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American Morning

Discussion with John Walsh

Aired May 01, 2003 - 07:31   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI right now saying it should know by week's end whether a boy in Illinois is the same one who disappeared from his North Carolina home about two and a half years ago. Tristan "Buddy" Myers vanished from Roseborough, North Carolina in October of 2000.
Meanwhile, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children today launching a campaign, and a major one, too, targeting online predators.

John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted" and "The John Walsh Show" and cofounder of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children here to talk about a number of these topics.

Good to see you again in person here.

JOHN WALSH, COFOUNDER, NCMEC: Good to see you.

HEMMER: The biological mother of Buddy Myers, if this is the young boy in Illinois who left North Carolina, was speaking yesterday about how she feels about the family. There is a split within this family. It is a very sad story.

Listen to how she characterized it yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RAVEN MYERS, BUDDY'S MOTHER: We're not on good terms and that's fine with me. There's more reasons behind that. And I know they care about him, but I will fight for Tristen not to go back to that home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: And the bottom line is if this is Buddy Myers, if he's still alive, he's had a very, very hard life at a very young age.

WALSH: Oh, absolutely. That was his biological mother who gave birth to him at 15, gave up custody of him to her mother and father, who got very sick. His father got cancer. And then he was given to his great aunt and uncle. And if it is Buddy, who was kidnapped a couple of years ago, and we really think it very well could be...

HEMMER: You do?

WALSH: Well, because scars are similar, a speech pattern.

HEMMER: That's right. WALSH: He has a lisp. And also x-rays were taken. Buddy was in a car accident and broke his leg and this little boy has fractures from this X-ray. So we are praying, you know, that this is Buddy Myers, because once in a while we get lucky and get these children back.

HEMMER: That's right.

WALSH: And this would be wonderful. Then the battle for his custody -- it would be wonderful if his mother came back into the picture, because she was 15 when she gave him up for adoption.

HEMMER: And we have seen it before, fingers are crossed, indeed. Another reminder, though, of the immense responsibility that parents have toward children.

WALSH: Oh, absolutely.

HEMMER: Because they are so innocent in so many of these cases.

WALSH: Absolutely. Absolutely.

HEMMER: I want to talk about your program, "Cyber Safe City," six different cities across the country, Internet protection. Define it for us.

WALSH: Crucial. MSN and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have teamed up and are recognizing these six cities because of their proactive battle to make the Internet safe for children. Last year the FBI and the National Center participated in Operation Candy Man, where they took down 70 Internet pedophiles. One was a priest, you know, the typical line up, you know, the soccer coach, the school teacher, all posing as young people or teenagers in chat rooms in order to lure kids out, to either kidnap them or sexually assault them.

So MSN has put together a cyber tip line and a Web site -- it's www.safeonline.com, which gives parents ways of parental control over the Internet, tips of what to do and, of course, the National Center maintains the cyber tip line. So if your child -- one in five kids in America are solicited with sexual images from pedophiles or on, in chat rooms. And if that happens to your child, call 1-800-THE-LOST and we'll get involved in it.

HEMMER: You know, quickly, part of me says the Internet is so widespread and so wide open, if you go back five or eight years when we were still learning about it, it seemed like it was essentially the Wild West of the technology era.

WALSH: Absolutely.

HEMMER: But I have to think also there's a part of the Internet that's done some things right right now to protect kids and help parents.

WALSH: Oh, yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. A lot of the Internet service providers and, of course, MSN, work very closely with the National Center to say the Internet's a wonderful tool, but it also is a very dangerous place for kids. So let's put some of those safeguards in there.

HEMMER: Yesterday you were at the White House in Washington. Amber alert signed into law. A very interesting photo opportunity with the parents of Elizabeth Smart. And now the 15-year-old girl there, as well. Did you talk to them? And, if so, what was the conversation?

WALSH: I have and as a matter of fact, we brought Ed and Lois, "The John Walsh Show" brought them to Washington yesterday and Elizabeth chose herself -- this was her first appearance -- to come to the White House. We had asked her and then I taped tomorrow's show. Tomorrow, Elizabeth Smart and her mom and dad are going to be on "The John Walsh Show," her first appearance.

