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Search for Laci: Sonar Detects Object in Berkeley Marina

Aired January 10, 2003 - 10:01   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've got a story that involves some fishing, unfortunately, though not a positive one at all. Police in Northern California say that there may be a new break in the disappearance of Laci Peterson. She is the pregnant Modesto, California woman who vanished on Christmas Eve.
CNN's Rusty Dornin checks in now. She's got the latest developments for us this morning.

Hello -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, you know police are really backing off from calling this a breakthrough. In fact, they said they never even would have released this information had it not leaked out.

Now divers had explored the Berkeley Marina over the weekend. Now that's where Scott Peterson, the husband, said he went fishing on Christmas Eve the day his wife disappeared. They returned later this week using a side-scanning sonar device that was leant to them by another law enforcement agency. Now that device is supposed to be able to scan 300 feet of water and pick up objects, even like a tire. And they did pick up an object that they say resembles a body.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ROY WASDEN, MODESTO POLICE: It's enough of a sighting that they, you know, feel it's significant and that they need to actually wait until they can get down and take a good, hard look at it to identify what it is. And so you know the soonest they feel they can safely do that is Saturday. So that's what we're going to wait and see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, police are remaining very tight-lipped about Scott Peterson right now. They say they still cannot find a credible witness who say that they saw Scott at the Berkeley Marina any time during that week.

Now, meantime, I did talk to Scott Peterson's sister, Susan, this morning who says she does not believe that if that is a body that it could possibly be Laci's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CAUDILLO, SCOTT PETERSON'S SISTER: You know they did say the word could possibly be a body, but it could not be, it could be a car fender. So we're not going to speculate. We're going to keep pressing on and doing the things that we are doing now to help in finding Laci and keeping her picture out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, meantime, we're here at the Modesto Police Department where they say they are not going to have a press conference unless they have a significant piece of information to release. Now if indeed they do not go diving in the Berkeley Marina today, we may not hear any information until some time tomorrow -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Rusty, what do we know then about where, if you want to say if this is a body or whatever, where this object is in relation to where Scott Peterson said he was fishing, is it in the same area?

DORNIN: It's in the Berkeley Marina itself, which is where he claims to have launched his boat. He launched his boat and said that he went to a nearby island just north of Berkeley and came back. But apparently this object, or whatever it is, is somewhere in the Berkeley Marina.

HARRIS: Somewhere in the marina. OK, thanks.

Rusty Dornin reporting live for us this morning. We'll check back with you later on, Rusty.

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 10, 2003 - 10:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've got a story that involves some fishing, unfortunately, though not a positive one at all. Police in Northern California say that there may be a new break in the disappearance of Laci Peterson. She is the pregnant Modesto, California woman who vanished on Christmas Eve.
CNN's Rusty Dornin checks in now. She's got the latest developments for us this morning.

Hello -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, you know police are really backing off from calling this a breakthrough. In fact, they said they never even would have released this information had it not leaked out.

Now divers had explored the Berkeley Marina over the weekend. Now that's where Scott Peterson, the husband, said he went fishing on Christmas Eve the day his wife disappeared. They returned later this week using a side-scanning sonar device that was leant to them by another law enforcement agency. Now that device is supposed to be able to scan 300 feet of water and pick up objects, even like a tire. And they did pick up an object that they say resembles a body.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ROY WASDEN, MODESTO POLICE: It's enough of a sighting that they, you know, feel it's significant and that they need to actually wait until they can get down and take a good, hard look at it to identify what it is. And so you know the soonest they feel they can safely do that is Saturday. So that's what we're going to wait and see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, police are remaining very tight-lipped about Scott Peterson right now. They say they still cannot find a credible witness who say that they saw Scott at the Berkeley Marina any time during that week.

Now, meantime, I did talk to Scott Peterson's sister, Susan, this morning who says she does not believe that if that is a body that it could possibly be Laci's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CAUDILLO, SCOTT PETERSON'S SISTER: You know they did say the word could possibly be a body, but it could not be, it could be a car fender. So we're not going to speculate. We're going to keep pressing on and doing the things that we are doing now to help in finding Laci and keeping her picture out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, meantime, we're here at the Modesto Police Department where they say they are not going to have a press conference unless they have a significant piece of information to release. Now if indeed they do not go diving in the Berkeley Marina today, we may not hear any information until some time tomorrow -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Rusty, what do we know then about where, if you want to say if this is a body or whatever, where this object is in relation to where Scott Peterson said he was fishing, is it in the same area?

DORNIN: It's in the Berkeley Marina itself, which is where he claims to have launched his boat. He launched his boat and said that he went to a nearby island just north of Berkeley and came back. But apparently this object, or whatever it is, is somewhere in the Berkeley Marina.

HARRIS: Somewhere in the marina. OK, thanks.

Rusty Dornin reporting live for us this morning. We'll check back with you later on, Rusty.

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