Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Analysis With Fmr. FBI Investigator Don Clark
Aired April 15, 2003 - 10:43 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In Northern California, the remains of a woman and a baby boy have been found at a park on San Francisco Bay. The discovery has the attention of the Modesto California Police Department, which is investigating the disappearance of Laci Peterson.
The big question now: could the remains be her and her baby?
Let's talk about the possibilities of that with former FBI investigator Don Clark. He joins us on the phone now from Houston.
Hello to you, Don.
DON CLARK, FMR. FBI INVESTIGATOR: Hello, Heidi, how are you?
COLLINS: I'm fine, thanks.
CLARK: This -- this obviously is grim discovery, no matter who we discover that it is in identifying them. But given the news about Laci and her baby, tell us if you can, Don, what sort challenges are going to lie ahead in identifying her? We know that the body is badly decomposed.
Well, you're absolutely right. It is a gruesome find and it may be relief a family and maybe Laci's family, but it's good news for the investigators because they were missing the major piece of the puzzle, and the major piece of the puzzle happened to be the body. And if this is in fact, Laci's body, then they have that major piece.
Now that is not the cure-all because yet there's evidence to be connected from the body and from other searches that they have conducted to a yet undetermined suspect.
COLLINS: So Don, talk to us a little bit more about DNA. Even though the body, as we say, is decomposed, DNA is going to make it easier to identify her. But what about getting evidence? And how much evidence is needed at this point?
CLARK: Well, it's not necessarily, Heidi, the quantity of evidence. It's just going to be the conclusiveness of evidence that they are going to have to find and I suspect -- and I don't want to tread on the areas of homicide investigators, but -- but DNA at this point will perhaps play some point, particularly if the suspect happens to be someone that she has lived with, been around, because there will probably be DNA back and forth from one person or one body to -- to the other. But there may be other aspects of -- of evidence. And in fact, there will be, such as how was she killed. Perhaps if they can determine that she was killed a certain method, then they will, and what type instrument or weapon was that used, those are going to be, I think, the major keys, even perhaps beyond DNA that may be able to tie a suspect to this murder.
COLLINS: And Don, we want to go ahead while you're talking to us and bring up a map of exactly where that body was found. And again, I'd like to -- you can see there, the bodies were found at the Point Isabel Regional Park there in the right corner of your screen.
Scott Peterson -- what will be next for him? Will -- will he go back into some sort of questioning phase with the investigators at this point?
CLARK: Well, you know, Heidi, Scott, like many other perhaps suspects in this case -- and yet there haven't been any names to come up that I'm aware of, but -- has not been eliminated. And if you haven't been eliminated and certainly if you are close to this disappearance and maybe murder as Scott is, I mean, clearly, he has to be right at the focal point. I've -- I've said all along that clearly I think everybody that has not been eliminated merits close scrutiny, and Scott falls into that category.
So I think that they will go to the one source they do have that has not been eliminated. And that would be Scott.
And one other thing I would mention. Perhaps, even -- maybe the last time we spoke about this particular case there was another search that was going on and we still don't know yet and perhaps shouldn't know what was found in that search. There may be evidence in that search that could connect to some aspect of what they may find from the discovery of this body if it's Laci.
COLLINS: All right. Don Clark, thanks so much you for your information.
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 April 15, 2003 - 10:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In Northern California, the remains of a woman and a baby boy have been found at a park on San Francisco Bay. The discovery has the attention of the Modesto California Police Department, which is investigating the disappearance of Laci Peterson.
The big question now: could the remains be her and her baby?
Let's talk about the possibilities of that with former FBI investigator Don Clark. He joins us on the phone now from Houston.
Hello to you, Don.
DON CLARK, FMR. FBI INVESTIGATOR: Hello, Heidi, how are you?
COLLINS: I'm fine, thanks.
CLARK: This -- this obviously is grim discovery, no matter who we discover that it is in identifying them. But given the news about Laci and her baby, tell us if you can, Don, what sort challenges are going to lie ahead in identifying her? We know that the body is badly decomposed.
Well, you're absolutely right. It is a gruesome find and it may be relief a family and maybe Laci's family, but it's good news for the investigators because they were missing the major piece of the puzzle, and the major piece of the puzzle happened to be the body. And if this is in fact, Laci's body, then they have that major piece.
Now that is not the cure-all because yet there's evidence to be connected from the body and from other searches that they have conducted to a yet undetermined suspect.
COLLINS: So Don, talk to us a little bit more about DNA. Even though the body, as we say, is decomposed, DNA is going to make it easier to identify her. But what about getting evidence? And how much evidence is needed at this point?
CLARK: Well, it's not necessarily, Heidi, the quantity of evidence. It's just going to be the conclusiveness of evidence that they are going to have to find and I suspect -- and I don't want to tread on the areas of homicide investigators, but -- but DNA at this point will perhaps play some point, particularly if the suspect happens to be someone that she has lived with, been around, because there will probably be DNA back and forth from one person or one body to -- to the other. But there may be other aspects of -- of evidence. And in fact, there will be, such as how was she killed. Perhaps if they can determine that she was killed a certain method, then they will, and what type instrument or weapon was that used, those are going to be, I think, the major keys, even perhaps beyond DNA that may be able to tie a suspect to this murder.
COLLINS: And Don, we want to go ahead while you're talking to us and bring up a map of exactly where that body was found. And again, I'd like to -- you can see there, the bodies were found at the Point Isabel Regional Park there in the right corner of your screen.
Scott Peterson -- what will be next for him? Will -- will he go back into some sort of questioning phase with the investigators at this point?
CLARK: Well, you know, Heidi, Scott, like many other perhaps suspects in this case -- and yet there haven't been any names to come up that I'm aware of, but -- has not been eliminated. And if you haven't been eliminated and certainly if you are close to this disappearance and maybe murder as Scott is, I mean, clearly, he has to be right at the focal point. I've -- I've said all along that clearly I think everybody that has not been eliminated merits close scrutiny, and Scott falls into that category.
So I think that they will go to the one source they do have that has not been eliminated. And that would be Scott.
And one other thing I would mention. Perhaps, even -- maybe the last time we spoke about this particular case there was another search that was going on and we still don't know yet and perhaps shouldn't know what was found in that search. There may be evidence in that search that could connect to some aspect of what they may find from the discovery of this body if it's Laci.
COLLINS: All right. Don Clark, thanks so much you for your information.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
