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CNN Live At Daybreak
Missing Woman Mystery: Search Underway
Aired January 02, 2003 - 05:45 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: In California, the disappearance of a pregnant woman is baffling police.
Our Rusty Dornin is following that investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The frustrating thing about this investigation is there are no strong leads pointing to foul play but there's no strong leads pointing to the fact that there wasn't foul play. Police say that is now a possibility because Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve. She was eight months pregnant. She was also very close to her family.
Meantime, this is the park where she had supposedly walked her dog, where her husband said she was headed that morning when he left on a fishing trip on Christmas Eve. But apparently the bloodhounds on the case told their handler a different story.
SGT. RON CLOWARD, MODESTO, CALIFORNIA POLICE: When Laci last left that house or something with her scent on it, the most recent time that she left that house she was in a vehicle. Now whether that's from her scent being in a vehicle as it leaves the house, whether that means she was in a vehicle, again, that was a tool, we used it and that's what they told us and we followed up.
DORNIN (voice-over): Even so, volunteer Jack Marks returned to that same park, but frustrated by the immensity of the search area.
JACK MARKS, VOLUNTEER: There's a lot of obstacles in the river that a body could be brushed under. There's a lot of grief from the rain, you know. A lot of these homeless people are using the river pretty much as a -- as a dumping site and so you know you have a lot of floating debris that a body could wash under.
DORNIN: More than 1,200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil to pray and sing and talk about Laci Peterson's contribution to the community.
(on camera): Here at the park, a makeshift shrine for Laci Peterson, complete with a reward poster showing her bright shining smile as well as candles left over from the vigil. People have been stopping by all day to re-light them, sort of rekindling their hopes for Laci Peterson's safe return.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Modesto, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 2, 2003 - 05:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In California, the disappearance of a pregnant woman is baffling police.
Our Rusty Dornin is following that investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The frustrating thing about this investigation is there are no strong leads pointing to foul play but there's no strong leads pointing to the fact that there wasn't foul play. Police say that is now a possibility because Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve. She was eight months pregnant. She was also very close to her family.
Meantime, this is the park where she had supposedly walked her dog, where her husband said she was headed that morning when he left on a fishing trip on Christmas Eve. But apparently the bloodhounds on the case told their handler a different story.
SGT. RON CLOWARD, MODESTO, CALIFORNIA POLICE: When Laci last left that house or something with her scent on it, the most recent time that she left that house she was in a vehicle. Now whether that's from her scent being in a vehicle as it leaves the house, whether that means she was in a vehicle, again, that was a tool, we used it and that's what they told us and we followed up.
DORNIN (voice-over): Even so, volunteer Jack Marks returned to that same park, but frustrated by the immensity of the search area.
JACK MARKS, VOLUNTEER: There's a lot of obstacles in the river that a body could be brushed under. There's a lot of grief from the rain, you know. A lot of these homeless people are using the river pretty much as a -- as a dumping site and so you know you have a lot of floating debris that a body could wash under.
DORNIN: More than 1,200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil to pray and sing and talk about Laci Peterson's contribution to the community.
(on camera): Here at the park, a makeshift shrine for Laci Peterson, complete with a reward poster showing her bright shining smile as well as candles left over from the vigil. People have been stopping by all day to re-light them, sort of rekindling their hopes for Laci Peterson's safe return.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Modesto, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
