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Breaking News

Officers Working in Quanah to Identify Baby

Aired August 14, 2002 - 14:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, we want to go back to Abilene, Texas where we have been following a breaking news story all afternoon, the possibility that this 1-month-old baby, who was kidnapped from a Wal-Mart parking lot yesterday, right out of her mother's van, may have been found and a suspect may be in custody.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is on phone with us right now from Abilene -- Ed, I think we are hoping to hear from the police pretty soon.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is what we're expecting to hear here at some point in the coming moments, or perhaps in the next hour or so here in Abilene, Texas.

As you might imagine, very anxious moments for the Chavez family as they await the confirmation as to whether or not a 1-month-old girl found north of Abilene, about 150 miles northeast of where we are here, is indeed their 1-month-old daughter that was snatched yesterday from a parking lot, a Wal-Mart parking lot here.

So what I have been told by police officers here is that the family has arrived, the 1-month-old's parents have arrived here. The police department, they are trying to keep them isolated, to keep them emotionally calm, and a lot of emotional roller coasters, you might imagine, for her parents as they await the final confirmation. Police are running footprint analysis to determine -- exact determination as to whether or not this is indeed -- the girl they have found is 1- month-old Nancy Chavez. As soon as that happens, they will pass that information along to their parents. So that is what we are waiting for anxiously here in Abilene, Texas.

LIN: Ed, I spoke with a public information officer from the city of Abilene who confirming that the Abilene police officers are en route to Quanah up in northern Texas where this little baby is right now. Do you know how long that trip is going to take?

(CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA: Well, I have been told by another officer here in Abilene that those officers are already on the ground and working in Quanah, so the thinking was that this perhaps might not take terribly long to figure out. So, there are Abilene officers already working the case up there from what I understand.

LIN: Excellent. So you could actually hear any moment?

LAVANDERA: We are hoping so. It would be some fantastic news.

LIN: That certainly would be. All right. Thank you very much, Ed Lavandera, phoning in from Abilene, Texas.

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