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CNN Live Saturday

Police Search Ward Weaver's Home

Aired August 24, 2002 - 12:14   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: More now on our top story. Months after two Oregon teens vanished without a trace, police are hoping to learn some valuable clues about their disappearance. At this hour, the search is getting under way at the home of a man who describes himself as a "key suspect" in the kidnappings of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis. We turn now to reporter C.W. Jensen, with our affiliate KGW, who is in Oregon City. Hi there, C.W.
C.W. JENSEN, KGW CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. We are here in Oregon City. We are right across the street from Ward Weaver's house. And as you said, the 39-year-old describes himself as the prime suspect in the case of the two missing girls.

Now, Ashley Pond disappeared in the January, and Miranda Gaddis disappeared in March. Today, FBI agents say they are going to search his home because of that case.

Now, if you look behind me, you can see his home. This chain- link fence went up overnight last night. As you can see, there is crime scene tape. There is FBI agents, police officers, in the back of that house and all around the house. They say they are going to search inside and outside. They've set up some canopies along the back of the house. There is some concrete that Ward Weaver poured a few days after Miranda Gaddis disappeared, and that's created quite a controversy here, people asking for that to be dug up, and we expect that that may be one of the focuses of the search today.

Now, if we pan over, I can show you why Ward Weaver has been at the center of this controversy for sometime. You can see those flags. That is the driveway, the entrance to the apartment complex where both Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis lived. Not only that, Ward Weaver's daughter went to school with the two girls, and Ward Weaver knew both of these girls. So the FBI has not called him a suspect up until this point, has not yet, but they are saying today this search of his home is directly related to the investigation of the missing girls.

WHITFIELD: Now, C.W., this is the first time they have searched that home in relation to these two girls, however?

JENSEN: This is the first time that they have searched this home in relation to these two girls. However, Ward Weaver was arrested on August 13 here in Oregon City on allegations that he raped his son's girlfriend. He's in custody now at the Clackamas County jail. Detectives did a search warrant on the house based on that rape case. Now, that rape case, again, is unrelated to the missing girl's case, but they have been in the house before and searched it, and Ward Weaver himself says that he has let FBI agents in before with dogs to search the house and the grounds.

Now, a few minutes ago I talked to the grandfather of Ashley Pond. He says the family was completely unaware of this FBI action today. He says they were shocked, and he says they are very hopeful that there will be some kind of resolution today, one way or another, to let them move past Ward Weaver to another direction, or help them with some closure to this case.

WHITFIELD: All right. C.W. Jensen with our affiliate KGW. Thank you very much.

JENSEN: You're welcome.

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