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American Morning
Search for Dru
Aired December 09, 2003 - 07:08 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Police may have some very damaging evidence in the Dru Sjodin case. There are reports that a weapon was found in the car of Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. He is accused of kidnapping the missing student.
Jeff Flock is standing by for us in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this morning.
Jeff -- good morning.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Not only that a knife was found, but local newspapers are saying that a knife was found in the trunk of Mr. Rodriguez's car in a pool of cleaning solution. Also, that source close to the investigation is saying that there was extensive evidence that the trunk had been cleaned with cleaning supplies. Certainly not good news for the family.
Perhaps these details will be confirmed later today with the release and unsealing of an affidavit -- the affidavit of probable cause that police used to arrest Mr. Rodriguez.
Meantime the family say its searches will continue for their daughter. They let us accompany them yesterday on their latest effort.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLOCK (voice over): This is what it looks like on the search for Dru Sjodin, looking under rail cars, crawling through frozen brush and digging out drainage culverts.
LOWELL SJODIN, DRU SJODIN'S UNCLE: We're not going to leave here knowing that we didn't do everything we could to help find her.
FLOCK: It starts early.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One group go this way and one group go that way.
FLOCK: Mike Sjodin, Dru's cousin, divides the team, then out come the all-terrain vehicles.
Acting on a tip posted here at the finddru.com Web site, they come to the town of Alvarado, Minnesota.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to work the ditches, the lines, and we're going to meet back in the section corner.
FLOCK: Mike takes his team along a country road. Someone finds something in a ditch. It turns out to be a dead animal.
MIKE SJODIN, DRU SJODIN'S COUSIN: We've been pulling strength from our family, and, of course, Dru. We all feel Dru in our hearts and our souls.
FLOCK: Prosecutors first said this search might be hurt if the affidavit that outlines the evidence against suspect Alfonso Rodriguez was made public. Now, though they won't say why, prosecutors have OK'ed its release, which could come Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day is a hard day.
FLOCK: That's Sjodin's uncle, Lowell, combing a ditch and picturing a young niece who wanted to be a graphic artist. Her work on the Find Dru Web site, along with pictures of a girl who always seems to be smiling.
L. SJODION: If we quit and she walked in the door two months down the road, she's going to be mad as hell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLOCK: Soledad, nobody expects the family to quit, and authorities yesterday said they would resume their searches, too. But it's getting even colder this week, expected to be highs in the single digits all week long. It's not going to be a pretty time.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: Allr, Jeff Flock for us. Thanks, Jeff, for that update.
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 December 9, 2003 - 07:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Police may have some very damaging evidence in the Dru Sjodin case. There are reports that a weapon was found in the car of Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. He is accused of kidnapping the missing student.
Jeff Flock is standing by for us in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this morning.
Jeff -- good morning.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Not only that a knife was found, but local newspapers are saying that a knife was found in the trunk of Mr. Rodriguez's car in a pool of cleaning solution. Also, that source close to the investigation is saying that there was extensive evidence that the trunk had been cleaned with cleaning supplies. Certainly not good news for the family.
Perhaps these details will be confirmed later today with the release and unsealing of an affidavit -- the affidavit of probable cause that police used to arrest Mr. Rodriguez.
Meantime the family say its searches will continue for their daughter. They let us accompany them yesterday on their latest effort.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FLOCK (voice over): This is what it looks like on the search for Dru Sjodin, looking under rail cars, crawling through frozen brush and digging out drainage culverts.
LOWELL SJODIN, DRU SJODIN'S UNCLE: We're not going to leave here knowing that we didn't do everything we could to help find her.
FLOCK: It starts early.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One group go this way and one group go that way.
FLOCK: Mike Sjodin, Dru's cousin, divides the team, then out come the all-terrain vehicles.
Acting on a tip posted here at the finddru.com Web site, they come to the town of Alvarado, Minnesota.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to work the ditches, the lines, and we're going to meet back in the section corner.
FLOCK: Mike takes his team along a country road. Someone finds something in a ditch. It turns out to be a dead animal.
MIKE SJODIN, DRU SJODIN'S COUSIN: We've been pulling strength from our family, and, of course, Dru. We all feel Dru in our hearts and our souls.
FLOCK: Prosecutors first said this search might be hurt if the affidavit that outlines the evidence against suspect Alfonso Rodriguez was made public. Now, though they won't say why, prosecutors have OK'ed its release, which could come Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day is a hard day.
FLOCK: That's Sjodin's uncle, Lowell, combing a ditch and picturing a young niece who wanted to be a graphic artist. Her work on the Find Dru Web site, along with pictures of a girl who always seems to be smiling.
L. SJODION: If we quit and she walked in the door two months down the road, she's going to be mad as hell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLOCK: Soledad, nobody expects the family to quit, and authorities yesterday said they would resume their searches, too. But it's getting even colder this week, expected to be highs in the single digits all week long. It's not going to be a pretty time.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: Allr, Jeff Flock for us. Thanks, Jeff, for that update.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
