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Summary of Search for Abducted 9-year-old

Aired August 28, 2002 - 14:45   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Our John Vause was also there at the news conference. He's working this story.
John, what more can you tell us about this investigation?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, that press conference cleared up a number of issues, firstly the issue with the mother. Obviously, they are saying at this stage the mother is not a suspect. But she is someone that the police want to get in touch with, which obviously indicate they haven't found her yet. They are saying that she is in fact in Colorado. The father thought the car used in this abduction matched the description of the car which is owned by the mother. But the police are saying that they have confirmed that the mother's car was not the vehicle which was used.

They have also told us that there is a problem, that there is a bad relationship between the father of Nicholas and his mother, that the father has only had physical custody of the boy for about two weeks, and that custody is in fact something which is in dispute right now.

They also cleared up the issue of the Amber Alert, why a statewide Amber Alert was not issued straightaway. And they said they simply did not have enough information.

The only information which they could release to public was two men, possibly more, abducted this boy, and made off in a light-colored SUV. We just heard from CHP officer there, who said to issue and Amber statewide alert on that information would simply be counterproductive, given the huge number of light-colored SUVs that are on the roads throughout California. You simply couldn't stop all those vehicles, so that is why they only issued a local Amber Alert, one just for Riverside County.

So basically, that is where we are at this moment, the FBI being called in. They are still trying to track down the mother. They say obviously, she would be concerned, and she is a person of interest who they would like to talk to -- Kyra.

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