This is a brave young lady who went through hell for nine months and she's doing beautifully. She actually plays the harp on my show tomorrow and I'm so glad to see her because she went through hell for those nine months.

HEMMER: What did she tell you?

WALSH: Well, that she's so glad to be home. I mean she was kidnapped at knifepoint and terrorized by this couple for...

HEMMER: Did she tell you that?

WALSH: Well, I know that for a fact and she, she just said, you know, I've been through the worst and I'm so glad to be home. Because she has a wonderful, loving family and her mother and father have focused on her primarily to get ready for this upcoming trial.

HEMMER: You talked about parents and the strength of them.

WALSH: Oh, yes.

HEMMER: Did she get into the trial? And did she also tell you about her nine months away and how specific did she get?

WALSH: No, no. This is something that's none of my business and I don't think it's anybody's business. We talk about her being glad to be home because she was kidnapped at knifepoint in front of her little sister, Mary Catherine.

HEMMER: Right.

WALSH: And Mary Catherine is the one who came up with the composite that gave, that we used on "America's Most Wanted"...

HEMMER: That's right.

WALSH: And she's the real hero here because that's how we caught this guy. HEMMER: Now, do you, did you get a read -- it may be unfair in a short meeting or even the interview for your program -- did you get a read on how Elizabeth is adjusting?

WALSH: She's doing fabulous. She was just, it was just wonderful to see her, to see her smiling. She's a very quiet, beautiful young lady.

HEMMER: Yes, it seems that way.

WALSH: And her parents are very, very loving people. And I got to know them very closely over these nine months. And that's one thing Ed says to me, you know, he said, John, you never gave up showing her on "America's Most Wanted" and we never gave up believing that we would get her back alive. And it truly was a miracle. It was just wonderful.

HEMMER: Thanks for coming in.

WALSH: Thank you.

HEMMER: John Walsh, good to see 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 May 1, 2003 - 07:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI right now saying it should know by week's end whether a boy in Illinois is the same one who disappeared from his North Carolina home about two and a half years ago. Tristan "Buddy" Myers vanished from Roseborough, North Carolina in October of 2000.
Meanwhile, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children today launching a campaign, and a major one, too, targeting online predators.

John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted" and "The John Walsh Show" and cofounder of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children here to talk about a number of these topics.

Good to see you again in person here.

JOHN WALSH, COFOUNDER, NCMEC: Good to see you.

HEMMER: The biological mother of Buddy Myers, if this is the young boy in Illinois who left North Carolina, was speaking yesterday about how she feels about the family. There is a split within this family. It is a very sad story.

Listen to how she characterized it yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RAVEN MYERS, BUDDY'S MOTHER: We're not on good terms and that's fine with me. There's more reasons behind that. And I know they care about him, but I will fight for Tristen not to go back to that home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: And the bottom line is if this is Buddy Myers, if he's still alive, he's had a very, very hard life at a very young age.

WALSH: Oh, absolutely. That was his biological mother who gave birth to him at 15, gave up custody of him to her mother and father, who got very sick. His father got cancer. And then he was given to his great aunt and uncle. And if it is Buddy, who was kidnapped a couple of years ago, and we really think it very well could be...

HEMMER: You do?

WALSH: Well, because scars are similar, a speech pattern.

HEMMER: That's right. WALSH: He has a lisp. And also x-rays were taken. Buddy was in a car accident and broke his leg and this little boy has fractures from this X-ray. So we are praying, you know, that this is Buddy Myers, because once in a while we get lucky and get these children back.

HEMMER: That's right.

WALSH: And this would be wonderful. Then the battle for his custody -- it would be wonderful if his mother came back into the picture, because she was 15 when she gave him up for adoption.

HEMMER: And we have seen it before, fingers are crossed, indeed. Another reminder, though, of the immense responsibility that parents have toward children.

