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Two British Girls Missing from Rural Town

Aired August 16, 2002 - 14:10   ET

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

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: In Britain, a case involving two missing girls is making headlines. Ten-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman disappeared earlier this month from a village outside of Cambridge. Police are questioning a man and a woman in the case.
Reporter Romilly Weeks (ph) with ITV has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, the parents of Holly and Jessica returned to face the cameras. They spoke of the relief that the discovery of disturbed earth on Warren Hill (ph) had nothing to do with the disappearance of their children.

KEVIN WELLS, HOLLY WELLS' FATHER: Well, it has been extremely difficult, probably that may well be an understatement. We shared -- along with all of our family and close knit group of friends, we shared extremely what we took to be bad news. We were offered a glimmer of hope in the early hours of the morning -- the following morning, and it is to that glimmer of hope that we have refocused, and until there is anything different factually on the table, that is are only thought at this moment.

LESLIE CHAPMAN, JESSICA CHAPMAN'S FATHER: I want to reiterate what Kevin has said. It was long night. A lot of soul-searching went on. But basically, we just now -- we hope for the right result.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The families, again, appeal to their children to be returned to them.

SHARON CHAPMAN, JESSICA CHAPMAN'S MOTHER: Give them back, just give them back. Put an end to all of this for them. They are too young to be going through this.

L. CHAPMAN: What must they be thinking? It is bad enough for us, but we don't know where they are. You don't know where they are, but someone has got them. They are not their children. They are our children, and we want them back. We miss them so much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At midnight last night, another line of this inquiry came to nothing when the deadline for the potential abductor to call came and went.

But police say they are not unduly concerned.

ANDY HEBB, DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR, CAMBRIDGESHIRE POLICE: If someone is holding the girls, it is possible they do not have access to Jessica's mobile phone, and therefore could not access the message left by Mr. Beck. We will reconsider our options later today, once we have had the opportunity of taking expert advice on how that particular line of inquiry may now be progressed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The investigation is now one of Britain's biggest-ever manhunts, with police warning the people of Soham that it might become necessary to search every house in their town.

Romilly Weeks (ph), ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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