this crime was the so-called Amber Alert, which is providing emergency notifications, information to radio, TV, even to freeway signs here in California, which resulted in at least two confirmed sightings of a suspect vehicle yesterday, and of course, that's critical information which led to the standoff and the killing of the kidnapper.

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LARRY WALDIE, ASSISTANT SHERIFF, L.A. COUNTY: It was just instituted last Friday and practically everything went right with it. It's a system where we can commute -- where we can put out information via the Internet, via radio and television, to the media, the press, the public, the electronic signs on the freeways. It is almost instantaneous information regarding the suspect, the vehicle, the victims, that puts us out to literally millions of people who are now looking for these people and for that van in a very, very short time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HATTORI: The Amber Alert, named after a Texas girl who was killed and kidnapped in 1996, and as the assistant sheriff says, it was just put in to place in California last Friday, and he says he's very pleased with the way it helped resolve this case -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: James, what about the suspect? What more can you tell us about him? Was he stalking this area? Did he have a home in this area? What did he know about this very remote spot?

HATTORI: Don't know a whole lot about him except he does have a criminal history, he was wanted on a rape charge out of Kern County, which is where, coincidentally, the shoot-out occurred where he died. He lived in the Palmdale area near Edwards Air Force Base, which is not far from Lancaster, which is where the two girls were kidnapped early Thursday morning -- late, late Wednesday night. It's unclear whether he targeted that area -- this was a place where teens were known to hang out and sort of a Lover's Lane kind of place. It is not known whether he targeted that area. It's not -- it is believed that they were randomly picked, but it is clear that he had some familiarity with that area as well as the area up in Kern County.

PHILLIPS: All right. James Hattori, thank you so much, live from Monterey.

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