WALSH: Oh, absolutely.

HEMMER: Because they are so innocent in so many of these cases.

WALSH: Absolutely. Absolutely.

HEMMER: I want to talk about your program, "Cyber Safe City," six different cities across the country, Internet protection. Define it for us.

WALSH: Crucial. MSN and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have teamed up and are recognizing these six cities because of their proactive battle to make the Internet safe for children. Last year the FBI and the National Center participated in Operation Candy Man, where they took down 70 Internet pedophiles. One was a priest, you know, the typical line up, you know, the soccer coach, the school teacher, all posing as young people or teenagers in chat rooms in order to lure kids out, to either kidnap them or sexually assault them.

So MSN has put together a cyber tip line and a Web site -- it's www.safeonline.com, which gives parents ways of parental control over the Internet, tips of what to do and, of course, the National Center maintains the cyber tip line. So if your child -- one in five kids in America are solicited with sexual images from pedophiles or on, in chat rooms. And if that happens to your child, call 1-800-THE-LOST and we'll get involved in it.

HEMMER: You know, quickly, part of me says the Internet is so widespread and so wide open, if you go back five or eight years when we were still learning about it, it seemed like it was essentially the Wild West of the technology era.

WALSH: Absolutely.

HEMMER: But I have to think also there's a part of the Internet that's done some things right right now to protect kids and help parents.

WALSH: Oh, yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. A lot of the Internet service providers and, of course, MSN, work very closely with the National Center to say the Internet's a wonderful tool, but it also is a very dangerous place for kids. So let's put some of those safeguards in there.

HEMMER: Yesterday you were at the White House in Washington. Amber alert signed into law. A very interesting photo opportunity with the parents of Elizabeth Smart. And now the 15-year-old girl there, as well. Did you talk to them? And, if so, what was the conversation?

WALSH: I have and as a matter of fact, we brought Ed and Lois, "The John Walsh Show" brought them to Washington yesterday and Elizabeth chose herself -- this was her first appearance -- to come to the White House. We had asked her and then I taped tomorrow's show. Tomorrow, Elizabeth Smart and her mom and dad are going to be on "The John Walsh Show," her first appearance.

This is a brave young lady who went through hell for nine months and she's doing beautifully. She actually plays the harp on my show tomorrow and I'm so glad to see her because she went through hell for those nine months.

HEMMER: What did she tell you?

WALSH: Well, that she's so glad to be home. I mean she was kidnapped at knifepoint and terrorized by this couple for...

HEMMER: Did she tell you that?

WALSH: Well, I know that for a fact and she, she just said, you know, I've been through the worst and I'm so glad to be home. Because she has a wonderful, loving family and her mother and father have focused on her primarily to get ready for this upcoming trial.

HEMMER: You talked about parents and the strength of them.

WALSH: Oh, yes.

HEMMER: Did she get into the trial? And did she also tell you about her nine months away and how specific did she get?

WALSH: No, no. This is something that's none of my business and I don't think it's anybody's business. We talk about her being glad to be home because she was kidnapped at knifepoint in front of her little sister, Mary Catherine.

HEMMER: Right.

WALSH: And Mary Catherine is the one who came up with the composite that gave, that we used on "America's Most Wanted"...

HEMMER: That's right.

WALSH: And she's the real hero here because that's how we caught this guy. HEMMER: Now, do you, did you get a read -- it may be unfair in a short meeting or even the interview for your program -- did you get a read on how Elizabeth is adjusting?

WALSH: She's doing fabulous. She was just, it was just wonderful to see her, to see her smiling. She's a very quiet, beautiful young lady.

HEMMER: Yes, it seems that way.

WALSH: And her parents are very, very loving people. And I got to know them very closely over these nine months. And that's one thing Ed says to me, you know, he said, John, you never gave up showing her on "America's Most Wanted" and we never gave up believing that we would get her back alive. And it truly was a miracle. It was just wonderful.

HEMMER: Thanks for coming in.

WALSH: Thank you.

HEMMER: John Walsh, good to see 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