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Possibilities in Case of Unknown Boy in Chicago

Aired April 29, 2003 - 15:33   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here to give us some perspective on the case and what determining the child's identity will entail is CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks. Mike, good to have you back with us.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good to be with you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, first of all, let's walk through the identification issue. In this world of science, we have DNA testing. DNA testing takes some time, however. Do we have any sense as to when we'll know one way or another whether there's a match?

BROOKS: Well they say it's going to be six weeks. Now that's the longest period of time that a laboratory, forensics lab would have to do a DNA test.

Now, they took a sample from his mother two weeks ago. That was a blood sample, I was told by Sampson County Sheriff Sergeant Cox who you just saw a moment ago. And they also took a sample on Monday of the young boy. They took a cheek swabbing, they swab the inside of his cheek. That is being sent to a lab in Burlington, North Carolina, LabCorp. That is who is going to be doing the DNA testing. I was also told that by the Sampson County Sheriffs.

So they could get something within four or five days. That would be kind of a quick test. We saw recently in the Laci Peterson case where samples not as good as the DNA that they are submitting now were sent in and they had it back in three to four days. So again, that six-week period is the longest time that it could be possible to get back the test.

O'BRIEN: We can only hope it goes to the head of the queue given the circumstances here. Let's talk -- depending on how the test comes out, it changes radically the nature of the investigation. Whether it's a kidnapping case involving the FBI or just perhaps social services in Illinois. What are you hearing from your sources on all that?

BROOKS: Well I spoke with FBI spokesman in the FBI Charlotte office Supervisory Special Agent Eric Blowers earlier today and he said, yes, they are investigating.

But putting on my investigators' hat now, if they come back with a positive DNA test that matches the boy and the mother who was missing her son two years ago, then they will have a kidnapping case. But if it comes back negative, then they only have a local -- I don't want to say only, now they have a case dealing with local police, The Evanston, Illinois police of either child abuse or abandonment with the man that dropped the child off at the hospital.

And that person apparently is a man by the name of Ricky Quick. They don't know where he is right now. They are not looking for him because there are no warrants out for him. But at the time, Eli Quick, this young boy, with the name Eli Quick that he was saying, was left at the hospital, Ricky Quick had a warrant out of Chicago for theft. And he was arrested, he was released and now they don't know where he is.

O'BRIEN: I'm surprised because at the very least there would be the suspicion of some abuse here. I'm surprised that authorities aren't actively looking for him as we speak. Why do they necessarily have to wait for this DNA I.D. before they move forward looking for him?

BROOKS: Well right now, apparently the hospital today came out with a statement. What they -- when he dropped the child off back in February, he -- the child was dirty, apparently he hadn't bathed in a long time. His clothes very disheveled. But they don't know if there was any signs of abuse at that time.

Now if they do find out that this is a positive DNA match, then they will look at him and see what role he had in his disappearance from North Carolina two years ago. Will it be a kidnapping case? We'll leave it up to the FBI and law enforcement sources to say exactly what charges if the DNA test comes back positive.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Mike Brooks here in the newsroom, thanks very much for shedding some light on all this. We do appreciate it.

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






Aired April 29, 2003 - 15:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Here to give us some perspective on the case and what determining the child's identity will entail is CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks. Mike, good to have you back with us.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good to be with you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, first of all, let's walk through the identification issue. In this world of science, we have DNA testing. DNA testing takes some time, however. Do we have any sense as to when we'll know one way or another whether there's a match?

BROOKS: Well they say it's going to be six weeks. Now that's the longest period of time that a laboratory, forensics lab would have to do a DNA test.

Now, they took a sample from his mother two weeks ago. That was a blood sample, I was told by Sampson County Sheriff Sergeant Cox who you just saw a moment ago. And they also took a sample on Monday of the young boy. They took a cheek swabbing, they swab the inside of his cheek. That is being sent to a lab in Burlington, North Carolina, LabCorp. That is who is going to be doing the DNA testing. I was also told that by the Sampson County Sheriffs.

So they could get something within four or five days. That would be kind of a quick test. We saw recently in the Laci Peterson case where samples not as good as the DNA that they are submitting now were sent in and they had it back in three to four days. So again, that six-week period is the longest time that it could be possible to get back the test.

O'BRIEN: We can only hope it goes to the head of the queue given the circumstances here. Let's talk -- depending on how the test comes out, it changes radically the nature of the investigation. Whether it's a kidnapping case involving the FBI or just perhaps social services in Illinois. What are you hearing from your sources on all that?

BROOKS: Well I spoke with FBI spokesman in the FBI Charlotte office Supervisory Special Agent Eric Blowers earlier today and he said, yes, they are investigating.

But putting on my investigators' hat now, if they come back with a positive DNA test that matches the boy and the mother who was missing her son two years ago, then they will have a kidnapping case. But if it comes back negative, then they only have a local -- I don't want to say only, now they have a case dealing with local police, The Evanston, Illinois police of either child abuse or abandonment with the man that dropped the child off at the hospital.

And that person apparently is a man by the name of Ricky Quick. They don't know where he is right now. They are not looking for him because there are no warrants out for him. But at the time, Eli Quick, this young boy, with the name Eli Quick that he was saying, was left at the hospital, Ricky Quick had a warrant out of Chicago for theft. And he was arrested, he was released and now they don't know where he is.

O'BRIEN: I'm surprised because at the very least there would be the suspicion of some abuse here. I'm surprised that authorities aren't actively looking for him as we speak. Why do they necessarily have to wait for this DNA I.D. before they move forward looking for him?

BROOKS: Well right now, apparently the hospital today came out with a statement. What they -- when he dropped the child off back in February, he -- the child was dirty, apparently he hadn't bathed in a long time. His clothes very disheveled. But they don't know if there was any signs of abuse at that time.

Now if they do find out that this is a positive DNA match, then they will look at him and see what role he had in his disappearance from North Carolina two years ago. Will it be a kidnapping case? We'll leave it up to the FBI and law enforcement sources to say exactly what charges if the DNA test comes back positive.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Mike Brooks here in the newsroom, thanks very much for shedding some light on all this. We do appreciate it.

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