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CNN Live Today

Serial Rape Case

Aired June 13, 2003 - 10:08   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: We now skip all the way across the country now to another case that is not yet solved. In south Florida, police have released a profile of the man who is now linked to six rapes. A $10,000 reward has been posted for the serial rapist described as a Spanish-speaking man between the ages of 30 and 45. His victims included two schoolgirls who returned to what they thought were empty homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. BILL SCHWARTZ, MIAMI POLICE: This guy is brazen. He is equal opportunity scum bag. He has hit people from 11 years old up to 79 years old. He's very, very brutal. He has totally destroyed the lives of six people so far and so far no one has been killed but we're very concerned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The police have also said that the rapist wore distinctive jewelry that could help identify him but police have not yet described it but they will be releasing pictures of it later today.

Police in Bakersfield, California have released more details of a phone message believed to have been left by the mother of a two-year- old boy found wandering the streets a few days ago. The message described a life of pain, abuse and ultimately hope.

Our Thelma Gutierrez is standing by with more on this story in Bakersfield, California. Good morning, Thelma.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. Well, police say at this point they have absolutely no way to tell whether or not the caller is actually the mother but they say they have so little to go on. This is really the only thing they have to pursue. So far, other leads have all led to dead ends.

Now, the little boy who is called Mateo was found some three and a half weeks ago by a motorist in a very busy intersection late at night. Since then, police have tried to locate the parents. They've made appeals to the media, and there have been fliers hanging all over Bakersfield but still no luck.

Now, five days after that little boy (unintelligible) apparently someone called the detective in the case, left a voice mail at work from a woman claiming to be Mateo's mother. Now, the woman did say that she - that the name of the boy was not Mateo but instead Jesus (unintelligible). She described what he was wearing in detail and she said that she had to leave the toddler behind for his own good.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I left him because we were being mistreated by my husband, after all, if something happened to me, I don't want anything to happen to my baby. If he could be adopted, I would appreciate it because I am sick with cancer and I can die at any minute, and I leave you my baby.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

GUTIERREZ: The (unintelligible) county public defender who is now Mateo's legal guardian, says that they are trying to speed up his adoption. They're trying to sever the parental rights of these people.

They're going from four months, as opposed to six months, so that the adoption process can begin. He says that he has to act in the child's best interest and that means finding Mateo a home as soon as possible.

Many people have been interested. Police say that they have received dozens of calls from people who have expressed interest in taking little Mateo into their homes - Leon, back to you.

HARRIS: All right, good deal, thanks Thelma. It's amazing what kids sometimes are able to bounce back from. We're all wishing that kid the best. Thanks, Thelma Gutierrez reporting live for us from Bakersfield, California.

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 June 13, 2003 - 10:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We now skip all the way across the country now to another case that is not yet solved. In south Florida, police have released a profile of the man who is now linked to six rapes. A $10,000 reward has been posted for the serial rapist described as a Spanish-speaking man between the ages of 30 and 45. His victims included two schoolgirls who returned to what they thought were empty homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. BILL SCHWARTZ, MIAMI POLICE: This guy is brazen. He is equal opportunity scum bag. He has hit people from 11 years old up to 79 years old. He's very, very brutal. He has totally destroyed the lives of six people so far and so far no one has been killed but we're very concerned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The police have also said that the rapist wore distinctive jewelry that could help identify him but police have not yet described it but they will be releasing pictures of it later today.

Police in Bakersfield, California have released more details of a phone message believed to have been left by the mother of a two-year- old boy found wandering the streets a few days ago. The message described a life of pain, abuse and ultimately hope.

Our Thelma Gutierrez is standing by with more on this story in Bakersfield, California. Good morning, Thelma.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. Well, police say at this point they have absolutely no way to tell whether or not the caller is actually the mother but they say they have so little to go on. This is really the only thing they have to pursue. So far, other leads have all led to dead ends.

Now, the little boy who is called Mateo was found some three and a half weeks ago by a motorist in a very busy intersection late at night. Since then, police have tried to locate the parents. They've made appeals to the media, and there have been fliers hanging all over Bakersfield but still no luck.

Now, five days after that little boy (unintelligible) apparently someone called the detective in the case, left a voice mail at work from a woman claiming to be Mateo's mother. Now, the woman did say that she - that the name of the boy was not Mateo but instead Jesus (unintelligible). She described what he was wearing in detail and she said that she had to leave the toddler behind for his own good.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I left him because we were being mistreated by my husband, after all, if something happened to me, I don't want anything to happen to my baby. If he could be adopted, I would appreciate it because I am sick with cancer and I can die at any minute, and I leave you my baby.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

GUTIERREZ: The (unintelligible) county public defender who is now Mateo's legal guardian, says that they are trying to speed up his adoption. They're trying to sever the parental rights of these people.

They're going from four months, as opposed to six months, so that the adoption process can begin. He says that he has to act in the child's best interest and that means finding Mateo a home as soon as possible.

Many people have been interested. Police say that they have received dozens of calls from people who have expressed interest in taking little Mateo into their homes - Leon, back to you.

HARRIS: All right, good deal, thanks Thelma. It's amazing what kids sometimes are able to bounce back from. We're all wishing that kid the best. Thanks, Thelma Gutierrez reporting live for us from Bakersfield, California.

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