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CNN Live Today

Police Search Marina Over Weekend

Aired January 06, 2003 - 11:16   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In California, police spent the weekend searching a Berkeley marina for clues about the disappearance of Laci Peterson. Her husband Scott says he was fishing there during the time his wife went missing. Our Ed Lavandera is keeping watch on the investigation, and joins us from Modesto, California -- Ed, good morning.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, investigators here in Modesto, California usually have a get together briefing about this time every morning, so we assume the investigators are meeting, kind of mapping out their day, comparing notes on what's come up so far on this investigation.

Last we have heard publicly from the authorities here is that from all of the 1,600, more than 1,600 phone tips that have been called in to the police department here, there have been no significant leads that have helped out. So this situation and this search for Laci Peterson moves on a search front, as well. So as you mentioned, a team of cadaver dogs being sent out to the Berkeley Marina, which is about 85 miles northwest of Modesto to help out in this search.

Of course, that is significant because that's where Laci Peterson's husband Scott says he went fishing on Christmas Eve. It was at 9:30 on Christmas Eve morning that he says he left the house and last saw Laci Peterson alive. And authorities have been trying for the last couple of days to corroborate that story. They say they want to very much be able to dismiss him as a possible suspect in this case, but they need more information to do that. That is why they are hoping the public will call in with any kind of information, any kind of sightings that they might have had of Scott Peterson between December 23 and December 25.

But authorities saying over the weekend that so far, no information about him has come forward at this point, but that is also hard to say because when it comes to Scott Peterson, the authorities here, since they put out the pictures of his truck and boat, have been very tight-lipped publicly about what has been said about Scott Peterson and what they want to say about Scott Peterson.

So it's hard to imagine that a lot of these -- a lot of these tips continue to come in, authorities say, and they are very grateful for that, but until more concrete and more hard evidence comes forward, they will continue on the search front, and authorities here saying they plan on not scaling back any efforts in the search effort for the foreseeable future, and there have also been a strong volunteer effort, more than 1,000 volunteers helping out Laci Peterson's family in the search for her -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A couple of things here -- how do police describe the level of cooperation that Scott Peterson is giving them?

LAVANDERA: Well, I was talking to the police spokesperson, who several days ago, when asked -- I asked him how was Scott Peterson cooperating, his answer was, He is cooperating, but to a certain degree. And then, a few days ago, on Saturday, he was asked how is Scott Peterson cooperating at this point, and the officer says Yes, he is cooperating.

So it's something that's a very touchy situation with the police department here. Publicly they say they just want to be able to dismiss him as a possible suspect, but they just can't do that. In a case like this, they have to take a look at all of the possible angles that exist, and quite frankly, that's just one of the ones that exist at this point.

We do know that Scott Peterson has found an attorney. Who that person is at this point isn't exactly clear at this point, but very publicly, authorities here very hesitant to say very much more about Scott Peterson at this point.

KAGAN: And I understand there's quite a significant reward fund at this point.

LAVANDERA: Half million dollar reward for what is described as the safe return of Laci Peterson. And one of the interesting things that came up, kind of a nuance in this story, authorities were asked late last week if there's any thought of perhaps changing the language in that, and quite frankly, authorities here have been saying as more time passes by that they become very skeptical and very, very worrisome that a happy ending to this story would actually happen.

So they are starting to fear the worst here, of course, from the authorities' standpoint, but they were asked if there was any chance of perhaps changing the language, for perhaps half a million dollar reward to information leading to her discovery. So at this point, the authorities say there are no plans to change that kind of language in the reward fund.

KAGAN: So much concern for her and for her baby boy, unborn child. Thank you.

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 6, 2003 - 11:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In California, police spent the weekend searching a Berkeley marina for clues about the disappearance of Laci Peterson. Her husband Scott says he was fishing there during the time his wife went missing. Our Ed Lavandera is keeping watch on the investigation, and joins us from Modesto, California -- Ed, good morning.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, investigators here in Modesto, California usually have a get together briefing about this time every morning, so we assume the investigators are meeting, kind of mapping out their day, comparing notes on what's come up so far on this investigation.

Last we have heard publicly from the authorities here is that from all of the 1,600, more than 1,600 phone tips that have been called in to the police department here, there have been no significant leads that have helped out. So this situation and this search for Laci Peterson moves on a search front, as well. So as you mentioned, a team of cadaver dogs being sent out to the Berkeley Marina, which is about 85 miles northwest of Modesto to help out in this search.

Of course, that is significant because that's where Laci Peterson's husband Scott says he went fishing on Christmas Eve. It was at 9:30 on Christmas Eve morning that he says he left the house and last saw Laci Peterson alive. And authorities have been trying for the last couple of days to corroborate that story. They say they want to very much be able to dismiss him as a possible suspect in this case, but they need more information to do that. That is why they are hoping the public will call in with any kind of information, any kind of sightings that they might have had of Scott Peterson between December 23 and December 25.

But authorities saying over the weekend that so far, no information about him has come forward at this point, but that is also hard to say because when it comes to Scott Peterson, the authorities here, since they put out the pictures of his truck and boat, have been very tight-lipped publicly about what has been said about Scott Peterson and what they want to say about Scott Peterson.

So it's hard to imagine that a lot of these -- a lot of these tips continue to come in, authorities say, and they are very grateful for that, but until more concrete and more hard evidence comes forward, they will continue on the search front, and authorities here saying they plan on not scaling back any efforts in the search effort for the foreseeable future, and there have also been a strong volunteer effort, more than 1,000 volunteers helping out Laci Peterson's family in the search for her -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A couple of things here -- how do police describe the level of cooperation that Scott Peterson is giving them?

LAVANDERA: Well, I was talking to the police spokesperson, who several days ago, when asked -- I asked him how was Scott Peterson cooperating, his answer was, He is cooperating, but to a certain degree. And then, a few days ago, on Saturday, he was asked how is Scott Peterson cooperating at this point, and the officer says Yes, he is cooperating.

So it's something that's a very touchy situation with the police department here. Publicly they say they just want to be able to dismiss him as a possible suspect, but they just can't do that. In a case like this, they have to take a look at all of the possible angles that exist, and quite frankly, that's just one of the ones that exist at this point.

We do know that Scott Peterson has found an attorney. Who that person is at this point isn't exactly clear at this point, but very publicly, authorities here very hesitant to say very much more about Scott Peterson at this point.

KAGAN: And I understand there's quite a significant reward fund at this point.

LAVANDERA: Half million dollar reward for what is described as the safe return of Laci Peterson. And one of the interesting things that came up, kind of a nuance in this story, authorities were asked late last week if there's any thought of perhaps changing the language in that, and quite frankly, authorities here have been saying as more time passes by that they become very skeptical and very, very worrisome that a happy ending to this story would actually happen.

So they are starting to fear the worst here, of course, from the authorities' standpoint, but they were asked if there was any chance of perhaps changing the language, for perhaps half a million dollar reward to information leading to her discovery. So at this point, the authorities say there are no plans to change that kind of language in the reward fund.

KAGAN: So much concern for her and for her baby boy, unborn child. Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com