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FBI Agents Grill Man in Chicago Over Missing Boy

Aired April 30, 2003 - 14:26   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: FBI agents in Chicago are questioning a man they believe abandoned a boy two months ago at a hospital in the city. Authorities say the boy could be Tristan Buddy Myers, who has been missing for two years from his aunt's home in North Carolina.
Our Chicago bureau chief, Jeff Flock, has more for us now.

Hello, Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, could be. You're absolutely right. But it's getting very, very muddy.

Here is what we know at this hour. Indeed, the FBI did question that man. His name is Ricky Quick. Questioned him overnight but they released him early today.

Now, he brought that boy that you referred to to the hospital in Evanston, Illinois in February. He says the boy's name is Eli Quick. I think we've got pictures of both what Eli -- the boy we're referring to as Eli -- as well as on the left of your screen there, that's Buddy Myers.

Are they the same boy? Well, at this point we don't know. The man who brought the boy on the right-hand side of your screen in says it's, in fact, his son. He has spoke very briefly with reporters today and as he was speaking he even contradicted himself, though, about the details of the case.

This is Ricky Quick. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Eli your son?

RICKY QUICK, QUESTIONED IN MISSING BOY CASE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your biological son?

QUICK: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not your stepson?

QUICK: No. It's my wife's little boy and we had the bad relationship and that's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it's another man's child? QUICK: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. How long were you married....

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOCK: So biological son, stepson, at this point, I think the jury is still out. But whatever. We do want to report that Mr. Quick has been released by the FBI at this time.

Now at the same time as that interview was taking place, CNN's Gary Tuchman was out in North Carolina speaking to Buddy Myers' biological mother. She is a woman who had that child when she was 15 years of age. She is now a stripper. Has one other child who she has lost custody of. She gave Buddy Myers up to a string of relatives, custody of him to a string of relatives -- and believe it or not, here's a twist. She at one point lived in the same Louisiana community as this man, Ricky Quick. CNN's Gary Tuchman asked her about that and here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The authorities are telling us they're looking into the possibility that this Ricky Quick, who brought this boy to the hospital in Illinois may have lived in Louisiana at the same time as you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that and I've been told that and I don't -- I've never met him. I've never seen this man except on TV last night.

TUCHMAN: Is there any possibility that perhaps you just don't remember seeing him or being with him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would remember a face like that, and I don't remember him.

TUCHMAN: So there's no possibility there's any connection between you and this man?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

TUCHMAN: So if this is your boy, you're saying that the man would be a kidnapper, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he would be, because I don't know him and I've taken lie detector tests and I've taken everything and I have no idea what happened with him and I wasn't involved in anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOCK: So is Ricky Quick Buddy Myers? At this point we don't know. DNA testing, Miles, is now under way to try and prove that.

Either way though, important to note that Buddy Myers -- and I think we've got those pictures of him in the pool in perhaps happier times. Fact is, he didn't have a lot of happy times. As we said, a son of a 15-year-old mom who is now a stripper, went to live with her mom who later died of cancer. He was run over by a car driven by his grandfather by accident at one point. And then the boy called Ricky Quick, he was found dirty and disheveled here in Chicago when he was brought to the hospital for alleged aggressive behavior by the man who said he was his father and he was essentially abandoned there. The question is: is it two sad, tragic lives or perhaps one incredibly sad and tragic life. At this point, Miles we do not know.

O'BRIEN: We can only hope this child, whoever he is, finds a place where is loved. I mean, I guess that's all we can hope for here.

FLOCK: It's all we can hope for. At this point, I'm not 100 percent sure where that is.

O'BRIEN: All right. That's not an easy question to answer right now. Jeff Flock in Chicago, thanks very much. 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 30, 2003 - 14:26   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: FBI agents in Chicago are questioning a man they believe abandoned a boy two months ago at a hospital in the city. Authorities say the boy could be Tristan Buddy Myers, who has been missing for two years from his aunt's home in North Carolina.
Our Chicago bureau chief, Jeff Flock, has more for us now.

Hello, Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, could be. You're absolutely right. But it's getting very, very muddy.

Here is what we know at this hour. Indeed, the FBI did question that man. His name is Ricky Quick. Questioned him overnight but they released him early today.

Now, he brought that boy that you referred to to the hospital in Evanston, Illinois in February. He says the boy's name is Eli Quick. I think we've got pictures of both what Eli -- the boy we're referring to as Eli -- as well as on the left of your screen there, that's Buddy Myers.

Are they the same boy? Well, at this point we don't know. The man who brought the boy on the right-hand side of your screen in says it's, in fact, his son. He has spoke very briefly with reporters today and as he was speaking he even contradicted himself, though, about the details of the case.

This is Ricky Quick. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Eli your son?

RICKY QUICK, QUESTIONED IN MISSING BOY CASE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your biological son?

QUICK: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not your stepson?

QUICK: No. It's my wife's little boy and we had the bad relationship and that's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it's another man's child? QUICK: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. How long were you married....

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOCK: So biological son, stepson, at this point, I think the jury is still out. But whatever. We do want to report that Mr. Quick has been released by the FBI at this time.

Now at the same time as that interview was taking place, CNN's Gary Tuchman was out in North Carolina speaking to Buddy Myers' biological mother. She is a woman who had that child when she was 15 years of age. She is now a stripper. Has one other child who she has lost custody of. She gave Buddy Myers up to a string of relatives, custody of him to a string of relatives -- and believe it or not, here's a twist. She at one point lived in the same Louisiana community as this man, Ricky Quick. CNN's Gary Tuchman asked her about that and here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The authorities are telling us they're looking into the possibility that this Ricky Quick, who brought this boy to the hospital in Illinois may have lived in Louisiana at the same time as you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that and I've been told that and I don't -- I've never met him. I've never seen this man except on TV last night.

TUCHMAN: Is there any possibility that perhaps you just don't remember seeing him or being with him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would remember a face like that, and I don't remember him.

TUCHMAN: So there's no possibility there's any connection between you and this man?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

TUCHMAN: So if this is your boy, you're saying that the man would be a kidnapper, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he would be, because I don't know him and I've taken lie detector tests and I've taken everything and I have no idea what happened with him and I wasn't involved in anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOCK: So is Ricky Quick Buddy Myers? At this point we don't know. DNA testing, Miles, is now under way to try and prove that.

Either way though, important to note that Buddy Myers -- and I think we've got those pictures of him in the pool in perhaps happier times. Fact is, he didn't have a lot of happy times. As we said, a son of a 15-year-old mom who is now a stripper, went to live with her mom who later died of cancer. He was run over by a car driven by his grandfather by accident at one point. And then the boy called Ricky Quick, he was found dirty and disheveled here in Chicago when he was brought to the hospital for alleged aggressive behavior by the man who said he was his father and he was essentially abandoned there. The question is: is it two sad, tragic lives or perhaps one incredibly sad and tragic life. At this point, Miles we do not know.

O'BRIEN: We can only hope this child, whoever he is, finds a place where is loved. I mean, I guess that's all we can hope for here.

FLOCK: It's all we can hope for. At this point, I'm not 100 percent sure where that is.

O'BRIEN: All right. That's not an easy question to answer right now. Jeff Flock in Chicago, thanks very much. 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