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CNN Live At Daybreak

Chicago Detective Comments on Search for Bradley Sisters

Aired July 17, 2001 - 08:45   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: While Washington, D.C. police search for Chandra Levy, relatives of two missing sisters in Chicago looked at security camera tapes searching for any clue as to what happened to 10-year-old Tionda Bradley and her 3-year-old sister Diamond. The two disappeared after their mother left for work a week ago.

Phillip Cline is a chief detective with the Chicago Police Department with the latest on this investigation.

Good morning, Detective.

CHIEF DET. PHILLIP CLINE, CHICAGO POLICE: Good morning.

LIN: Bring us up to date here. Where did these videotapes come from, these security camera tapes?

CLINE: Well, there's a number of apartment buildings in the area where Diamond and Tionda lived and a lot of these buildings have their own security cameras. Some of the stores in the nearby shopping center had security cameras and we've reviewed all of them, looking for any evidence that would show us the time that the girls were out on the street.

LIN: Any sightings at all?

CLINE: No, there's no sightings at this time.

LIN: So basically these tapes haven't really furthered this investigation, have they?

CLINE: No, they have not.

LIN: Boy, it must have been really hard to gather these relatives in the room and have them search through these tapes.

CLINE: Yes, it was. And at first one of the attorneys for Tracy Bradley, the mother of Tionda and Diamond, refused to let her view the tapes. So that set us back two days. But eventually she dismissed that attorney and now she's cooperating fully with our investigation.

LIN: Is the mother facing criminal charges for leaving her kids alone?

CLINE: There's a parallel investigation being conducted by the Department of Children and Family Services. Our concern right now, though, the Chicago Police Department's concern, is to find these two missing children.

LIN: Is the mother a suspect?

CLINE: We're not ruling her as a suspect, but we're looking at everybody in the neighborhood, all the family members, as you would in any investigation of this type. We are doing extensive interviews. Yesterday we recanvassed the whole area. We had dogs and mounted patrol. As you know, the apartment building is right next to Lake Michigan, so we had our marine unit patrolling the front of the lake again, looking for any signs that these children may have fallen into the lake.

There's, this is the, I've been a policeman for 31 years. I've never seen a more committed amount of resources than we have in this case to try and find these two girls.

LIN: Yes, and it sounds like that search in the woods for two grave sites and a search through an abandoned church didn't turn up much, either.

CLINE: Neither, both of those were negative.

LIN: All right. How much influence do you think the search for Chandra Levy is having in this case of yours? Is it helping you in terms of drawing more attention to the case and maybe more tips?

CLINE: Well, it's completely two different investigations. Our investigation deals with two of a tender age missing that would not be able to survive on their own. They wouldn't have the resources to travel to another part of the country. So our investigation is really centered on that they have to either be with someone or they met foul play and we're conducting two simultaneous investigations to try and find these children.

LIN: Well, detective, how long can a 3-year-old and a 10-year- old last without any assistance?

CLINE: Well, not very long. So that's why it's so imperative that we follow up every lead and that if anyone has any information at all that they call the Chicago Police Department.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Chief Detective Phillip Cline with the Chicago Police Department. Good luck with this case.

CLINE: Thank you.

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