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How Kidnapped 7-Year-Old Managed to Get Free Talk of Philadelphia

Aired July 24, 2002 - 14:03   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A young, kidnapped child, back home, safe and sound. That's something you don't hear about often enough. But it's the talk of Philadelphia today. And what impresses people most is how the 7-year-old managed to survive, and get free.

CNN's Jason Carroll is following her story. He's joining us now live.

Jason, brave little girl.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very, very much so, Kyra. And just a few moments ago, the police inspector here in Philadelphia just finished having a press conference. He actually saw Erica inside the home that you see behind me just a few moments ago. When asked what she was like, how she was doing, he said, she looks great. He also said that the search for the two men who took her is -- quote -- "heightening."

Words like "brave" and "determined" have been used to describe Erica Pratt. Both words are very applicable with this 7-year-old girl. She was reunited with her family late last night. It was incredibly emotional moment. She smiled at one point there. You see her wave to the cameras outside as the female police officer brought her inside the home.

Erica was kidnapped Monday night by two men when walking home with a friend on her way back to her grandmother's house. She was kept in the basement of an abandoned house about 20 minutes away. She was bound with duct tape. She managed to chew her through the tape. She broke through a door. There you can see her there with the duct tape around her head. She broke through the door, broke through a window, and then called for help. Several children in that neighborhood heard her, they found her, and then they alerted police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFFICER MIKE HARVEY, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: The young girl, Miss Pratt, she was very brave little girl. For everything that she has going through, she had tremendous composure, whether that was from shock or not, I'm really not really sure. She did not cry during the whole encounter with police. She answered our questions clearly. She spoke very normal. I mean, I give her all the credit in the world. She's a brave little girl. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Very brave little girl indeed. Police at this point are looking for two suspects, Edward Johnson and James Burns. Both are believed to be from the Philadelphia area.

The motive for this particular kidnapping: money. At one point, the Pratt family received a call just about 20 minutes in fact after Erica had been kidnapped, they received call for $150,000 ransom. So once again, police at this point still looking for those two suspects. The police inspector here in Philadelphia saying this search for those two when is heightening -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jason, we heard from the officers that found little Erica. Will we hear from the family at all today?

CARROLL: We're hoping. The family is a little apprehensive at this point. As you can imagine, they probably want to spend some time with little Erica, and we're hoping of course maybe to hear something from the family at some later point this afternoon, but we can certainly understand their desire and their wanting to spend more time with Erica -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That's true.

Jason, I want to hear from those parents, what they told Erica about fighting off strangers. I bet you they've had good advice.

CARROLL: I think that's a lesson for a lot of people.

PHILLIPS: Jason Carroll, live in Philadelphia, thank you.

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