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DNA Results of Body Suspected to be Laci May Take Several Weeks

Aired April 16, 2003 - 14:42   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: More now on the Laci Peterson case. Modesto Police say it may be several weeks before DNA results show in the remains found this week on the California coast belong to Peterson and her unborn son.
We join our, Paul Vercammen. He's in Martinez, California, for the latest developments -- Paul.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, more and more this is starting to sound like some sort of episode of "CSI." But of course it's an investigation and it's not going to unfold in a neat, tidy one-hour episode complete with commercial breaks. Multiple investigations are going on. Let me bring you up to speed with what's going on here in Contra Costa County. A forensic expert who specializes in examining bodies that have spent a long time under water is now on this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY LEE, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER CONTRA COSTA SHERIFF'S DEPT.: As we speak right now, we have a forensic anthropologist working at the coroner's unit right now. She is looking at the remains of the adult female. She is examining it and testing it to find out more about it. This expert is affiliated with the University of Santa Cruz. Primarily, she's going to look at the bones, the skeleton, and should be able to tell us the age, race and sex of this person.

VERCAMMEN: Now, Modesto Police of course, are very interested in anything that goes on here and they're rifted by what happened. Of course they see all the similarities between the disappearance of Laci Peterson and the skeletal remains found in the east San Francisco Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DET. DOUG RIDENOUR, MODESTO POLICE: I think the fact that you have a baby that was found along with or fairly close to a female that brings probably the interest of this department, that's what we're looking for. So I -- to sit back over and say no, it's just like any other case, no, that's not it. So that's why we sent the detectives over there, to also observe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Of course, Laci Peterson's family is watching all of this. And a family spokesman said as they wait for the results of all these tests, it has just been agonizing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM PETERSEN, FAMILY SPOKESWOMAN: We believe that if this is Laci, god has allowed her to be found because our family needs to know where she is and what has happened to her. If this turns out to be Laci, we want the animal responsible for this heinous act to pay. We will do all we can to pursue justice for Laci and Connor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Now back to the investigations. We revealed yesterday that someone hiking found a bone. That bone was not a human bone, we've just been told by the county coroner here. On the DNA front, and that's where the focus of this case now lies. The Department Justice Lab In Richmond, California, we know, has Laci Peterson's DNA. It was obtained from a strand of hair inside the Peterson family home, we believe taken from a hair brush. Also, back in February, police served a search warrant on Scott Peterson and required him to give a sample of his DNA. Needless to say, there will be a lot of comparisons going on and matching, particularly with the body of the adult female that was found in the Oakland area. We understand, as we've said before, that the skeletal remains were not intact. One of the problems here is that it lacked a skull, and that prevented them from trying to obtain the dental records, which are the easiest and the quickest to obtain identification.

Reporting live from Martinez, California, Paul Vercammen.

Back to you in the studio.

PHILLIPS: You mentioned Scott Peterson.

Have you heard from Scott?

Has he made a statement or happens he talked to anybody?

You mentioned multiple investigations. Are police talking to him again?

VERCAMMEN: Police in Modesto said yesterday they have not seen Scott Peterson. We have not seen Scott Peterson. They said if they did know his whereabouts, they probably wouldn't have revealed it. If you haven't noticed they have circled the wagons both in Modesto and Contra Costa County, and they are trying not reveal major parts of their investigation.

Paul Vercammen, we appreciate all the information. You are doing a great job, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Weeks>


Aired April 16, 2003 - 14:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the Laci Peterson case. Modesto Police say it may be several weeks before DNA results show in the remains found this week on the California coast belong to Peterson and her unborn son.
We join our, Paul Vercammen. He's in Martinez, California, for the latest developments -- Paul.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, more and more this is starting to sound like some sort of episode of "CSI." But of course it's an investigation and it's not going to unfold in a neat, tidy one-hour episode complete with commercial breaks. Multiple investigations are going on. Let me bring you up to speed with what's going on here in Contra Costa County. A forensic expert who specializes in examining bodies that have spent a long time under water is now on this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY LEE, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER CONTRA COSTA SHERIFF'S DEPT.: As we speak right now, we have a forensic anthropologist working at the coroner's unit right now. She is looking at the remains of the adult female. She is examining it and testing it to find out more about it. This expert is affiliated with the University of Santa Cruz. Primarily, she's going to look at the bones, the skeleton, and should be able to tell us the age, race and sex of this person.

VERCAMMEN: Now, Modesto Police of course, are very interested in anything that goes on here and they're rifted by what happened. Of course they see all the similarities between the disappearance of Laci Peterson and the skeletal remains found in the east San Francisco Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DET. DOUG RIDENOUR, MODESTO POLICE: I think the fact that you have a baby that was found along with or fairly close to a female that brings probably the interest of this department, that's what we're looking for. So I -- to sit back over and say no, it's just like any other case, no, that's not it. So that's why we sent the detectives over there, to also observe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Of course, Laci Peterson's family is watching all of this. And a family spokesman said as they wait for the results of all these tests, it has just been agonizing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM PETERSEN, FAMILY SPOKESWOMAN: We believe that if this is Laci, god has allowed her to be found because our family needs to know where she is and what has happened to her. If this turns out to be Laci, we want the animal responsible for this heinous act to pay. We will do all we can to pursue justice for Laci and Connor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Now back to the investigations. We revealed yesterday that someone hiking found a bone. That bone was not a human bone, we've just been told by the county coroner here. On the DNA front, and that's where the focus of this case now lies. The Department Justice Lab In Richmond, California, we know, has Laci Peterson's DNA. It was obtained from a strand of hair inside the Peterson family home, we believe taken from a hair brush. Also, back in February, police served a search warrant on Scott Peterson and required him to give a sample of his DNA. Needless to say, there will be a lot of comparisons going on and matching, particularly with the body of the adult female that was found in the Oakland area. We understand, as we've said before, that the skeletal remains were not intact. One of the problems here is that it lacked a skull, and that prevented them from trying to obtain the dental records, which are the easiest and the quickest to obtain identification.

Reporting live from Martinez, California, Paul Vercammen.

Back to you in the studio.

PHILLIPS: You mentioned Scott Peterson.

Have you heard from Scott?

Has he made a statement or happens he talked to anybody?

You mentioned multiple investigations. Are police talking to him again?

VERCAMMEN: Police in Modesto said yesterday they have not seen Scott Peterson. We have not seen Scott Peterson. They said if they did know his whereabouts, they probably wouldn't have revealed it. If you haven't noticed they have circled the wagons both in Modesto and Contra Costa County, and they are trying not reveal major parts of their investigation.

Paul Vercammen, we appreciate all the information. You are doing a great job, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Weeks>