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CNN Live Today

Police Quiet About Evidence Inside Short Home

Aired August 20, 2002 - 12:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we begin this next half hour with an emotional plea today from relatives of a 9-year-old Virginia girl. Jennifer Short has been missing since last Thursday when her parents were found shot to death in their home.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve is keeping up with the search from Collinsville. Jeanne, are there any new clues, any new breaks in this case?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, the sheriff tells us there are none at all. Five days after young Jennifer was discovered missing and her parents were discovered murdered, an emotional plea from relatives. Ruby Young, an aunt, a sister of Mary Short, stepped before the microphones and cameras today and addressed herself directly to whoever might have taken the young girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBY YOUNG, JENNIFER SHORT'S AUNT: I'm here to plead with the people or peoples that have Jennifer. Please release her so she can come home. We all miss her and hurt beyond words. We are begging for you to please call the authorities and let her know where she is so they can bring her back home safely to her family, who love her and miss her dearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Ruby Young also addressed herself directly to Jennifer, telling her repeatedly that the family did love her, did miss her, urging her not to give up, and saying that the family would not give up until she was found.

The sheriff spoke to reporters as well today, said there was nothing new in this investigation. His department has been pouring all of its resources into this probe, and he said it would continue to do so as long as necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H.F. CASSELL, HENRY COUNTY SHERIFF: We will keep it going at this pace until we run out of leads that maintains it at this pace. Obviously, if the leads slow down, and we have talked to everyone that we know to talk to, we will cut back on the number, but we will stay focused on this at the depth necessary as long as necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MESERVE: One of Jennifer's uncles also spoke today. He said that Mary Short had never expressed any concerns about her daughter's safety. Also, that he knew of no trouble in the family that might explain this horrible crime.

Meanwhile, funeral services have been announced for Mary Short and Michael Short. They will be buried on Thursday. The obituaries list them both as being survived by a daughter, Jennifer -- Carol.

LIN: Jeanne, why has the sheriff's department there been so, I don't know, cagey, cautious, I'm not quite sure exactly what the right word is, about the physical evidence found at the scene. In fact, any evidence found at the scene, because they have been really silent.

MESERVE: They have been extraordinarily quiet about this. The biggest hints we have gotten about what they are working on is the inventory from the searches of the home, which we obtained yesterday. What the sheriff says is he does not want to jeopardizes this investigation. There are certain things he is simply not going to not talk to us about because what he wants to do is to solve this crime, and if possible, find this little girl -- Carol.

LIN: Thank you very much, Jeanne Meserve in Collinsville.

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