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CNN Live Saturday
Search for Laci Peterson Continues
Aired January 04, 2003 - 17:26 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Police and volunteers continue to search for Laci Peterson. The 27-year-old Modesto woman has been missing since late December. The concern is more intense because Peterson is eight and a half months pregnant. CNN's Ed Lavandera has been following the story and the efforts to try and find Peterson -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fredricka. Well here in Modesto, California in about five minutes, the daily police briefing is scheduled to get underway. We're told that Scott Peterson met part of the day on Friday with investigators but exact details as to what they discussed and what was discussed yesterday with investigators isn't exactly clear.
It's also part of the bigger picture of what's been going on here in Modesto for the last couple of days as investigators have tried to pinpoint the whereabouts of Scott Peterson between the dates of December 23 and December 25, and mostly because that is part of what the investigators here say is just part of the procedure that happens in cases like this.
At this point, they have no other choice but to follow that course of the investigation because authorities here say they just don't have much else to go on at this point. But the family and friends and many volunteers here in this area, as well as the authorities have continued their searches throughout the day spreading out to the surrounding counties through Modesto and also including the Berkeley Marina area where divers and cadaver dogs have been sent today to continue the search through that area as well.
We also understand that that will continue through the weekend here as authorities and a team of about 100 investigators continue to work this case here in Modesto. So, as I mentioned as well, the briefing here scheduled to get underway in about the next five minutes or so, Fredricka back to you.
WHITFIELD: And, Ed, I know earlier in the week family members, including her mother, had made some pretty strong appeals for any kind of assistance. Have we heard anything from the family members in recent days or even in recent hours today?
LAVANDERA: Well, the family members, both Laci Peterson's mother, brother, and sister, and her in-laws appeared on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night and we are told by a family spokesperson that they were extremely exhausted by everything that had been going on this weekend so they asked to take a break throughout the weekend days and they said that Monday, if they need to, they will continue to do interviews then.
But they asked if they could catch up on rest, and quite frankly I had a chance to speak with several of them yesterday afternoon. They were extremely exhausted so they said they just needed a couple days to catch up on a lot of rest that they've been missing out on at this point.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ed Lavandera from Modesto, California, thank you very much.
LAVANDERA: Sure.
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 January 4, 2003 - 17:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Police and volunteers continue to search for Laci Peterson. The 27-year-old Modesto woman has been missing since late December. The concern is more intense because Peterson is eight and a half months pregnant. CNN's Ed Lavandera has been following the story and the efforts to try and find Peterson -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fredricka. Well here in Modesto, California in about five minutes, the daily police briefing is scheduled to get underway. We're told that Scott Peterson met part of the day on Friday with investigators but exact details as to what they discussed and what was discussed yesterday with investigators isn't exactly clear.
It's also part of the bigger picture of what's been going on here in Modesto for the last couple of days as investigators have tried to pinpoint the whereabouts of Scott Peterson between the dates of December 23 and December 25, and mostly because that is part of what the investigators here say is just part of the procedure that happens in cases like this.
At this point, they have no other choice but to follow that course of the investigation because authorities here say they just don't have much else to go on at this point. But the family and friends and many volunteers here in this area, as well as the authorities have continued their searches throughout the day spreading out to the surrounding counties through Modesto and also including the Berkeley Marina area where divers and cadaver dogs have been sent today to continue the search through that area as well.
We also understand that that will continue through the weekend here as authorities and a team of about 100 investigators continue to work this case here in Modesto. So, as I mentioned as well, the briefing here scheduled to get underway in about the next five minutes or so, Fredricka back to you.
WHITFIELD: And, Ed, I know earlier in the week family members, including her mother, had made some pretty strong appeals for any kind of assistance. Have we heard anything from the family members in recent days or even in recent hours today?
LAVANDERA: Well, the family members, both Laci Peterson's mother, brother, and sister, and her in-laws appeared on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night and we are told by a family spokesperson that they were extremely exhausted by everything that had been going on this weekend so they asked to take a break throughout the weekend days and they said that Monday, if they need to, they will continue to do interviews then.
But they asked if they could catch up on rest, and quite frankly I had a chance to speak with several of them yesterday afternoon. They were extremely exhausted so they said they just needed a couple days to catch up on a lot of rest that they've been missing out on at this point.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ed Lavandera from Modesto, California, thank you very much.
LAVANDERA: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
